Capoeira History

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Mestre Bimba

Capoeira
The Origins of Capoeira

The martial art of Capoeira was born and developed in Brazil over 400 years ago by African slaves as a means of survival and freedom. Over 2 million slaves were brought from different parts of Africa to Brazil and then dispersed into three ports: Bahia, Recife and Rio de Janeiro. Organization amongst the slaves was sometimes difficult because of a difference in ethnicity and also many were from enemy tribes in Africa. However, the slaves began to escape and fled into the jungles forming secret societies known as "quilombos." Capoeira was born in the "senzalas," the places where the slaves were kept, and developed in the "quilombos." Here, the African tribes were able to put their differences aside and unite to fight for a common interest: freedom.

A fighting technique called "jungle war" was developed in which Capoeira was the key element in staging unexpected revolts. Capoeiras were the name of the brushwoods where the fugitives entrenched themselves. With this, they began to help free other slaves and disrupt the involuntary workforce of the plantations. An effective means of combat, defense and escape, Capoeira was seen as a threat to the officials and became outlawed and punishable by death.

Without a substantial amount of weapons, the ex-slaves realized they would have to defend themselves with their hands (and feet). In a way fairly parallel to Karate, they developed a martial art with the things they had at hand, sugar cane knives and 3/4 staffs. However, they were only able to maintain the art by disguising it as a folk dance. Traditional songs and music were added and movements were altered to disguise the deadly art as a dance. While it looked like a celebration, they were actually planning their liberation. Their hands were often manacled, so Capoeira uses a lot of standing on the hands with feet up with some moves directed towards fighting mounted enemies.

In the early 1800's Capoeira was outlawed in Brazil, especially in its "home state" of Bahia, where gangs used it as their personal fighting style against police. And although slavery was abolished in 1888, Capoeira remained illegal for many years. In the 1890's most Capoeiristas' main activities were to disrupt political life. The government created a special police force headed by Sampaio Ferraz to enforce new laws outlawing Capoeira. Ferraz had his special police force learn Capoeira. But when he attempted to have a member of the gentry expatriated for practicing Capoeira, it caused a crisis. The president called a meeting of his cabinet after which several members of his cabinet resigned and the man was expatriated. A black militia exclusively of Capoeiristas then formed in opposition to the government. This group spread fear in the capital until Brazil went to war with Paraguay. The black militia was sent to the front line and returned as heroes.

The law prohibiting the practice of Capoeira was revoked in 1920. Still, Capoeiristas were under attack by police chief Pedro de Azevedo Gordilho. He used his cavalry to aggressively attempt to destroy the art of Capoeira. Because of this many Capoeiristas were known by several nicknames. This tradition continues today. When someone is "baptized" into Capoeira, their Mestre gives them a nickname.

In the mid 1900s, Mestre Bimba (Manoel dos Reis Machado) was invited to demonstrate Capoeira to the government. After a successful performance and with the government's permission he opened the first formal Capoeira school. Mestre Bimba created Capoeira Regional in reaction to the sloppy street Capoeira of the 1920s. He wanted to improve the technical quality of the moves and make it a more effective method of self-defense. He drew upon a rough type of dance fighting that he learned from his father called Batuque.

Several years later Capoeira was legalized and a senate bill established it as a national sport of Brazil. Two main styles of Capoeira emerged and developed. The fast paced, acrobatic, Regional, and the slow, precise, harder styled Angola from which it evolved. Later a school known as Mandinga combined the two styles and the rhythm of the Berimbau; the main music instrument that regulates the games, decides which style is played. It is held and played by the Mestre to command the Capoeira game during a roda. There is a third style called Iuna, which is a totally athletic and artistic form of the art.

Today Capoeira has become more than just a fight. After achieving national recognition, the art has developed into what it is today: a dance, a sport, a game and an artistic expression of freedom.