The Hidden History of Capoeira THIS PAGE INTENTIONALLY LEFT BLANK The Hidden History of C a p oe i r a x A Collision of Cultures in the Brazilian Battle Dance Maya Talmon-Chvaicer University of texas Press aUstin Copyright © 2008 by the University of texas press all rights reserved printed in the United states of america first edition, 2008 The main ideas in the second part of Chapter 2 were first published in “The Criminalization of Capoeira in nineteenth-Century Brazil,” in Hispanic American Historical Review 82:3, 525–547. The major theme of Chapter 5 was first published in “Verbal and non-verbal Memory in Capoeira,” in Sport and Society 7 (2004): 49–68, www.tandf .co.uk/journals. requests for permission to reproduce material from this work should be sent to: permissions University of texas press p.o. Box 7819 austin, tX 78713-7819 www.utexas.edu/utpress/about/bpermission.html ♾ The paper used in this book meets the minimum requirements of ANSI/NISO Z39.48-1992 (R1997) (permanence of paper). Library of Congress Cataloging-in-publication data talmon-Chvaicer, Maya, 1968– The hidden history of capoeira : a collision of cultures in the Brazilian battle dance / Maya talmon-Chvaicer. — 1st ed. p. cm. includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 978-0-292-71723-7 (cloth : alk. paper) ISBN 978-0-292-71724-4 (pbk. : alk. paper) 1. Capoeira (dance)—social aspects— Brazil—History. 2. Brazil—social life and customs. i. title. GV1796.C145T35 2007 793.3'1981—dc22 2007008882 To my parents, Ruth and Dan, my husband, José (Yossi), and my sons, Lavy and Naveh, for their support, encouragement, and patience THIS PAGE INTENTIONALLY LEFT BLANK Contents​ foreword ix acknowledgments xi introduction 1 one a rio de Janeiro slave Game 7 two The Battle and the Game (1840s–1870s) 49 three patrons and oppressors (1870s–1930s) 69 Four new Center, new style: Capoeira regional and Capoeira angola in twentieth-Century Bahia 111 Five The Game of Life: Battle of Cultures 151 epilogue 175 notes 181 Glossary 203 Bibliography 207 index 223 THIS PAGE INTENTIONALLY LEFT BLANK Foreword​ OVeR The pAST decade i have seen Maya talmon-Chvaicer’s interest in Ca- poeira and in the portuguese enslavement of africans come together in an ex- traordinary fashion as she came to realize that an analysis of the history and anthropology of Capoeira could provide a new entrée into Brazilian cultural development. This book presents us with many voices, and combines them in an a capella performance of great artistry. We hear the voices of the white authorities, of the enslaved africans, and of the black, mixed-race, and white Capoeiras, all chang- ing over time, all interacting. in the authorities’ view Capoeira changed from the play of the enslaved to the violent war games of “disruptive bandits,” and then, remarkably, it was rehabilitated and eventually became the Brazilian national sport. in early participants’ eyes it was preparation for a difficult life and a way to publicly express scorn and disrespect for authority. But for some it became a school for immersion in african values, for others a means of finding a shared “Brazilian” experience. Maya talmon-Chvaicer has brought together the changing attitudes of both those in power and participants, along with a deep analysis of the african reli- gious beliefs and the Catholicism that are part and parcel of this ritualized “game of life.” The result is a lucid analysis of the change over time in light of the po- litical and social history of Brazil and the changes from within as Kongolese, yoruban, and portuguese values and beliefs affected the ritual dance and martial art. all of these are an integral part of contemporary Capoeira, both in Brazil and abroad, but in Brazil Capoeira still plays a significant role in symbolizing national identity and is the subject of a proprietary fight that has national signifi- cance. talmon-Chvaicer analyzes all these complex issues, both over time and in relation to the many varied cultures and peoples. she retains from start to fin- ish her respect and admiration for Capoeira, which she views as containing “all the necessary ingredients for living well, both physically and spiritually,” but this does not constrain her from examining the disparate roots and meanings of the rituals, often very far from the cultures of contemporary participants. But this, too, is an important historical development in the modern world. Mechal sobel ix