These are the hands of Sao Luis’ best known embroiderer. Tania Soares has played a central role in regional cultura popular for years. She provides embroidered costumes to many of the Bumba-meu-boi celebration groups, and other in Sao Luis’ vibrant popular culture.
Her work reaches a high point of production in June when she has to deliver the last of the new skins (couros) for the boi (symbolic ox). Groups that can afford it will have a new couro each year.
Each skin, or couro, is a work of art in a highly recognizable style. There are many embroiders producing art in the region, but Dona Tania Soares is probably the most distinctive.
We have visited her many times over the years and photographed her work. This visit (September 2015) was at a quieter time and only a few pieces were being created.
Some of these are below — a costume’s collar in shown below with on the work table with the tools and decorative glass beads and small glass tubes that she uses.
She was also working on a larger costume piece with some of her most popular themes — some version of the holy family. In Maranhao that is Jesus flanked by the Virgin Mary and Saint John (Sao Joao).
Sometimes Saint John is shown as an adult in his role as Jesus’ confessor, but here he is the child who is the patron of the Bumba-meu-boi festival.
Saint John is central to the celebration in the federal state of Maranhao (of whihl Sao Luis is the capitol) and regional legends link him and the other June saints to the sacred ox (which links them to the festival).
Traditionally performers and supporters of the Bumba-meu-boi did so out of a promessa to thank Sao Joao for blessings received. As Jesus’ confessor he was considered an especially powerful entity for granting blessings.
The promessa tradition is less powerful now, especially in the more performance-oriented celebrations in the capitol city of Sao Luis, but the patron saint is still revered.
In the Afro-Brazilian spiritual traditions of Maranhao, Sao Joao and other Catholic saints are often understood as a surrogate for an entity of African origin. For example, a popular theme in Dona Tania’s are is the orixa Iansa (Yansa) who is the Afro-Brazilian entity related to Saint Barbara.
Dona Tania has made two embroidered hats for us in the past — one with Saint George (often with the Afro-Brazilian Ogum), and with the emblem of Corinthians (a Sao Paulo soccer team). We are discussing the symbols to be placed on a third hat. The customer can, in principle, choose the symbols to be used, but there is always an artistic negotiation.