The metamorphosis of the leaf commodity: from nature to peji

Abstract

Under the generic name of ‘leaves’, some species of plants play a central role in the rituals of candomblé, as they are understood to hold a symbolic (magic–religious) and therapeutic (medicinal) effectiveness that make them indispensable to the very existence of worship. In Salvador, the dynamics of the commercialization of such leaves interacts with the practices of African–Brazilian religions. Considering the leaves to be simultaneously economic and symbolic goods, i.e., reiterating thus their doubled aspect as a product and as an object that carries magic–religious power (axé), an analysis is essayed on the metamorphosis of the leaf as a product, inspired by Enrique Dussel’s (2012) scheme, in order to from his comments on Marx’s Grundrisse. The formal modifications that the leaves go through are, then, highlighted: from its natural thing state and its circulation as an exchange value in the market, into its consumption (ritualistic/therapeutic) in the religious aspect, when it takes the form of ewê (sacred herb). The uniqueness of the leaves’ market in Salvador is revealed, amongst other factors, by the juxtaposition of the two spheres of distribution (simple and developed, as established by Marx) that interlace themselves dynamically, connecting a traditional market (of “African” makings) to the contemporary capitalist market.