We are proud to annouce our first capoeira workshop at Cal State University Dominguez Hills!
We will be offering a two hour workshop on Friday March 25th.
When: 12pm-2pm Friday March 25th, 2011
Where: Cal State Dominguez Hills Gymnasium, Combatives Room
Espantalho made this connection possible, and the students and faculty are behind the idea! Come on out to enjoy and learn about the amazing Afro-Brazilian art of capoeira!
The workshops are only $15 for the workshop or $25 for the workshop plus a month of unlimited classes, and the second option allows you to train with UCAinLA for a month of unlimited classes at our USC and Silver Lake locations as well.
UCAinLA students this is included in your monthly dues, so come on out and help support the new people!
This feature is designed to spark your interest in researching the world of capoeira's vocabulary, history, and philosophy.
Our Capoeira Wiki-Word series invites you to research the word of the week and post your definition(s) and translations. At the end of each week, the entries will be reviewed and then summarized into a translation and a definition of the Capoeira Wiki-Word of the week.
Submit your entries in the comments section below!
O saci possui apenas uma perna, usa um gorro vermelho e sempre está com um cachimbo na boca. Inicialmente, o saci era retratado como um curumim endiabrado, com duas pernas, cor morena, além de possuir um rabo típico.
Com a influência da mitologia africana, o saci se transformou em um negrinho que perdeu a perna lutando capoeira, além disso, herdou o pito, uma espécie de cachimbo e ganhou da mitologia européia, um gorrinho vermelho. A principal característica do saci é a travessura, muito brincalhão ele se diverte com os animais e com as pessoas, muito moleque ele acaba causando transtornos como: fazer o feijão queimar, esconder objetos, jogar os dedais das costureiras em buracos e etc.
Withthe influence ofAfrican mythology, Saci has turnedintoablack boywho lost hislegwhile playing capoeira, and inheritedthepito,akind ofpipe. FromEuropean mythology, he became known to wear alittle red cap. The mainfeature ofSaciismischief,andhis main forms of diversion were funwithlivestockand people. Heends up causingprankssuch asburning beans,hidingobjects,puttingholesinthethimblesofseamstressesandso on.
Segundo a lenda, o Saci está nos redemoinhos de vento e pode ser capturado jogando uma peneira sobre os redemoinhos. Após a captura, deve-se retirar o capuz da criatura para garantir sua obediência e prendê-lo em uma garrafa. Diz também a lenda, que os Sacis nascem em brotos de bambus, nestes eles vivem sete anos e após esse tempo, vivem mais setenta e sete para atentar a vida dos humanos e animais, depois morrem e viram um cogumelo venenoso.
According tolegend,Saciis found in dust devils andcan becaughtthrowingasieveoverthem. Aftercapture,you mustremovehishoodtoensurehis obedienceand keep himinabottle. The legend alsosaysthatSacis are born in clusters of bamboo shootsinspring,where theyliveforseven years. Afterthat time,they go on to liveanother seventy-seven years or more toattendthe lives ofhumansandanimals. After they pass away, they turn intoapoisonous mushroom.
This feature is designed to spark your interest in researching the world of capoeira's vocabulary, history, and philosophy.
Our Capoeira Wiki-Word series invites you to research the word of the week and post your definition(s) and translations. At the end of each week, the entries will be reviewed and then summarized into a translation and a definition of the Capoeira Wiki-Word of the week.
Submit your entries in the comments section below!
This week's Capoeira Wiki-Word is:
orixá
(Update)
From Espantalho... a bit of perspective
You aren't going to really understand the Orixá energies just by reading about them, you have to spend a lot of time working with them. Just like you aren't going to understand capoeira by reading a book, you need to spend a lot of time training and playing capoeira.
