Profetas da chuva em Quixadá/CE: tradição, ressignificação e adaptação no semiárido cearense

Abstract

In the countryside of Ceará, specifically in Quixadá, a municipality characterized by a semi- arid climate and limited rainfall, the "Rain Prophets" play a crucial role in forecasting precipitation and fostering hope. They employ empirical methods and environmental observations to develop climatic and agricultural knowledge and practices. The primary objective of this thesis is to investigate the tradition of the Rain Prophets in Quixadá, by understanding its historical evolution, analyzing its adaptations to social, environmental, and technological transformations, and evaluating its future perspectives. Additionally, the study aims to: trace the historical evolution of this tradition by identifying its cultural heritage and ancestral roots; investigate contemporary experiences by systematizing their methods into classification categories; and assess the role of these prophets in modern society amidst current global changes. The research adopts a qualitative approach, employing an exploratory and descriptive lens to understand complex social and environmental phenomena. The methodological framework consisted of three stages: a systematic literature review; primary data collection via semi-structured interviews with 12 prophets who participate in the annual meetings in Quixadá (utilizing the "snowball" sampling technique); and an interpretive data analysis. The results indicate a complex, multifaceted tradition, characterized by family lineages that have preserved this knowledge for up to five generations. The institutionalization of the "Annual Meetings of the Rain Prophets of Quixadá" has transformed a once dispersed and individualized practice into a collective event, consolidating it as a public ritual of identity affirmation and a potent mechanism for media visibility. The research identified a variety of observation methods, classified into four distinct categories: Natural (the most used), Religious/Mystical, Mixed (combining natural and religious observations), and Scientific/Empirical. The findings demonstrate that "the Rain Prophet" is not a homogeneous category, but rather a diverse spectrum of practices, identities, and adaptive strategies. This spectrum encompasses traditionalists, who resist technological innovations to maintain the "purity" of the tradition, to integrators, who incorporate meteorological data into their bservations. This heterogeneity reflects different ways of negotiating the tensions between tradition and modernity. This study offers original contributions to the field, highlighting the systematic documentation of twelve prophets and their methods, as well as an in-depth discussion on the succession crisis. Furthermore, the thesis theorizes the relationship between climate change and the erosion of social credibility, explicates the material dimension of traditional knowledge, and demonstrates that tradition and modernity are not binary opposites but coexisting dimensions. The results confirm that this tradition is undergoing a process of resignification; however, its continuity depends on collective choices regarding cultural valorization and environmental preservation.