Please write down questions

1
Please write down questions

• What ethnicity developed Capoeira?
• Why was Capoeira developed?
• Why did music and dance develop in this Martial
  Arts?
• What would your nickname be?
• In clip 2 4, from knowing the history of
  capoeira why do you think it is popular for
  people to practice it outside?
• How do you think the acrobatics helps you fight
  your opponent?

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CAPOEIRA

• THE HISTORY OF BRAZILIAN MARTIAL ARTS

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As in the USA, there was also slavery in Brazil.
The slaves were put to work in the plantations
where sugar and tobacco were the main crops and
the demand for slave labor was great. During the
history of the slave trade, it is estimated that
more than two million slaves were brought to
Brazil from Africa.
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These slaves came from different regions of
Africa and thus had different cultures. They were
distributed in three main ports Bahia, Recife,
and Rio de Janeiro. In Rio and Recife, the
slaves were from different ethnic groups and
sometimes from enemy tribes as well, which made
it difficult for these slaves to organize a
revolt. More slaves in Rio were from Bantu
peoples, while in other areas, such as Bahia,
slaves came primarily from West Africa.
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As the slaves became aware that their condition
was irreversible, that they were intended to be
an involuntary work force forever, they began to
run away. In Recife, a group of 40 slaves
rebelled against their master, killed all the
owners, and burned the plantation house. They
then set themselves free and decided to find a
place where they could be hidden from the slave
hunters. They headed to the mountains, a trip
that took many months to complete. Had it not
been for the help they received from the Indians,
this journey would have been practically
impossible to accomplish. Eventually they reached
what they thought was a safe place, which because
of its abundance of palm trees they named
Palmares. In this place an African community was
born a community which lasted nearly a century.
In this community the first forms of Capoeira
were developed.
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Here tribes that were strangers or enemies in
Africa united to fight for a common goal. A new
community was formed with a very rich cultural
mixture. In this new environment they shared and
learned from each other their dance, rituals,
religion, and games. One result of this rich
cultural fusion was Capoeira in its earliest
form. Palmares was growing rapidly as more
refugees arrived in this little African nation.
It started to worry the Portuguese colonizers.
People from Palmares would come down from the
mountains to trade produce, fruit, and animal
skins and would often raid plantations to free
more slaves.
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Holland invaded Brazil in 1630. The slaves took
advantage of this situation and with assistance
from Palmares left the plantations and fought the
Portuguese Army. The army at this point was
fighting two enemies. The Dutch won the war, but
the Africans never stopped fighting. In 1644 the
Dutch organized an attacks to go to Palmares, but
nothing was accomplished. In the following years
a second attack was sent to the mountains which
also failed.
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It is important to point out that these
expeditions were formed by very experienced and
well-armed soldiers. But the Africans developed a
system of fighting called ambush. Capoeira was
the key element in the unexpected attacks. With
fast and tricky movements the slaves caused
considerable damage to the soldiers. Capoeira
became their weapon, their symbol of freedom.
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When an expedition was successful, the slaves who
were returned to the plantations taught Capoeira
to others there. Sunday was their one day of rest
and that was when they practiced Capoeira. But
there, in the quarters, the practice soon was
altered. Music, singing, dance and ritual were
added to Capoeira, disguising the fact that the
slaves were practicing a deadly martial art.
10
In those years it was very common for a
capoeirista to have two or three nicknames. The
police knew all the capoeiristas by these names
and not by their real identity, so it made it
much more difficult to arrest them. (This
tradition is continued today. When a person is
"baptized" into the practice of capoeira, they
are given a nickname.)
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In 1937, Mestre Bimba, one of the most important
masters of capoeira, received an invitation from
the president to demonstrate his art in the
capital. After a successful performance he went
back to his home state and with the government's
permission, opened the first capoeira school in
Brazil. It was the first step towards a more open
development, and years later the senate passed a
bill establishing capoeira as a national
sport. Today capoeira is all over the world. In
Brazil, as part of the culture, there is capoeira
everywhere - in elementary schools, universities,
clubs, and in military academies.
                               
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