## African nations during the slave trade period  
One of the debates that has traditionally polarized African American studies is the degree of continuity of African identities in the New World. A fertile domain in which to explore this theme is religious practices. Since the eighteenth century at least, there is evidence that in colonial Brazil Africans gathered around drumming-dancing celebrations according to their 'nation' or ethnic affiliation, and used particular ritual features, like the drums for instance, to mark their cultural differences (Soares, 2000, pp. 158-59). In 1808, in the Bahian town of Santo Amaro, Africans came down from the sugar plantations to celebrate Christmas, and gathered for their dances in different crowds, the Angolas in one place, the Jeje in another and the Nagô and Haussa in yet another. ${ }^{1}$ Though the religious dimension of these events is uncertain, the ethnic gregarious dynamic promoted by ritual activity appears evident. On the other hand, the division of Africans by 'nations' was strategically encouraged by the authorities to avoid insurgency (Reis, 2003, p. 82).  
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[^0]:    1 Arquivo Público do Estado da Bahia, maços 417-21, Capitães Mores, Santo Amaro, 1807-1822, 'Correspondência do capitão José Roiz de Gomes para o capitão-mor Francisco Pires de Cavalho e Alburquerque, 20 de janeiro de $1809^{\prime}$.