A Collision of Cultures in the Brazilian Battle Dance - Capoeira Music

chapter
use of weapons and sticks; and finally to all those edicts designed to assure
public safety and security.29
it should be noted that capoeira and possession of arms are almost last on this
detailed list, after littering and nudity.
regarded in the early nineteenth century as a game that could erupt into
violence, as early as the 1820s capoeira was considered a real threat to public
peace—as were many other slave activities. Capoeiras were perceived as dangerous
and violent offenders when they trained for purposes of recreation, and
even more so when their gatherings ended in rioting. Who were these people
who upset the authorities so much?
Origins of the Capoeiras
The Capoeiras of the early nineteenth century were black slaves, mainly from
West Central africa. The number of slaves brought from africa to the new
World has not yet been established, but many studies have attempted to determine
the extent of the slave trade. The question is still unresolved, but some data
may give a general picture of the numbers involved. Herbert Klein conjectures
that the number of slaves transported from africa between 1451 and 1870 was
more than 10 million. in his opinion, more than 4 million, that is, 40 percent,
were brought to the shores of Brazil. rio de Janeiro was the prime “consumer” of
this “commodity” between 1795 and 1811. More than 96 percent of all slaves landing
here were brought from ports in West Central africa (see table 1.1).
philip d. Curtin found in his study that between 1817 and 1843, 70 percent of
all the slaves brought to rio de Janeiro were transported from the shores of West
Central africa (table 1.2 and Map 1.1).
in the nineteenth century West Central africa was divided into three main
regions: northern Congo (Cabinda), angola, and Benguela. The northern Congo
stretched from Cape Lopes to the estuary of the Zaire river. These definitions
are not entirely accurate. The slave traders collected slaves of diverse origins at
various ports in the same area, categorizing all of them as a single “cargo” of
common origin. This means that slaves with diverse cultures, languages, and
customs may have been taken from areas in the northern Congo and transported
on foot or by boat to Cabinda, where they were transferred to larger
vessels. on arrival in rio de Janeiro they were lumped together and known as
Cabinda. Until 1830 more than 28 percent of all slave ships dropping anchor at
rio sailed from this port. a decade later, when slave trading from the port of Luanda
declined owing to pressure exerted by the english beginning in the 1840s,