Abstract

Background: Indigenous health has long been marginalised within biomedical systems, despite the persistence of traditional practices that address both physical and spiritual well-being. Among the Tenetehara-Tembé people of the Alto Rio Guamá Indigenous Land (TIARG), located in northeastern Pará (Eastern Amazonia), traditional healing practices continue to play a central role in community resilience, particularly during times of crisis such as the COVID-19 pandemic.
Objectives: This lecture seeks to analyse how the Tenetehara-Tembé conceptualise and practice healing in relation to morbidity, with a particular focus on the interplay between official medical systems and alternative Indigenous practices. A decolonial perspective is adopted to highlight Indigenous epistemologies of prevention and care.
Methods: Ethnographic engagement was carried out in the Zawara Uhu village, with attention to the roles of community leaders, midwives, and shamans in health-related practices. The study draws on lived experiences and narratives shared by the Tembé during and beyond the COVID-19 pandemic, situating these within broader discussions on Indigenous health and environmental transformations.
Results: Findings underscore that pandemics, such as COVID-19, reflect the consequences of negligent modernity and its impacts on ecosystems. The Tembé’s practices illustrate a holistic understanding of health—encompassing body and soul—and reveal alternative frameworks for disease prevention and healing. These practices are not merely cultural survivals but constitute adaptive strategies of resilience and citizenship in the face of ongoing social and environmental challenges.
Conclusion: The Tembé’s healing practices highlight the critical importance of Indigenous knowledge in confronting morbidities that arise both from modern illnesses and from the ecological crises of the civilizing process. By integrating traditional and alternative approaches to care, the Tembé demonstrate pathways toward more inclusive and sustainable health systems.

Keywords: Disease; Tembé; Morbidity; Healing Practices

Biography

José Augusto Carvalho de Araújo holds a PhD in Sociology from the Federal University of São Carlos (UFSCar-SP), where he also completed his postdoctoral studies. He earned a Master’s degree in Sociology from the Federal University of Paraíba (UFPB), a specialization in Political Science from the Federal University of Pará (UFPA/IUPERJ), and a Bachelor’s degree in Social Sciences from the University of the Amazon. Since 1993, he has served as a professor at the State University of Pará (UEPa), where he is currently Adjunct Professor with Full-Time and Exclusive Dedication (TIDE) and a permanent faculty member of the Graduate Program (stricto sensu) in Environmental Sciences. With 32 years of experience in higher education, his research and teaching focus on Sociology and Anthropology, with an emphasis on health and the environment.

Abstract

The Free State province in South Africa has become an epicenter for a novel form of violence wherein criminal youth gangs incorporate elements of African witchcraft and esoteric belief ideology into their gang practices. A vital component of these practices is the use of traditional African medicine or ‘muti’ which is comprised of plants, herbs and in extreme cases, human organs and blood, and is utilized to further coercive, ritualistic and violent purposes within gangs. Despite growing reports of muti-related rituals including organ harvesting, the consumption of human blood, and the use of paraphernalia believed to enhance invincibility, official crime statistics and empirical literature remain limited. Moreover, no studies in the region have been conducted directly exploring gang members’ perspectives and lived realities regarding how muti is conceptualized and used within the context of the gang. Grounded in subcultural and cultural transmission theory, this study draws on qualitative data to examine the symbolic, functional and ideological roles of muti in youth gangs in the Free State. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews with 23 active gang members, 16 non-gang-affiliated offenders and 18 criminal justice professionals, and analysed using reflexive thematic analysis. The findings revealed that muti is not merely a symbolic tool but is embedded in gang initiation rites, hierarchy, identity, ideology and violence. Gang members believed muti to be a means of acquiring supernatural protection and enhance spiritual power, instilling fear, and affirming loyalty to the gang. The manipulation of muti for criminal gain represents a distinct departure from conventional gang norms and signals a broader spiritualisation of gang identity in the province, while simultaneously perpetuating illegal organ harvesting and trade within the region. This study offers a unique contribution to gang scholarship by documenting how indigenous belief systems are appropriated and weaponised in youth criminal subcultures. Moreover, the study provides critical insights for the development of culturally informed intervention strategies, particularly in contexts where traditional spirituality intersects with organised violence.
Keywords: occult-gang, youth gang, typology, witchcraft, devil worship, ritual, muti , demon.

Biography

Dr Ashwill Ramon Phillips is a Lecturer in the Department of Criminology at the University of the Free State, South Africa. He holds a PhD in Criminology and specializes in youth deviance, gang subcultures, and criminogenic risk trajectories. His research focuses on the socio-cultural dynamics of youth gangs, including the intersection of gang identity with occult practices and symbolic violence. Dr Phillips has published and presented extensively on pathways to youth misconduct, resilience, and the formation of deviant identities. His work is rooted in qualitative and reflexive methodologies, and he is committed to advancing criminological knowledge that informs both theory and practice. Dr Phillips is also actively involved in curriculum development, postgraduate supervision, and community engagement initiatives with the Department of Correctional Services.