Living history

          Although  our  cultural  environment  has strong  brands  of miscigenation, does not give us  full  opportunity   to get  in touch with indigenous  or african  customs. It is known that these institutions  are part  of brazilian  society, but we can not  always  see them  developed  into social  practices  respected and bloom. More easily they  occupy the niche  of rollick or unattached  forms,  and  sometimes  being the most loved,  are cause for shame  and made secretly  at the back  door, as the public  entrance is reserved for something  more socially  prestigious.

          We have a festive and colorful  national day  consecrated  to our aborigenes, when  the streets  are full of children  with their  faces painted  and plumes  on their head. Although we are not familiar with  dramas involving  the demarcation  of indigenous lands. The richness of our traditions  drips  in ficction, in school  celebrations, civic celebrations. They are not  totally forgotten, since still exists bonfire dances of june, pagodes,sambas,reisados,
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                                                               jongos( *1) . However  they are garnering resources  to survive and  considered  second class  cultural events.

                                                               On May 13, 1888th  Princess Isabel  signed  the Golden Law. According  to the  official  history  of Brasil this law  "freed"  the  slaves.  "Freed"  is not  the word, because "freedom"  involves  many issues  were not  even considered:  where  the  "liberated"  slaves would live? What occupations  for them? what would them eat? Would  they study or not? How? Where? None of  these mesures was part of the  " project of liberation". The slaves  left  the  slave quarters  and  went  to the favelas.

                                 Even with  all these reservations  the date of  May 13  was take  as a suitable memorial  meaning  a change in  the  conditions  of the   slave's life. Is a civic date  in Brasil. Umbanda ( religion which make cult of Orixás)(*2 )     took  the date  of May 13 to a ritual  experience  and reflection  on slavery. About slavery  itself  and  on all forms  of ignorance and power  we humans  exert on each other here including  the emotional  tyranny on ourselves. In fact, this ritual  is much  broader. The problem  of slavery raises  a huge set  of issues  that deserve consideration: the respect  for life, the experience  of incarnate,  love and hate,  ravenge and  forgiviness,  various forms  of exclusion. It is  also a time  to  rescue  our cultural memory. The presence  of feijoada is justified  because  it was nothing  less than  basic  and  substantial  meal  of slaves  in colonial  Brasil.  Usually  feijoada  is prepared to many people. We fill a large pot of  black  beans  where are also is cooked  the sausage, bacon,  dried meat and others  visceras. This  food is not like that  by random. Its way is  so  closely linked  to how  it begun.  the best parts  of slaughtered  animals  to eat, stayed in  the  big house"s kitchen.. To slaves were sent  the pieces  wich peoples from  Big house  didn't use eat. Here is a short and brief  history  of   feijoada.

                                  For this ritual, we  prepare a lot of  black beans  to feed  the  community.  The ritualistic  attitude  requires  considerable  degree  of  attention  and  intention.  The  goal  is not only feed the  body,  but the whole being. Why  the ritual is done calmly.  Never swallow  without  thinking  of anything  else.  The ritual  begins  by  the way  of  setting  the  table ( in this case, the floor  works as a table). We cover  the floor with  a long  lace  tablecoth in front  of  the    gongá (altar). Over this towel  we put  the  big  pots  of  black  bean,  rice,  cabbage,  orange and  the  clutery. Some peoples sit along  the mat  and arrange the food  on  the plat  and others  distributes. Many peoples sit on  small  wooden  benches ( mediuns chanelling spirits of desembodied  slaves, according  to our belief). After all  we pray  in  thanksgiving  and  eat    with  hands  to reaffirm  the  origin of the  ritual.

                                  The purpose  of these  rituals  is recalling  the story  of our ancestors slaves  and recover  and heal  our wounded  and  decharacterized  identity.  Some day of ritual I lived a unique  moment of emotion, surprise  and  delight. If it is a beautiful  and  deep ritual, on this  day  was  even  more intense because Kaiapós ( aboriginal peoples from Brasil) participated. After the table was lowered they danced  and sang  around it.  The dance was  to thank  God for the abundance, the opportunity  to be together  and  life in general. We were  about a hundred people. That  atmosphere caused  by  faith, reverence,  focus  and  intent was  very   rich. It was  a very strong  ritual,  the excitement was intense, the  presence  of aborigenes and slaves disembodied  brought  back  the feelings  of the  hearts that nothing  can  destroy.  These were  the sentiments  of centuries and centuries present  in Brasil' s  history. A piece  of our  true  history,  no thesis, no theoretical views or intellectuals  interpretations. Prevailed there  only  the  feelings  of  who  lived  on his own  experience  the pains,  the  joys and  achievements. The experience pure, wordless.

                                Insofar  as the singing  and dancing  followed  one after  another  and the Kaiapós  beat  the ground  with  their  feet  rhythmically,  it seems  like it was  sprouting  from the ground  a living history ever told  in a book  by  any  historian.  Only written  by pain, emotion,  experience  of all those  peoples and their past generations. It was the noise  of  feet  setting  a nice  rhythm  and  the emotion  rising  and  intensifying  without  stop  until  the atmosphere  to be so full  of live and  emotion.

                                Then |I  begun  to  think  of our  human  mistakes. How many plunder!  how many deaths! some groups violently  attack  some weaker with  intent   to steal the wealth, plunder, enslave. After decimating  populations, villages and  traditions  the  invader  group  boasts of  his  achievements. They think  have destroyed  the "primitives" and  useless customs. and  implemed once their  belief, their culture, their world view.  When least expected, any where, any time,  the story  of an ethnic group  can break  de ground with an  unexpected  force,  unrestrained and  very  incisive, warning  us not to fall  into  the  folly  of trying  to destroy what is sublime  and divine.  That divine  can temporaly  hide into  hurted hearts that learned  to protect  their  more  dear  secrets. But  being divine  retains its freshness,   strenght   and  wealth  which  prove that  in fact,  were not  destroyed.

*1-bonfire dances of june, pagodes, sambas, reisados, jongos: popular rhythms of Brasil
*2-orixás:deities  brought  by africans slaves