BRAZILIAN STORYTELLING
By Luciane Padilha Azevedo-Hawkins
October 16, 2010
[Show picture 1]
This presentation describes significant aspects of Brazilian cultural history and makes a connection with Brazilian storytelling. I will explain how a mixture of cultures formed a rich and unique culture--the Brazilian culture. We Brazilians are white, black, Asian, Latino, European, and American. Traces of cultures from all over the globe are found in our nation, yet the most striking, especially in the area of storytelling, are the Indigenous peoples and the African cultures. [Show picture 2] It is also really easy to find the European influence, mainly Portuguese. We see that many times the Brazilian fables and myths describe the beliefs of the Brazilian people. I will present to you some of our characters and stories with examples of traditional and contemporary Brazilian storytelling.
I hope you enjoy knowing a little more about my country’s culture.
Brazil is the biggest country in South America; its area is the size of the United States, plus another Texas. Our population is greater than 190 million people. We also are the only country in South America that speaks Portuguese because we were colonized by Portugal. We have a large green area, the well-known Amazon Rain Forest, which is the mother of many fables and stories. It is the root of traditional Brazilian culture and storytelling. [Show picture 3]
An important part of the Brazilian culture is the Brazilian way, “Jeitinho Brasileiro.” The Brazilian way is a major characteristic of our people. It can have two meanings: A positive - if nothing works, a Brazilian will never give up. We will keep trying, and trying, until we get what we want or need. The second meaning is a negative one. For example: The person that does not pay taxes, he or she is giving a “jeitinho na receita federal” a little way of justifying why they are not paying the IRS. This “jeitinho” is expressed in our written and oral literature. We find many rascals – characters - in Brazilian stories.
About Brazilian storytelling:
The human being has a deep and intense need for communication. Since the earliest times, we used the spoken language to meet this need; it isn’t different with the Brazilians. Our storytelling is a way that the illiterate man found to transmit their memories and their lessons to the other generations. In Brazil it is impossible to pinpoint an exact date for the beginning of storytelling; however, we know that it started with the indigenous people in Brazil before Portuguese colonization. Later when the African slaves were brought to Brazil, they added to the storytelling already being done by the indigenous people. About the same time the European cultures were adding to our cultural and storytelling heritage. [Show picture 4]
Storytelling can also be called “oral literature.” It works with the spoken language; its most important tool lies in manipulating the voice. Storytelling can mark a particular historical moment. The little traditional song used by storytellers, “O Cravo e a Rosa” is a good example for showing us how traditional popular stories and music interact with the history and tell us about what was happening at that time. This song tells us, in an innocent way, about a political scandal. [Show picture 5]
O cravo brigou com a rosa,
Debaixo de uma sacada,
O cravo saiu ferido,
E a rosa despedaçada.
Debaixo de uma sacada,
O cravo saiu ferido,
E a rosa despedaçada.
The carnation (a guy) fought with the rose (a girl)
nder a balcony.
The carnation left bruised;
The rose, however, left with broken pieces.
O cravo ficou doente,
A rosa foi visitar,
O cravo teve um desmaio,
E a rosa pô-se a chorar.
A rosa foi visitar,
O cravo teve um desmaio,
E a rosa pô-se a chorar.
The carnation became ill.
The rose visited the carnation.
The carnation fainted (when he saw the rose), and
The rose cried her eyes out.
The Carnation represents a man, a political personality, and the Rose represents a female. They supposedly had a hidden affair. The lovers had a really bad verbal fight; after that, he became ill and the lady visited him. When he saw the lady in his home, he fainted because he was surprised by her visit and worried about what people would think about him. For us to be able to understand better this popular song, we need to know that in Portuguese there are genders, female and male to almost all of the words. A door is a female word, a car is a male word. The Carnation is a male word and the Rose is a female word.
To be able to fully understand a culture, it is important to know the language of the people. The “O Cravo e a Rosa” translated to English is not as demonstrative as it is in Portuguese. In Portuguese, the storyteller carries the accent and gestures of the character and of the region. When we translate a story to other languages, we lose some of the significance and power that it has in its own culture.
