Ilê Axé Iyá Nassô Oká is a Candombléterreiro in Salvador, Bahia, Brazil. It is also known as the Casa Branca do Engenho Velho, Terreiro Casa Branca, or simply the Casa Branca. It is located on Vasco da Gama Avenue in the Engenho Velho neighborhood of Salvador. The terreiro is associated with the Ketu branch of the religion and is publicly represented by the Sociedade São Jorge do Engenho Velho. Ilê Axé Iyá Nassô Oká was incorporated by the mid-19th century but traces its lineage an earlier period. Ilê Axé Iyá Nassô Oká is considered to be the oldest Candomblé terreiro in Brazil, and was the first non-Roman Catholic and first Afro-Brazilian religious place of worship to receive heritage status from the National Institute of Historic and Artistic Heritage. The terreiro covers and includes religious structures, sacred objects, trees associated with Candomblé rituals, and open space.
History
Ilê Axé Iyá Nassô Oká traces its origins to Terreiro de la Barroquinha, which was founded in the 19th century by three freed slaves of African birth: Iyá Nassô, Iyá Kalá and Iyá Detá. Iyá Nassô rented land at the abandoned Velho do Rio Vermelho de Baixo sugar mill, on what is now Vasco da Gama Avenue, and created a new terreiro at the location. Members of the group traveled to Africa in the early 19th century to "study and assure the authenticity of the ritual and doctrine" of their faith. The terreiro was formally founded in the 1830s; the Jornal da Bahia of May 3, 1855 contains the earliest published reference to the terreiro Engenho Velho. Succession disputes at the terreiro led to the establishment of two new terriros: Ilê Iyá Omi Axé Iamassé in the Gantois neighborhood, and Ilê Axé Opô Afonjá in the São Gonçalo neighborhood. Both remain active and are also central centers of Candomblé in Brazil. The terreiro was registered as a public entity under the name Sociedade Beneficente e Recreativa São Jorge do Engenho Velho in on July 25, 1943. The existence of the Ilê Axé Iyá Nassô Oká was threatened in the early 1980s due to real estate speculation. The terreiro did not own the land on which it sat and the land owner put the property up for sale; the terreiro was threatened with expulsion from the area. A social movement to preserve the terreiro began in this period with the support of the Afro-Brazilian political groups, local politicians, and population of Salvador. Public personalities such as Mãe Menininha do Gantois, Jorge Amado, the artist Carybé, Dorival Caymmi, and Oscar Niemeyer advocated for preservation of the terreiro. The city of Salvador gave historic preservation status to the terreiro in 1982, studies by the federal government followed in 1983 and federal landmark status in 1985. Candomblé was and remains a syncretic faith; members recognize and participate in Catholic masses and festivals. A movement at the end of the 20th century sought to remove Catholic elements from some terreiros, including at Ilê Axé Iyá Nassô Oká. Catholic statues and other iconography have gradually been removed from the terriro.
Lineage
Ilê Axé Iyá Nassô Oká has a well-recorded list of iyalorishas, or female heads of the terreiro.
The grounds of Ilê Axé Iyá Nassô Oká are dedicated to the orixa Oxossi, but its main temple is dedicated to Xango. The grounds also include a number of smaller buildings. Some contain shrines, others are houses belonging to members of the community. There are also statues and a large area with vegetation, including trees holding shrines.
Oxum Square
Ilê Axé Iyá Nassô Oká opens to Oxum Square at its entrance. Its distinctive feature is a Barco de Oxum, or boat dedicated to the orisha Oxum. The square was renovated according to a plan by the architect Oscar Niemeyer, and is one of his two projects in Salvador.
Casa Branca
The main structure of the terreiro, known as a barracão, is called the Casa Branca. The Casa Branca is an elongated building divided into one large hall for public ceremonies and numerous smaller rooms. A kitchen is used for the preparation of ritual foods, and private rooms for religious leaders of the terreiro. A white flag tops the structure and indicates its sacred nature. The roof of the Casa Branca barracão has symbols of Xango, which identify him as the patron of the temple.
Heritage status
Ilê Axé Iyá Nassô Oká received heritage status by the National Institute of Historic and Artistic Heritage on August 14, 1986. Unlike historic buildings, IPHAN sought to protect the terreiro as a whole. The directorate included "the entire site, an area of approximately 6,800 m2, with the buildings, trees and main sacred objects, accompanied by all necessary measures that effectively guarantee the safety of this property."
