The first group of African slaves arrived in Brasil in 1537. These slaves were brought from Africa by the Portuguese explorers to work on the Brazilian's sugar cane plantations The main ethnic group of slaves brought to Brasil were the "bantos" - from Angola, Golfo da Guiné and Congo; "sudaneses" - from Golfo da Guiné and Sudão; and "maleses" - from Angola and Costa da Mina. However, the origin of the Brazilian martial arts-dance form known as Capoeira is the subject of heated debate.

 

There are those who adhere to the belief that Capoeira originated in Africa and was transported along with the slaves when they were brought to Brazil.One of the most popular theories was introduced by Álbano Neves e Sousa in 1965. This theory was subsequently adopted and developed by Luís da Câmara Cascudo in his book Folclore do Brasil in 1967. The theory concerns a practice known as "N'golo," or the Dance of the Zebras. The movements of N'golo mimicked the movements of fighting zebras. The N'golo dance was practiced by young warriors competing for the hand of a young woman of marriagable age in a puberty rite known as efundula. The specific group cited by Neves e Sousa was the Mucupe (sometimes spelled Mucope)in Southern Angola. Whoever had a more impressive performance won the bride and was excused from having to pay a dowry. The 'N'golo theory maintains that in the port of Benguela, and also once in Brasil, the dance developed into a foot-fighting style that was used by both bandits and slaves for defence and attack. The N'golo and its 'cognates' are argued to have been been used by Africans and Afro-Brazilians to maintain themselves spiritually and physically under the harsh circumstances of slavery and plantation life.

 

There are others who say that the art form originated amongst the Afro-Brazilians in the "Senzalas", the living quarters for the slaves on Brazilian plantations. Others believe that Capoeira was practiced and used to fend off attacks by Portuguese slavers in Palmares, Brazil's most infamous "Quilombo" maroon colony of escaped slaves. There is no historical evidence to support any of these claims; many written documents regarding slavery in Brasil were burned when the first government of the new Republic was established. Ruy Barbosa, the Finance Minister, signed an act intending to clean all traces of slavery from the history of Brasil. By his own words, "...the lamentable institution which paralyzed for many years the development of the society..." !

 

There is, however, evidence and agreement that Capoeira is aesthetically and philosophically an Afro-Brazilian art form. The most acceptable claim is that basing themselves on traditional African dances and rituals, these slaves developed the art in the work free hours left to them, thus training both mind and body for combat situations. As the slave-masters forbade any kind of martial art, it was cloaked in the guise of an innocent-looking recreational dance.

 

In the 16th century, escaped-slaves founded a number of "Quilombos", in which the art of Capoeira was further perfected. Many escaped-slaves, before they could reach the Quilombos, were captured by the "Capitao-do-mato" that ironically were sometimes African decedents or mulatos themselves. The "Capitão-do-mato" were hired by the Portuguese slavers and usually worked on their own. The inhabitants of Palmares, the largest of the Quilombos, lasted 65 years. The "Quilombo dos Palmares" was located in what is today's state of Alagoas, northeast Brazil. Its population was composed not only of escaped African slaves but also of native Brazilian indians and other mixed races(Mestiços).

 

It had an organized government system similar to an African Kingdom with a King and his Assembly. The best warriors on battles were chosen King; "Zumbi" was the most known King of all. The "Quilombo dos Palmares" fought for many years and was finally destroyed in 1694 by Domingos Jorge Velho and his troops. "Zumbi" managed to escape and many believed that he was immortal. Wanted by the authorities, he was captured on November 20th, 1695. He was killed and beheaded on the spot. His head was brought to a public Plaza at the "vila do Recife". "Zumbi" was considered a national hero and warrior, a symbol of liberty ; his name became a Capoeira legend.

 

Capoeira was used not only in direct combat, it also inspired the battle strategy itself; feigning retreat, thus luring the over-confident enemy into remote territories only to strike back at an unsuspecting place and time. During the "Paraguai war" (1864 to 1870), many capoeiristas were sent to battle in the front line. The official prohibition of Capoeira remained even after slavery was abolished in May 13th, 1888. In 1890, Brazilian president "Marechal Deodoro da Fonseca" signed an act that prohibited the practice of capoeira nationwide, with severe punishment for those caught. It was nevertheless practiced by the poorer population on public holidays, during work-free hours and similar occasions.

 

Riots, caused also by police interference, were common. Persecution and punishment were almost successful in eradicating Capoeira from the "streets" of Brasil by the 1920's. In spite of the ban, Master Bimba (Manuel dos Reis Machado) created a new style, the "Capoeira Regional". He incorporated new moves and techniques from "Batuque", a martial art that he learned form his father (the unified champion); The "Capoeira Regional" or "Luta Regional Baiana" was than a more effective and efficient style of capoeira.

 

Mestre Bimba was finally successful in convincing the authorities of the cultural value of Capoeira, thus ending the official ban in the 1930's. Mestre Bimba founded the first Capoeira school in 1932, the "Academia-escola de Capoeira Regional", at the Engenho de Brotas in Salvador-Bahia. He was then considered "the father of modern capoeira". The Bahian style of the late 19th and early 20th century became what is today referred to as Capoeira Angola. This term was originally coined by Mestre Pastinha in an attempt to differentiate it from Capoeira Regional.

 

Mestre Pastinha was the founding Mestre of Brazil's first officially recognized capoeira Angola academy, the 'Centro Esportivo de Capoeira Angola', which was originated in 1941 and gained government recognition in 1952. Capoeira Angola is often characterized by deeply held traditions, sneakier movements and with the players playing their games in closer proximity to each other.Today, thanks to the efforts of Mestre's such as Bimba and Pastinha Capoeira has progressed from an illegal art form to one of Brazils most popular national sports.