The traditional storytelling in Brazil uses only the spoken langage. These stories didn’t come from books; they came from the storyteller’s memories and from their hearts. It used to be done this way: the elders sat with the rest of the village around the campfire sharing their knowledge. [Show picture 6] They only had (and those who still do it today only have) their memories and their voices...their language. These storytellers used the spoken language in such a powerful way that they were and are able to touch their audiences’ souls and keep the roots of their culture alive. Today, it is really hard to find a traditional storyteller in Brazil; however, we still are able to find a few of them in the most remote areas of the country. In other areas of Brazil, like the urban areas, we are able to find many contemporary storytellers; they form the storytelling of the XXI century.
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Historical culture and social culture coexist. The dictatorships were important Brazilian historical moments which had a strong negative impact on the course of storytelling. The first dictatorship happened in 1930 and it lasted until 1945; the second, also called the military regime, happened between the years of 1964 and 1985. They both caused a long cultural silence among all of the arts, but the most repressive time period was during the military dictatorship. During those years, many of the artists were tortured and murdered because they tried to raise the voice of an unhappy society. While others were not killed because they were so visible, they were expelled from the country. Those were dark days in Brazil; however, in the most remote areas, the traditional storytellers kept the culture moving and alive. Not even a mad dictator can silence the voice of a grandfather teaching his grandchildren or stop the interaction between the chief and the tribe.
There was a big restoring of storytelling in the 90’s. Five years after the dictatorship ended, Brazil was searching for a new face, a new way to get out of the dark and to “keep the lights on.” The new government, in an attempt to restore the cultural movement that was oppressed by the Military Regime, established many libraries throughout all of the country. People realized that libraries should not be just a depository for books, but that there should be a dynamic between libraries and readers. At that moment, storytelling got a new protagonist - the book began to include other arts in its repertoire…drama, music, dance, costumes, and art – and contemporary storytelling was born. [Show picture 8] Refer to (Fleck) [Show video clip 1]
Let's do a quick comparison between traditional and contemporary storytelling. The traditional began in the non-urban areas, such as the Amazon forest through the indigenous people and in the farms through the slaves. The contemporary storytelling is urban, and it takes place in schools, bookstores, libraries, hospitals, businesses, weddings, family reunions, on the street, and in the theater. The traditional storytellers make use only of their voice and the way they look at the audience. They become masters of technique. The modern storytellers make use of almost all the arts. They still tell traditional tales, but they make use of the internet and they research books. Today’s storytellers make use of copyrighted texts, texts of folklorists, and of stories they themselves have written. [Show video clip 2]
Another important moment in the Brazilian cultural history happened in the 1920’s, especially February 13, 14, and 15, 1922. [Show picture ] This major milestone in the history of Brazilian culture was the Modern Art Week in Sao Paulo, Brazil. At this event, artists from all areas met at the “Teatro Municipal” (Municipal Theater) in Sao Paulo to discuss a change in the direction of the arts for Brazil. One of the important participants in Brazilian folklore and storytelling was Monteiro Lobato, now known as the father of Brazilian children's literature. He was present for Modern Art Week; he was and still is a favorite author. [Show picture 12 – music 2] His main character was named Emilia who lived at a small farm called Yellow Woodpecker Farm. His book is similar to Charlotte's Web by E.B. White. The plot of the Yellow Woodpecker Farm told wonderful stories that happened on that small farm. Figures of Brazilian folklore, such as Saci Perere, Cuca, [show picture] the Wolfman, and others originated with this author. Emilia, the main character, was a ragdoll who came alive and exhibited a strong, rascally personality. Tia Nastácia and Dona Benta were other important characters who lived on this small farm. Tia Tia Nastácia represented the beloved former slaves who took care of the children, told them stories, and implanted within them the Brazilian culture, while Dona Benta represented the author’s own viewpoint of his culture. The Yellow Woodpecker Farm was transformed into a children's TV program in the year 1952 and continues on the air today. The singer of the program’s opening is Gilberto Gil, the former Brazilian Minister of Culture during 2003 and 2008. (Historia da televisao brasileira)
Machado de Assis was and is the most famous Brazilian adult literature writer. He wrote very serious novels, as well as being an author of some very famous fables. His tale “A Agulha e a Linha” (The Needle and the Thread) is often used by storytellers to illustrate the theme of pride and humility. He was the first to write presenting the conclusion first, and then writing the rest of the drama piece by piece, element by element, concluding with the beginning of the story.