Translated by Guatambu (if you have any improvements for the translation contact me)
Os orixás são deuses africanos que correspondem a pontos de força da Natureza e os seus arquétipos estão relacionados às manifestações dessas forças. As características de cada Orixá aproxima-os dos seres humanos, pois eles manifestam-se através de emoções como nós. Sentem raiva, ciúmes, amam em excesso, são passionais. Cada orixá tem ainda o seu sistema simbólico particular, composto de cores, comidas, cantigas, rezas, ambientes, espaços físicos e até horários.
The orixás are deities that correspond to points of force of nature, and its archetypes are related to the manifestations of these forces. The characteristics of each Orisha approach those of humans, as they manifest themselves through our emotions. They are passionate and feel anger, jealousy, love in excess. Each deity also has its particular symbolic system, consisting of colors, foods, songs, prayers, environments, physical spaces and even schedule.
Como resultado do sincretismo que se deu durante o período da escravatura, cada orixá foi também associado a um santo católico, devido à imposição do catolicismo aos negros. Para manterem os seus deuses vivos, viram-se obrigados a disfarçá-los na roupagem dos santos católicos, aos quais cultuavam apenas aparentemente.
As a result of the syncretism (theattemptedreconciliationorunionofdifferentoropposingprinciples,practices,orparties,asinphilosophyorreligion) that occurred during the period of slavery, each orixá was also associated with a Catholic saint, due to the imposition of Catholicism on the Africans brought to Brazil. To maintain their living gods, they were obliged to disguise them in the guise of Catholic saints, and worship as such when their slave masters were present.
Estes deuses da Natureza são divididos em 4 elementos – água, terra, fogo e ar. Alguns estudiosos ainda vão mais longe e afirmam que são 400 o número de Orixás básicos divididos em 100 do Fogo, 100 da Terra, 100 do Ar e 100 da Água, enquanto que, na Astrologia, são 3 do Fogo, 3 da Terra, 3 do Ar e 3 da Água. Porém os tipos mais conhecidos entre nós formam um grupo de 16 deuses. Eles também estão associados à corrente energética de alguma força da natureza. Assim, Iansã é a dona dos ventos, Oxum é a mãe da água doce, Xangô domina raios e trovões, e outras analogias.
These gods of nature are divided into four elements - water, earth, fire and air. Some scholars even go further and say that 400 is the number of basic Orixás divided into 100 Fire, 100 Earth, 100 Air and Water 100, whereas in astrology are 3 Fire, 3 Earth, 3 Air and Water 3. However, those more widely known are a group of 16 gods. They are also associated with the energy currents of the forces of nature. For example, Iansã is the owner of the winds, Oxum is the mother of freshwater, Xangô dominates thunder and lightning, to name a few.
No Candomblé cultuam-se muitos outros orixás, desconhecidos por leigos, por serem menos populares do que Xangô, Iansã, Oxossi e outros, mas com um significado muito forte para os adeptos dos cultos afro-brasileiros. Alguns são necessariamente cultuados, devido à ligação com trabalhos específicos que regem, para a saúde, morte, prosperidade e diversos assuntos que afligem o dia-a-dia das pessoas. Estes deuses africanos são considerados intermediários entre os homens e Deus, e por possuírem emoções tão próximas dos seres humanos, conseguem reconhecer os nossos caprichos, os nossos amores, os nossos desejos.
In Candomblé, many orixás are worshipped, perhaps unknown to laymen, they are less popular than Xango, Iansa, Oxossi and others, but with a very signiicant for devotees of the various Afro-Brazilian cults within Candomblé. Some are appropriately revered due to their link with specific jobs that govern health, death, prosperity and many issues that affect our day-to-day lives. These African gods are considered intermediaries between God and men, and, with their emotions so similar to those of humans, they can recognize our whims, loves, and desires.
Recordo no entanto que existem diversas correntes no Candomblé e por essa razão as informações poderão ser diferentes de acordo com a tradição ou região.
However, it is important to remember that there are several theories in Candomble, and therefore specifics may differ according to tradition or region.
This feature is designed to spark your interest in researching the world of capoeira's vocabulary, history, and philosophy.
