FREE ESSAY ON CAPOIERA

CAPOIERA

Peter Newell
11-10-99
Period 1
Capoeira Essay 
(Informative)
CAPOEIRA
Origin: Angola and Brazil
History:
Capoeira is the common name for the group of African martial arts that came out of west
Africa and were modified and mixed in Brazil. These original styles included weapons,
grappling and striking as well as animal forms that became incorporated into different
components and sub styles of the art. 
In 1500's the Portuguese, led by explorer Pedro Alvares Cabral, arrived in Brazil. One of
the first measures taken by the new arrivals was the conquering of the local population,
the Brazilian Indians, in order to allow the Portuguese slave labor (for sugarcane and
cotton). The experience with the Indians was a failure. The Indians quickly died in
captivity or fled to their nearby homes. The Portuguese then began to import slave labor
from Africa. On the other side of the Atlantic, free men and women were captured, loaded
onto slave ships and sent on nightmare voyages that would end in bondage. 
The Africans first arrived by the hundreds and later by the thousands (approximately four
million in total).Three major African groups contributed in large numbers to the slave
population in Brazil, the Sudanese group, composed largely of Yoruba and Dahomean
peoples, the Mohammedanized Guinea-Sudanese groups of Malesian and Hausa peoples, and the
Bantu groups (among them Kongos, Kimbundas, and Kasanjes) from Angola, Congo and
Mozambique. 
The Bantu groups are believed to have been the foundation for the birth of capoeira. They
brought with them their culture; a culture that was not stored in books and museums but
in the body, mind, heart and soul. A culture that was transmitted from father to son,
throughout generations. There was candomble', a religion; the berimbau, a musical
instrument; vatapa, a food; and many other things.
The Dutch controlled parts of the northeast between 1624 and 1654. Slaves took steps
towards reconquest of their freedom when the Dutch fought against the Portuguese colony,
invading towns and plantations along the northeastern coast, concentrating on Recife and
Salvador. With each Dutch invasion, the security of the plantations and towns were
weakened. The slaves, taking advantage of the opportunities, fled into the forests in
search of places in which to hide and survive. Many, after escaping, founded independent
villages called quilombos. 
The quilombos were very important to evolution of capoeira. There were at least ten major
quilombos with economic and commercial relationships with neighboring cities. The
quilombo dos Palmraes lasted sixty-seven years in the interior of the state of Alagoas,
fighting off almost all expeditions sent to extinguish it. Because of the consistency and
type of threat present, capoeira developed as a fight in the quilombos. The birth of
capoeira as a fighting style was created in the slaves' quarters and might not have
developed further if left only to that environment. 
Starting around 1814, capoeira and other forms of African cultural expression suffered
were prohibited in some places by the slave masters and overseers. Up until that date,
forms of African cultural expression were permitted and sometimes even encouraged, not
only as safety against internal pressures created by slavery but also to bring out the
differences between various African groups, in a spirit of divide and conquer. But with
the arrival in Brazil in 1808 of the Portuguese king Dom Joao VI and his court, who were
fleeing Napoleon Bonaparte's invasion of Portugal, things changed. The newcomers
understood the necessity of destroying a people's culture in order to dominate them, and
capoeira began to be persecuted in a process, which would end with its being outlawed in
1892. 
Why was capoeira suppressed? There were many motives. First of all it gave Africans a
sense of nationality. It also developed self-confidence in individual capoeira
practitioners. Capoeira created small, cohesive groups. It also created dangerous and
agile fighters. Sometimes the slaves would injure themselves during the capoeira, which
was not desirable from an economical point of view. The masters and overseers were
probably not as conscious as the king and his intellectuals of his court of all of these
motives, but even still, they knew something didn't seem right. 
There are many other theories to explain the origins of capoeira. According to one well
known theory, capoeira was a fight that was disguised as a dance so that it could be
practiced without knowledge of the white slave owners. This seems unlikely because when
African culture began to be repressed, other forms of African dancing suffered
prohibition along with capoeira, so there would be no sense in disguising capoeira as a
dance. 
Another theory says that the Mucupes in the South of Angola had an initiation ritual
(efundula) for when girls became woman, on which occasion the young warriors engaged in
the N'golo, or dance of the zebras, a warrior's fight-dance. According to this theory,
the N'golo was capoeira itself. This theory was presented by Camara Cascudo , but one
year later Waldeloir Rego warned that this strange theory should be looked upon with
reserve until it was properly proven (something that never happened). If the N'Golo did
exist, it would seem that it was one of several dances that contributed to the creation
of early capoeira. 
