Capoeira: The History of an Afro-Brazilian Martial Art

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Series editor’s foreword It was the ambition of the compilers of a recent general study of martial arts to record change over time. The reason: ‘…some (martial arts) remained martial in nature; others metamorphosed into sport, performance art, or discipline for self fulfilment.’ 1 ‘Thus it was important to present martial arts not as carvings in stone but as reflection but as reflections in mirrors.’ 2 A praiseworthy ambition. Assunção achieves it more impressively. The same compilers added that they covered Asians who adapted Western combative sports and Westerners who turned simultaneously to Asian martial disciplines: ‘These descriptions coexist with armies using martial arts to teach self-actualization, movie stars advertised as the world’s deadliest fighting men, and churches using martial arts to teach children not to fight. Such contradictions [emphasis added] are the nature of martial arts in the modern world.’ 3 Assunção handles such contradictions superbly. To paraphrase Assunção, Capoeira: The History of an Afro-Brazilian Martial Art deals with the evolution of a martial arts tradition that has never been solidly uniform but over time has been fractured as a consequence of the changing and competing agendas of adherents, advocates and enthusiasts. 4 Capoeira does not shy away from consequent awkward complexities; it confronts tired clichés; it handles contradictions with subtlety. Consequently, it is impressively authoritative. It bears the kitemark of quality. It is set to be the subject’s locus classicus. After consideration of the assumptions underpinning the history of the phenomenon, Capoeira follows a well-marked chronological route from the very earliest to the most recent moments of a now increasingly popular pastime: from its roots in Black Atlantic and Afro-Brazilian culture, through hybridity and creolization, urbanization and controversial bifurcation in the 1930s, to its present blossoming as a fashionable form of physical exercise and cultural expression. Today it is a global fad with its own jargon, fanzines and websites. Googling for it (229,000 hits) reveals that it is catching up on Aikado (551,000 hits) and Judo (899,00 hits) but still well behind Karate (1.5million hits). 5 In its original form in Brazil, capoeira was a form of confrontation of the politically strong by the politically weak—a system of physical defence used by the weaponless slave in response to Brazilian Machtpolitik. Assunção posits the view that the role of capoeira as a historical manifestation of resistance of the powerless against the powerful as part of its attraction for modern youth. He may well have underestimated its appeal. John Buchan wrote famously of causes which ennoble and those ennobled by them: ‘No great cause is ever lost or ever won. The battle must always be renewed and the creed reinstated, and the old formulas, once so potent a revelation, become only dim antiquarian echoes. But some things are universal, catholic and undying…of which such formulas are the broken gleams. These do not age or pass out of fashion for they symbolise eternal things. They are the guardians of the freedom of the human spirit, the proof of what our mortal frailty can achieve.’ 6
xii If and when the possibly ephemeral fitness fashion has run its course, the spiritual essence of capoeira will remain, and Assunção will have played his part. J.A.Mangan, Swanage, October 2004
Page 2 and 3: Capoeira First documented among Afr
Page 4: Sport in Australasian Society Past
Page 7 and 8: First published 2005 by Routledge,
Page 9 and 10: viii ‘Vagrancy’ in Bahia, c.189
Page 11: x 6.5 Performance by Mestre Pastinh
Page 15 and 16: xiv To a large extent the writing-u
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Page 19 and 20: 2 INTRODUCTION ever since. 3 Capoei
Page 22 and 23: 1 The competing master narratives o
Page 24 and 25: COMPETING MASTER NARRATIVES 7 that
Page 26 and 27: elaboration and the dissemination o
Page 28 and 29: popular classes—against capoeiras
Page 30 and 31: COMPETING MASTER NARRATIVES 13 mona
Page 32 and 33: COMPETING MASTER NARRATIVES 15 In t
Page 34 and 35: COMPETING MASTER NARRATIVES 17 Figu
Page 36 and 37: COMPETING MASTER NARRATIVES 19 Mari
Page 38 and 39: COMPETING MASTER NARRATIVES 21 Artu
Page 40 and 41: COMPETING MASTER NARRATIVES 23 In S
Page 42 and 43: COMPETING MASTER NARRATIVES 25 A mo
Page 44 and 45: […] the diaspora experience as I
Page 46: COMPETING MASTER NARRATIVES 29 wome
Page 49 and 50: 32 THE CONTEXT OF THE BLACK ATLANTI
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46 THE CONTEXT OF THE BLACK ATLANTI
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68 CAPOEIRAGEM IN RIO DE JANEIRO 18
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70 CAPOEIRAGEM IN RIO DE JANEIRO Th
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72 CAPOEIRAGEM IN RIO DE JANEIRO th
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74 CAPOEIRAGEM IN RIO DE JANEIRO Fi
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78 CAPOEIRAGEM IN RIO DE JANEIRO pr
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80 CAPOEIRAGEM IN RIO DE JANEIRO ha
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84 CAPOEIRAGEM IN RIO DE JANEIRO
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86 CAPOEIRAGEM IN RIO DE JANEIRO Gu
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90 CAPOEIRAGEM IN RIO DE JANEIRO wh
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4 Workers, vagrants and tough guys
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THE CAPOEIRA SCENE IN BAHIA 95 Figu
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hamlet Rio Vermelho on 2 February,
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Since his mention of the berimbau i
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War of Paraguay, such as ‘Humait
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THE CAPOEIRA SCENE IN BAHIA 103 Fig
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These three types of song and their
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THE CAPOEIRA SCENE IN BAHIA 113 dei
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Uncle Pascoal rewarded him one day
