Pajé and writer Zeneida Lima launches new book at age 92

At the age of 92, celebrated this Tuesday (21), the shaman, writer, composer and environmentalist Zeneida Lima presents to the public a new chapter of her own story. The author launches the unpublished book Meus Caruanas, which concludes the autobiography that began more than three decades ago with O Mundo Místico dos Caruanas da Ilha do Marajó (1992), a work that took the Marajoara pajelança to Sapucaí and inspired the Beija-Flor de Nilópolis champion parade in 1998. In 2027, the school will once again pay homage to the woman from Pará with the plot Zeneida: O Sopro do Pó de Louro, inspired by his life and legacy.

Born in Soure, in the Marajó archipelago, Zeneida is one of the main references of cabocla pajelança. Established as a shaman at the age of 11, she built a career dedicated to preserving ancestral knowledge, Amazonian spirituality and nature. He also founded the Caruanas do Marajó Culture and Ecology Institution (ICMCE), which serves around 200 children and adolescents with activities focused on education, culture and environmental preservation. In 2021, she received the title of Doctor Honoris Causa from the State University of Pará (Uepa).

In Meus Caruanas, Zeneida brings together memories of her return to Pará, the creation of the Caruanas do Marajó Foundation and the challenges faced in the mission to preserve traditional knowledge. The work expands the narrative started in his first book and reveals never-before-seen episodes of a life dedicated to Amazonian culture, the environment and spirituality. The preface is signed by historian and writer Luiz Antonio Simas.

The author's relationship with Beija-Flor spans almost three decades. In an interview with g1, Zeneida recalled that she participated in the preparation of the 1998 champion parade.

"I went to look at the energies of the waters and saw that the problem was the carnival. I had to change, in addition to doing a pajelança for the community. We won the carnival", he said.

Despite national recognition, Zeneida often states that her main mission remains linked to caring for the Amazon and new generations.

"My dream was for people to all come together and take better care of nature, because it is sick, very sick. I wanted the next generation to still find what we found here."