Other modern writers, such as Vinicius de Moraes, Ana Maria Machado, Ruth Rocha, Lygia Bojunga Neves, and Ziraldo are sources for today’s modern storytellers, who use these works as well as adding their own cultural stories. Here is an example of this in a poem by Vinicius de Moraes about butterflies.
As borboletas
De Vinicius de Moraes
Brancas
Azuis
Amarelas
E pretas
Brincam
Na luz
As belas
Borboletas
Borboletas brancas
Sao alegres e francas
Borboletas azuis
Gostam muito de luz
As amarelinhas
Sao tao Bonitinas!
As pretas, entao…
Oh, que escuridao!
Butterflies
By Vinicius de Moraes
White
Blue
Yellow
and Black
Played
In the light
The beautiful
Butterflies
White butterflies
Happy and truthfully frank.
Blue butterflies
Very much loved the light.
The little yellow ones
Are so cute!
And the black ones are . . .
Oh so dark!
Today, the contemporary storyteller lives and works in the city. He or she carries the marks of his or her time using technological resources, countless websites, and providing their blogs on the internet to focus on their storytelling. Many storytellers use the media such as television, radio, and CD’s to publicize their works and gain national prominence. These storytellers usually live in the highly populated states of Rio de Janeiro, Sao Paulo, and Minas Gerais.
[Show picture 13] Characteristics of popular culture in Brazilian storytelling: Brazil is a very large country with highly differentiated regions. In the cultural aspect (not in the political aspect) many people believe that culturally Brazil could actually be split into several small countries that would make the entity of the big Brazil. When comparing northern and southern Brazil, we see extreme differences. In the north lies the major source of traditional tales and myths. The Amazon forest is located in the north. This area is home to the remaining indigenous people. Today, there is a protective anthropological law in the Amazon area where white people, whether Brazilians or foreigners, cannot change the indigenous people. This way the Brazilian government protects the indigenous people’s culture and language.
Illiteracy is higher in poor and remote areas, so the traditional storytelling is still alive in those places. In these areas we find the most unusual beliefs. We can divide traditional stories into two ways. The first consists of fables—the stories of animals. These are seen by everybody as not true stories. They are stories to teach and entertain. In these stories we find elements similar to those of Aesop’s fables and the fables of the French poet Jean de La Fontaine. The characters are animals and are usually present in pairs counteracting each other, such as the Tortoise and the Panther, the Anteater and the Panther, the Monkey and the Panther, among many others. The plots are usually drawn up by the dispute between the two animals, emphasizing the comparison between the stronger and the weaker. In the end, a clever solution in favor of the more fragile shows the indigenous people’s value of intelligence and reflection compared to brute force and impulsive acts. (Fleck)
The tortoise (like the fox in the work of La Fontaine) represents the qualities of patience and astuteness, while the panther represents the characteristics of physical force and of evil. The panther is the animal that appears negatively in most stories. Honestly, I can understand why they see the panther as evil ... If the panther were my neighbor, I would see it in the same way. In the forest the panther is always stalking…waiting for the attack. [Show picture 14]
The second nature of traditional tales is the magical, the fantastic, and the extraordinary beings with special powers that are believed by the indigenous people as true. When these stories come out of the Indian villages and into contact with a backward rural Brazilian people, they are also often seen by them as true. It is very common to find northeastern Brazilians wanting to arrest Saci Perere, a character who is always causing a lot of confusion, or to believe in the north that the porpoise is actually the father of their single ladies’ babies. It is important to note that as simple and naive as the stories seem, they strongly represent the beliefs of the society that created them.
Following is a story to illustrate the nature of traditional fables: The Panther and the Fox.
A big panther fell into a deep hole and could not get out of it.
A fox came by and the panther pleaded with the fox, “Get me out of here!”
The fox said, “What? Get you out of there? I won’t do it! If I did it, you would eat me.”
The panther kept repeatedly pleading, “Get me out of here!”
The fox answered back, “What would you do to me if I got you out? “
The panther said, “I will do what is right.”
“So… you will not eat me, right?”
“No, I will do what is right.”
“So… you will not eat me, right?”
“No, I will do what is right.”
Sufficiently convinced, the fox put his tail in the hole; the panther held onto it and was pulled out of the hole.
In the same second that the panther was free, it wanted to eat the fox.