Other theories mix Zumbi, the legendary leader of the Quilombo dos Palmares with the
origins of capoeira, without any reliable information on it. 
All of these theories are important when trying to understand the myth that surrounds
capoeira, but they cannot be accepted as historical fact according to the data and
information that we presently have. Maybe with further research, the theory that capoeira
as a mix of various African dances and fights occurred in Brazil, mostly in the 19th
century, will also be outdated in future years. 
With the signing of the Golden Law in 1888, which abolished slavery, the newly freed
slaves did not find a place for themselves within the existing society. The capoeirista
(practitioner of capoeira), with his fighting skills, self-confidence and individuality,
quickly descended into criminality and capoeira along with him. In Rio de Janiero, where
capoeira had developed exclusively as a form of fighting, criminal gangs were created
that terrorized the population. Soon thereafter, during the transition from the Brazilian
Empire to the Brazilian republic in 1890, these gangs were used by both monarchists and
republicans to exert pressure on and break up the rallies of their adversaries. The club,
the dagger and the switchblade were used to complement the damage done by various
capoeira moves. 
In Bahia on the other hand, capoeira continued to develop into a ritual-dance-fight-game,
and the berimbau began to be an indispensable instrument used to command the rodas (
sessions of capoeira games), which always took place in hidden places since the practice
of capoeira had been outlawed by the first constitution of the Brazilian Republic (1892).

At the beginning of the twentieth century, in Rio the capoeirista was a rouge and a
criminal. Whether the capoeirista was white, black or mulatto, he was an expert in the
use of kicks (golpes), sweeps (rasteiras) and head-butts (cabecadas), as well as in the
use of blade weapons. In Recife, capoeira became associated with the city's principal
musicbands. During carnival time, tough capoeira fighters would lead the bands through
the streets of that city, and wherever two bands would meet, fighting and bloodshed would
usually occur. In Bahia, the capoeirista was also often seen as a criminal. 
The persecution and the confrontations with the police continued. The art form was slowly
extinguished in Rio and Recife, leaving capoeira only in Bahia. It was during this period
that legendary figures, feared players such as Besouro Cordao-de-Ouro in Bahia,
Nascimento Grande in Recife and Manduca da Praia in Rio, who are celebrated to this day
in capoeira, made their appearances It is said that Besouro lived in Santo Amaro da
Purificacao in the state of Bahia, and was the teacher of another famous capoeirista by
the name of Cobrinha Verde. Besouro did not like the police and was feared not only as a
capoeirista but also for having his corpo fechado (a person who through specific magic
rituals, supposedly has almost complete invulnerability in the face of various weapons).
According to legend, an ambush was set up for him. It is said that he himself carried the
written message identifying him as the person to be killed, thinking that it was a
message that would bring him work. Legend says he was killed with a special wooden dagger
prepared during magic rituals in order to overcome his corpo fechado. 
Of all the rouges that led the carnival bands through the streets of Recife, Nascimiento
Grande was one of the most feared. Some say he was killed during police persecution in
the early 1900s, but others say he moved from Recife to Rio de Janiero and died of old
age there. 
Manduca da Praia was of an earlier generation and always dressed in an extremely elegant
style. It is said that he owned a fish store and lived comfortably. He was also one of
those who controlled elections in the area he lived in. It is said that he had
twenty-seven criminal cases against himself (for assault, knifing etc.) but was always
overlooked due to his influence of the politicians he worked for. 
The two central figures in capoeira in the twentieth century were undoubtedly Mestre
Bimba and Mestre Pastinha. These two figures are so important in the history of capoeira
that they (and the mystery that surrounds them) are the mythical ancestors of all
capoeira players. Much of what a modern capoeira player tries to be is due to what these
men were or represented. 
In 1932 in Salvador, Mestre Bimba (Manuel dos Reis Machado) opened the first capoeira
academy. He started teaching what he called the regional fight from Bahia, eventually
known as Capoeira Regional (faster more aggressive than traditional Capoeira Angola
style). This was made possible by nationalistic policies of Getulio Vargas, who wanted to
promote capoeira as a Brazilian sport. Although Bimba opened his school in 1932, the
official recognition only came about in 1937. The Getulio Vargas government permitted the
practice of capoeira, but only in enclosed areas that were registered with the police.
