Capoeira

Capoeira, a photo by Parnanet - Wallace Moura on Flickr.

A capoeira é uma expressão cultural brasileira que mistura arte-marcial, esporte, cultura popular e música.

Desenvolvida no Brasil principalmente por descendentes de escravos africanos com alguma influência indígena, é caracterizada por golpes e movimentos ágeis e complexos, utilizando primariamente chutes e rasteiras, além de cabeçadas, joelhadas, cotoveladas, acrobacias em solo ou aéreas.

Uma característica que distingue a capoeira da maioria das outras artes marciais é a sua musicalidade. Praticantes desta arte marcial brasileira aprendem não apenas a lutar e a jogar, mas também a tocar os instrumentos típicos e a cantar. Um capoeirista experiente que ignora a musicalidade é considerado incompleto.

A palavra capoeira é originária do tupi-guarani, que significa "o que foi mata", através da junção dos termos ka'a ("mata") e pûer ("que foi"). Refere-se às áreas de mata rasteira do interior do Brasil onde era praticada agricultura indígena.

Acredita-se que a capoeira tenha obtido o nome a partir destas áreas que cercavam as grandes propriedades rurais de base escravocrata.

Capoeiristas fugitivos da escravidão e desconhecedores do ambiente ao seu redor, frequentemente usavam a vegetação rasteira para se esconderem da perseguição dos capitães-do-mato.


Outras expressões culturais, como o maculelê e o samba de roda, são muito associadas à capoeira, embora tenham origem e significados diferentes.

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Capoeira (/ˌkæpuːˈɛərə/; Portuguese pronunciation: [kapuˈejɾɐ]) is a Brazilian martial art that combines elements of dance and music. It was created in Brazil mainly by descendants of African slaves with Brazilian native influences[citation needed], probably beginning in the 16th century. It is known by quick and complex moves, using mainly power, speed, and leverage for leg sweeps.
The word capoeira probably comes from Tupi, referring to the areas of low vegetation in the Brazilian interior.

History

Capoeira's history probably begins with the adoption of African slavery by Portuguese colonists in Brazil. Since the 16th century, Portugal extensively adopted slavery to man their colonies, coming mainly from West and Central Africa. Brazil, with its vast territory, was the major destination of African slaves, receiving 38.5% of all slaves sent by ships across the Atlantic Ocean.

Capoeira has a long and controversial history, since historical documentation in Brazil was very scarce in its colonial times. Evidences, studies and oral tradition leave little doubt about its Brazilian roots, but it is impossible to precisely identify the exact Brazilian region or time it began to take form.
[edit]Origins
In the 16th century Portugal had one of the biggest colonial empires of the world, but it lacked people to actually colonize it. In the Brazilian colony the Portuguese, like many European colonists, opted to use slavery to supply this shortage of workers. Colonists tried to enslave Brazilian natives in the beginning, but this quickly proved too difficult for many reasons, including the familiarity natives had with the land. The solution was importing slaves from Africa.

In its first century the main economic activity in the colony was the production and processing of sugarcane. Portuguese colonists used to create large sugarcane farms called engenhos, farms which extensively used enslaved workers. Slaves, living in inhumane and humiliating conditions, were forced to work hard and often suffered physical punishment for any small misbehaviour.

Even though slaves outnumbered the Portuguese colonists, the lack of weapons, the colonial law, the disagreement between slaves coming from different African cultures and their complete lack of knowledge about the land and its surroundings would usually discourage the idea of a rebellion.

In this environment capoeira began to develop. More than a fighting style, it was created as a hope of survival, a tool with which an escaped slave, completely unequipped, could survive in the hostile, unknown land and face the hunt of the capitães-do-mato, colonial agents armed and mounted in charge of finding escapees.