Our Capoeira Wiki-Word series invites you to research the word of the week and post your definition(s) and translations. At the end of each week, the entries will be reviewed and then summarized into a translation and a definition of the Capoeira Wiki-Word of the week.
Submit your entries in the comments section below!
This week's Capoeira Wiki-Word is:
Candomblé
Update
This video is intersting because it is taken with the perspective of exploring Brazilian dances and the culture(s) around them. It does a good job of bringing you into the how people experience candomblé. For those that are interested in practicing your Português, it's all in Português. It's worth it to listen and hear, and they talk about some intersting stuff.
from Davis, Dari�n J., Afro-Brazilians: Time for Recognition, Minority Rights Group International, 1999 minority.rights@mrgmail.org www.minorityrights.org
• 7 Derived from the Yoruba people of West Africa, Candomblé seeks harmony with nature. The religion is organized around religious centres known as terreiros, which are usually led by high priestesses, mães de santo (mother of saints) or priests, pais de santos (father of saints). Followers worship a pantheon of orixás in an annual cycle, like the liturgical cycle of the Catholic Church. While orixás are more powerful than human beings they are not necessarily more moral. Each deity represents a given force or element in nature, and has a favourite colour and type of food. Yemanja, for example, is the goddess of the sea, who usually dresses in blue and white. The favourite colour of Oxun, the goddess of beauty, is yellow. In the religious ceremonies, practitioners dress in the colours of the orixás and place food at the altar before singing special songs and dancing precisely choreographed steps to the sacred drums. The anthropomorphic nature of the orixá allows an intimate contact between believer and deity, and the highlight of the Candomblé ceremony is the epiphany, or possession, when the orixá takes over the believer's body.
Examples of Orixás and their corresponding Catholic Saints
Oxalá - Jesus Christ
Oxóssi - Saint Sebastian
Iemanjá - Our Lady of Navigators
Ogum - Saint George
Obá - Saint Joan of Arc
Exú - Saint Anthony
Xangô - Saint John the Baptist
Nanã - Saint Ann
Oxumaré - Saint Bartholemew
Ibeji - Saints Cosme and Damian
Ossaim - Saint Roque
Omulú - Saint Lazarus
Iansã - Saint Barbara
Oxum - Our Lady of the Conception
Ewá - Saint Luzia
from Boadi-Siaw, S. Y, Brazilian Returnees of West Africa, In J. E. Harris (ed), Global Dimensions of the African Diaspora, Howard University Press, 1979 ISBN 088 2581 49X
• 297. . . . Brazilian religious life shows the pervasive influence of African (particularly Yoruba, Ewe and Fon) practices and beliefs. Almost pure forms of West African worship and practices remain in the candomblé, orixás and macumba found in many parts of Brazil, especially in Bahia, Pernambuco, Rio de Janeiro and Minas Gerais. In spite of attempts in the nineteenth and the early twentieth centuries to suppress them through public campaigns and police action, they have persisted and have maintained their vitality through contacts with their West African sources. Apart from the purely West African religious houses and cults, popular beliefs and practices of professing Roman Catholics also show the influence of African religions. Syncreticism has resulted, for example, in the identification of African gods with Roman Catholic saints and their worship as such. This began in earlier periods when slaves, expected to be Catholics and unable to worship African gods freely, gave them Roman Catholic saint-names and their worship as such. Thus, Xangô, the Yoruba god of thunder and lightning, became St. Jeronymo; Oxossi, the god of hunting, St. George; Yemanjá, the goddess of the sea, Our Lady of Mercy and of Rosary. In the worship of the god-saints, the African elements are thoroughly mixed with Roman Catholic ones, both in the cult houses and the churches.
The Candomblé ritual (toque) has two parts: the preparation, attended only by priests and initiates, which may start a week in advance; and a festive public "mass" and banquet that starts in the late evening and ends around midnight.
