The State of Maranhoa and Cultura Popular
Cultura popular translates into “popular culture,” but in Maranhao it does not mean films, media and mass entertainment. In some academic discourses it retains that meaning (which is common in the United States and Europe), but it is a shorthand for “culture of the people” — folk, “traditional,” or heritage culture as practiced in the state of Maranhao.
This conference seemed to define a variety of groups and practices as eligible:
Bumba-meu-boi
Tambor da Crioula
Caxeira
Also present were
Capoeira
Afro-Brazilian spiritual practices
The term cultura popular has an operational and political sense because it designates certain practices and celebrations as worthy of preservation and support. On this trip we were able to accompany and visit events organized by the Maranhao Secretary of Education and Culture.
The event was one of many activities under the slogan: “Mais cultura e turismo” — “More culture and tourism.” This slogan points to the state’s priority of promoting popular culture in order to increase tourism.
Getting there
It is a long bus ride from Sao Luis to Santa Inez, through a countryside rich in cattle (and secondarily in cotton and some other hardy crops). These are sturdy cattle that form an important base for Maranhao economy. Incidentally, they also form the narrative base for the Bumba-meu-boi celebration which traditionally has a story about a slave who steals his master’s prize ox. In the celebration, the boi, or ox, is represented by frame covered by an embroidered “skin.”
A prevalent phenomenon that often surprises visitors is the large number of protestant/evangelical churches. They are often small and simple, but very numerous. The churches seem to fill a need for a direct religious experience that traditional Catholicism may not offer. The evangelicals also promote a conservative social agenda such as opposition to reproductive rights for women They are also trenchant in their opposition to non-Christian spiritual practices of Afro-Brazilian origin and are part of a relatively new fault line in Brazilian religious life.
The caixeiras are groups of women who sing and play their own percussion. This caixeira a shirt of an “Women’s Democratic Cultural Association … ” with other words that signify their religious commitment. The caixeiras have both a religious and a secular set of songs, but their primary commitment to to espirito santo — the Holy Ghost — and the holidays celebrating the Pentecost.
There were various performances and presentations, but this post shows more of the caixeiras because this was our first real contact with this art and were entranced by the spirituality and virtuosity of the women who practice it.
One important thing we learned at the meeting was that the many diverse practices of the interior are interrelated and that none exists in isolation from the others. Practitioners of the Bumba-meu-boi may also be involved in Tambor da Crioula, the Catholic Church and other religious practices of African origin. Evangelicals are also in evidence. This diversity means a great deal of overlapping and multiple allegiances, but also some competition. Some of the participants referred to “macumba,” a general term for some of the more occult practices of the interior. Depending on the speaker and the context, macumba might be a pejorative. This is part of a complicated local discussion about some controversial practices.
“Macumba” and other Afro-Brazilian spiritual practices have been discouraged and persecuted in the past, though they continue to survive as an important cultural phenomenon in the interior (as they do in the capital of Sao Luis and other Brazilian cities as well). They are not actively persecuted by the law now, but they are still controversial. The Catholic Church has a long history of coexistence and sincretism with these spiritual practices, but the growth evangelical denominations has created a new and difficult dialogue.
On a public square near the pubic library of Santa Inez the government of the state of Maranhao raised its balloon to announce the evening performance. The legend says “Government for all of us.”
Maria Caixeira during the “secular” part of her group’s presentation. The first section reflects the group’s commitment to Espirito Santo (Holy Spirit), their most important celebration.
Maria Caixeira and group performing at the Santa Inez meeting
Going back: The Pindare bus stop
A few miles from Santa Inez is the town of Pindare which is known for having the oldest sugar cane plant in the region. It is inactive now, but stands as a sign of the past economy of the Pindare and of the slaves who built the factory and worked in it.
This is a general semi-commercial district with repair shops, capoeira studio, and various small businesses.
From here we returned briefly to Sao Luis (after a 6-hour bus ride) and then left again for a celebration of the Day of the Dead in the city of Caixias and a few days with a specialist from a federal cultural agency who was visiting small town and rural practitioners of the Bumba-meu-boi and Tambor da Crioula.
For more on these trips, see later posts.
