The configuration of the leaf market in Pedra in Salvador

Abstract

This article analyzes the configuration of the ritual / medicinal plants’ (leaves) market used in the candomblé of Salvador, from the circulation of these goods as they are produced and commercialized by foragers and horticulturalists who bring them regularly to the Feira de São Joaquim, the city’s main distribution center for other circuits of retail commerce (fairs, marketplaces, stores and sale stands on the streets). The Mercado da Pedra, where large quantities of product are sold wholesale, takes place at dawn, and was the empirical basis for the ethnographic research, that made it possible to understand the social structures and agents involved in the production, distribution and consumption of the leaves that result from gathering (foraging) or harvesting (horticulture), of especially cultivated areas and gardens, as well as from natural areas, mainly the remaining native woodlands in the areas surrounding Salvador and in the interior of the state. The uniqueness of the leave’s 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 making) to the contemporary capitalist market.