In the first part, initiates and aides wash and iron the costumes for the ceremony, and decorate the house with paper flags and festoons, in the colors favored by the Orixas that are to be honored on that occasion. They also prepare food for the banquet. Some domestic animals are slaughtered; some parts reserved for sacrifice, the rest is prepared for the banquet. On the day of the ceremony, starting in the early morning, cowrie-shell divinations (jogo de búzios) are performed, and sacrifices are offered to the desired Orixás, and to the messenger spirit (Exú in Ketu).
In the public part of the ceremony, children-of-saint (mediunic priests) invoke and "incorporate" Orixás, falling into a trance-like state. After having fallen into trance, the priest-spirits perform dances symbolic of the Orixá's attributes, while the babalorixá or father of saint (leading male priest) leads songs that celebrate the spirit's deeds. The ceremony ends with a banquet.
Candomblé music, an essential part of the ritual, derives from African music and has had a strong influence in other popular (non-religious) Brazilian music styles. The word batuque, for instance, has entered the Brazilian vernacular as a synonym of "rhythmic percussion music".
Candomblé temples are called houses (casas), plantations (roças), or yards (terreiros). Most Candomblé houses are small, independently owned and managed by the respective higher priests (father- or mother-of-saint). A few of the older and larger houses have a more institutional character and more formal hierarchy. There is no central administration. Inside the place of worship are the altars to the Orixás, or Pejis.
Candomblé priesthood is organized into symbolic families, whose members are not necessarily relatives in the common sense. Each family owns and manages one house. In most houses, especially the larger ones, the head of the family is always a woman, the mãe-de-santo, or ialorixá, mother-of-saint in Candomblé , seconded by the pais-de-santo, or babalorixá father-of-saint. The priests and priestesses may also be known as ialorixá, babalorixá , babalaos (interpreters of búzios), babas, babaloshas,and candomblezeiros. Some houses have a more flexible hierarchy which allows the father-of-saint to be the head priest. Often during the slave period, the women became the diviners and healers which was not part of African tradition; however, the male slaves were constantly working and did not have the time to take care of daily instances.
Admission to the priesthood and progression in the hierarchy is conditioned to approval by the Orixás, possession of the necessary qualities, learning the necessary knowledge, and performance of lengthy initiation rites, which last seven years or more. There are generally two types of priesthood in the different nations of Candomble, and they are made up of those who fall in trance by the Orixá (iyawo) and those who do not (Oga – male/Ekeji – female). It is important not to confuse the meaning and usage of the Yoruba term iyawò (bride in Yoruba) with other African derived religions that use the same term with different meanings.
The seclusion period for the initiation of an iyawo lasts generally 21 days in the Ketu nation and varies depending on the nation. The iyawo's role in the religion is assigned by a divination made by her/his babalorixá/ialorixá; one function that an iyawo can be assigned for is to take care of neophytes as they in their initiatic seclusion period, becoming an expert in all the Orisa foods, becoming an iya or babalorisa themselves, or knowing all ritual songs, etc... The iyawos follow a 7 years period of apprenticeship within which they offer periodical sacrifices in order to reinforce their initiatic links in the form of the so-called obligations of 1, 3 and 7 years. At the 7th year, the iyawos earn their title and can get a honorific title or religious post (oye in Yoruba). Once the iyawo has accomplished their 7th year cycle obligation, they become elders (egbon in Yoruba, egbomi in Brazil, which means my elder) within their religious family.
The other priesthood is reserved for those who do not fall in trance. Ogas and Ekejis do not endure the same path to eldership as do iyawos; they are regarded as elders immediately after their initiation. Their role is to help the baba/ialorixá in different specific ritual tasks like drumming, singing, cooking, taking care of the orixá shrines and when he/she comes down in possession trance, etc... Ogas and Ekejis usually do not go on to become baba/ialorixá, nor do they open their own temples or have filhos de santo (they do not initiate others).
This video is a collection of excerpts from the documentary about Mestre Bimba. Mestre Acordeon gave me a copy. We should do a movie night and watch it. Yes, there are subtitles.
Monday, March 21, 2011 at 11:59AM 
