The Barquinha: Symbolic Space of a Cosmology in the Making, translated by Robin M. Wright, revised by Matthew Meyer

The purpose of the article is to introduce the symbolic repertoire of the Centro EspA­rita e Culto de OraA§A£o—‘Casa de Jesus, Fonte de Luz’, popularly known as the Barquinha. The Barquinha was created in 1945 in Rio Branco (Acre) by Daniel Pereira de Mattos, a native of MaranhA£o. The ritual ceremonies, which include the consumption of Daime, imply a relation of European, Afro- Brazilian, and indigenous religious practices and philosophies. The concept of cosmology in construction is used to understand the constant and dynamic process of creation and resignification of religious symbols of this group unto itself.