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THE CAPOEIRA SCENE IN BAHIA 117 ban
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THE CAPOEIRA SCENE IN BAHIA 119 to
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THE CAPOEIRA SCENE IN BAHIA 123 ful
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5 Mestre Bimba and the development
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BIMBA AND ‘REGIONAL’ STYLE 127
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ultimately meant adapting his style
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Figure 5.5 M.Bimba teaching soldier
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6 Mestre Pastinha and the codificat
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Vicente Ferreira Pastiña: his earl
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PASTINHA AND ANGOLA STYLE 151 Figur
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PASTINHA AND ANGOLA STYLE 153 gener
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PASTINHA AND ANGOLA STYLE 155 Pasti
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PASTINHA AND ANGOLA STYLE 157 dogma
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PASTINHA AND ANGOLA STYLE 159 Figur
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PASTINHA AND ANGOLA STYLE 161 Dress
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The last years Soon another kind of
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PASTINHA AND ANGOLA STYLE 165 exper
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7 Contemporary capoeira, 1950-2004
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CONTEMPORARY CAPOEIRA 169 This navy
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CONTEMPORARY CAPOEIRA 171 Figure 7.
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CONTEMPORARY CAPOEIRA 173 Figure 7.
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CONTEMPORARY CAPOEIRA 175 became th
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significantly during the 1980s. Pro
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CONTEMPORARY CAPOEIRA 179 them are
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CONTEMPORARY CAPOEIRA 181 Capoeira
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CONTEMPORARY CAPOEIRA 183 indulge i
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e-invention of capoeira Angola. In
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state of the union. Many, if not mo
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grown to become another core capoei
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CONTEMPORARY CAPOEIRA 191 States te
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CONTEMPORARY CAPOEIRA 193 long run.
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CONTEMPORARY CAPOEIRA 195 ‘capoei
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CONTEMPORARY CAPOEIRA 197 technique
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CONTEMPORARY CAPOEIRA 199 recognize
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CONTEMPORARY CAPOEIRA 201 best tole
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CONTEMPORARY CAPOEIRA 203 leaders o
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Conclusion: the contemporary meanin
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CONCLUSION 207 lamented that Europe
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CONCLUSION 209 The impressive proli
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Glossary Abadá 1 Tunics used by Mu
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GLOSSARY 213 Maculelê Dance from S
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Notes Series editor’s foreword 1
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NOTES 217 29 Marta Abreu, O Impéri
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87 Desch-Obi, ‘Engolo’, pp. 212
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NOTES 221 27 J.J.Reis and E.Silva,
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NOTES 223 73 For the variety of com
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NOTES 225 128 R. and S.Price (eds),
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NOTES 227 28 A.P.D.G., Sketches of
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93 Abreu, Os capoeiras, p. 8. 94 Ab
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NOTES 231 31 Coutinho, O ABC, p. 25
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NOTES 233 79 Carneiro, Negros banto
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NOTES 235 14 It seems, however, tha
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NOTES 237 71 See Abreu (Bimba é ba
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NOTES 239 29 Estatuto do Centro Esp
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NOTES 241 7 Lopes, A volta do mundo
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NOTES 243 78 Praticando Capoeira, V
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152 Jornal Abadá-Capoeira, No. 30
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Bibliography References for archiva
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BIBLIOGRAPHY 249 Barthes, R., Mytho
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BIBLIOGRAPHY 251 Dossar, K., ‘Dan
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BIBLIOGRAPHY 253 Lesser, J., Negoti
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BIBLIOGRAPHY 255 Pastinha, V.Ferrei
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BIBLIOGRAPHY 257 Soares, C.E.Líban
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abadá 135, 172, 187, 209 Abadá Ga
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calinda 58, 209 Calmir, Mestre 183
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weapons 45; and withcraft 65; wrest
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Kongo 20, 22, 24 Kongo-Angola cultu
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and establishment of Angola style 1
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Training Centre for Army Officers i
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Capoeira: The History of an Afro-Brazilian Martial Art

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