"The "mãe de santo" was a tall black woman with majestic looking. Any of her small insinuations were promptly obeied by the members of the sect.It is said that she was quite rich. Once she stated: 'I'm daughter of two africans, thank God!' She learned ketu with her parents; the nago she learned in the sect. She was illiterate but about her knowledge of the rituals and believes of the african cult, a Ogan said proudly: 'She knows the africans things better than anyone else in Bahia'. 'Intelligent, alive of spirit, very agile in speaking, she was one of the most respected chiefs of the afro-brazilian world. Once, discussing with a catholic priest, he told that as she was not ordained by the Pope she would not have "spiritual authority" to realize religious rituals; she lively asked him, if Moises, 'the great profet and chief of his people', was ordained by the Pope. Continue stating that the first man could not be a white man, but one of colour, 'if not black, at least red. It is said that the man comes from Asia, isn't it? The white ones did not come from there'. She stated as well, that Jesus Christ too, must have been african, or 'at least a man of colour', since his relatives hid him in Egipt. 'Egipt is in Africa, isn't it? If Jesus was not of dark complexion, how to hide him among the people of Africa?' [10a], asked her.
