 | This article needs additional citations for verification. (January 2018) |
The word Nagos refers to all Brazilian Yoruba people, their African descendants, Yoruba myth, ritual, and cosmological patterns. Nagos derives from the word anago, a term Fon-speaking people used to describe Yoruba-speaking people from the kingdom of Ketu,[1] Toward the end of the slave trade in the 1880s[when?], the Nagos stood out as the African group most often shipped to Brazil. The Nagos were important to the history of the slave trade at that time in the 19th century, as Brazil requested more enslaved persons as demand for products from this region grew and harsh conditions on plantations entailed a high turnover.[1]
This particular group of Africans comprises the largest ethnic group in Brazil, with much influence since it was the most recent group to immigrate to Brazil, and Brazilian-African enslaved persons greatly helped the Brazilian economy.
High demand for labor in plantations led Brazil to import enslaved persons of the Nagos tribe. In colonial times, Brazilian enslaved persons, given their low status and poor prospects, could expect only to work until they died.
African culture, however, was passed on through religion and cultural practices, and has influenced other peoples in Brazil. The Nagos were forced to occupy the lowest status ranking in Latin America and adapted. One of the most important cultural aspects to be discovered in Brazil is the Yoruba religion. This African religion has survived since slavery, and today a large portion of Brazil's population still practices and upholds it.