With the opening of Bimba's Academy, a new era in the history of capoeira began, as the
game was taught to the children of the upper classes of Salvador. Bimba was active in
capoeira his whole life.
In 1941, Mestre Pastinha (Vincente Ferreira Pastinha) opened his capoeira angola school.
For the first time, capoeira began to be taught and practiced openly in a formal setting.
He became known as the philosopher of capoeira. Unfortunately, government authorities,
under the reforming of the Largo do Pelourinho, had his academy confiscated. Although he
was promised a new one, the government never came through. The final years of his life
were sad. Blind and almost abandoned, he lived in a small room until his death in 1981 at
the age of ninety-two. 
Capoeira has grown tremendously over the last fifty years. It has finally been excepted
by the masses in Brazil. Capoeira competitions and academies are surfacing everywhere. In
1974 it was recognized as the national sport of Brazil. This forced the creation of a
national federation of capoeira. In 1974 it was recognized as the national sport of
Brazil. It was formed to govern, promote and coordinate capoeira since no effort was made
previously to unite the various emurgances of capoeira throughout Brazil. 
Capoeira has expanded beyond the borders of Brazil and is growing rapidly in other
countries (including the United States). Capoeira appeals to many for many different
reasons. First of all the pure beauty of the art is hypnotic. Capoeira is a dance and a
fight. It's not only a combination of gymnastics, dance and martial arts but also music,
culture, history and knowledge. The capoeirista must learn to balance the physical with
the mental. The capoeirista must play many instruments and sing. The capoeirista may at
times be your enemy but is usually a friend. The capoeirista is a historian. The
capoeirista is all of these. 
Description:
Capoeira consists of a form of dance, practiced in a circle called the roda, with sound
background provided by percussion instruments, like the agogo and the atabaqui. The
Berimbau is a non-percussion instrument that is always used on rodas. Capoeira relies
heavily on kicks and leg sweeps for attacks and dodges for defenses. Is not uncommon to
not be taught any kind of hand strike, though arm positioning for blocks is taught.The
ginga (the footwork of Capoeira), consists in changing the basic stance (body facing the
adversary, front leg flexed with body weight over it, the other leg stretched back) from
the right leg to the left leg again and again. Capoeira also puts a heavy emphasis on
ground fighting, but not grappling and locks. Instead, it uses a ground stance (from the
basic stance, you just fall over your leg stretched back, flexing it, and leaving the
front leg stretched ahead), from which you make dodges, kicks, leg sweeps, acrobatics,
etc. Hand positioning is important but it is used only to block attacks and ensure
balance, though street fighting capoeiristas use the hands for punches. When fighting, it
is rare to stop in one stance, and in this case, you just follow your opponent with your
legs, preventing him from getting close, or preparing a fast acrobatic move to take
advantage when he attacks. The rest of the time, you just keep changing stances and do
the equivalent of boxing jabs. Players enter the game from the pe'da roda (foot of the
circle), usually with a cartwheel (au). Once in the circle, two players interact with a
series of jumps, kicks, flips, head and handstands and other ritualistic moves. Games can
be friendly or dangerous. The music plays an important role in the feel of the game. The
type of game being played, whether fast or slow, friendly or tough, depends on the rhythm
being played and the lyrics being said.
Training:
After a thorough warm-up, standing exercises are done, with emphasis on the ginga, and on
the basic kicks: bencao, a front-stomping kick, martelo, a roundhouse kick, chapa, a
side-kick, meia-lua, a low turning kick, armada, a high turning kick, queixada, an
outside-inside crescent kick. Then walking sequences are done, with the introduction of
somersaults, back flips and headstands, in couples and individual. Some more technical
training follows, with couples beginning basic and slow, and then the whole class forms
and goes for roda game for at least 30 minutes. Capoeira conditions and develops the
muscles, especially the abdominal muscles.
Sub-Styles:
Regional style is capoeira in a more artistic, open form, giving more way to athletic
prowess and training. Angola style is a more closed, harder style that is closest to the
original African systems that came to Brazil. Iuna is a totally athletic and artistic
form of the art, where the couple inside the roda play together, as opposed to one
against the other.