Indignantly, the fox asked, “What about doing the right thing?”
The panther quickly responded, “I have the right to eat because I'm hungry.”
The fox retorted, “This is not the right thing to do! Let's look for what is the correct thing to be done.”
The panther quickly responded, “I have the right to eat because I'm hungry.”
The fox retorted, “This is not the right thing to do! Let's look for what is the correct thing to be done.”
The fox and the panther started their journey in search of the truth. On the way, they met a dog. They told the dog the whole story and asked him what would be the right thing to do.
The dog answered, “Eat whatever you have to eat.”
The dog answered, “Eat whatever you have to eat.”
Really fast, the fox said, “Then eat the dog; he is fatter than me.”
But the dog, smart as could be, jumped the fence that was nearby, and the panther couldn’t catch it.
But the dog, smart as could be, jumped the fence that was nearby, and the panther couldn’t catch it.
The panther and the fox continued searching for someone who could help them, but no animal was able to say with certainty what was the right thing to be done.
Then they saw a jumping frog and asked it what was the right thing to do. The frog said that he needed to see how the situation happened. The panther jumped back into the hole to demonstrate it. The frog said, “The right thing is that the panther stays where it is and the fox continues on his path the way he was.” The end. (Domain)
Here is additional information about traditional Brazilian fables and myths:
Tragedy has a striking presence in Brazilian fables and myths. Death is narrated without censoring. Tragedy is used as a means to keep the stories and their teachings alive in the children’s memories. A great example is the myth of the Guaraná tree. Indigenous people believed that the Guaraná tree came after the death of the son of a native couple. The boy died and his mother had a dream in which she was directed to bury the boy's eyes. The eyes became the seed of the fruit of vitality…the seed of the Guaraná tree. The fruit of the Guaraná looks like little eyes. (Foi desse jeito que eu ouvi dizer...) [Show picture 15]
Storytelling in Brazil tells the story of Brazilian folklore in which we find many magical and mystical beings. Many of these magical beings project fear. Brazilian popular culture believes that using fear brings obedience. Some songs to put children to sleep are scary. [Show picture 16] Among them are the songs of the Cuca and of the big black bull. The lyrics about the Cuca are as follows, “ Sleep, baby, or Cuca will come and get you. Your daddy works out in the field, and your mama is also not in the house.” (The Cuca was an ugly old lady with the body of an alligator, wearing a yellow wig.) The Cuca song was the same thing as saying, “You had better sleep or Cuca will come and get you!” Another song is about a big, black bull with an ugly face. [Play song 3] The music is “Bull, bull, bull. Bull with a black ugly face. Come and get the little girl that’s afraid of ugly faces!” (You are supposed to go to sleep with that song!) I would sleep terrified by the bull with the ugly face and by the story of the Cuca.
A large part of the Brazilian people have a strong attraction for the mystical. This aspect is from the African and indigenous cultures. A few of those mystical characters are…. [Show pictures17]
O Curupira:
Curupira is a furry little Indian with red hair and backward feet; he was believed to be a protector of the plants and animals of the forest. People also said that he disguised himself and eluded the hunters who chased him, causing them to go deep into the forest to get lost and die of hunger.
The feet were backward to mislead the hunters to follow false trails and get lost in the woods.
The feet were backward to mislead the hunters to follow false trails and get lost in the woods.
A mula-sem-cabeca; the mule-without-a head:
The mule-without-a head was the woman who had a relationship with a priest. The mule had fire in place of the head, made a strong whinny sound, and sometimes screamed like a human being.
She appeared at midnight on dark nights near churches. Those who saw it must lie prone on the floor and hide their eyes, teeth, and nails in order to not be attacked by the mule-without-a head. See reference: (Mini web)
She appeared at midnight on dark nights near churches. Those who saw it must lie prone on the floor and hide their eyes, teeth, and nails in order to not be attacked by the mule-without-a head. See reference:
To conclude this presentation, unlike the previous scary stories, I will tell one cute traditional story that I heard many times and watched as a play in school when I was only six years old.
The story of a little cute cockroach:
A long time ago, at the time of our great-great-grandparents, in a village far, far away, there was a little cute cockroach. The little cute cockroach was doing a good job of cleaning her house. She was sweeping and cleaning every nook and cranny, until…the little cute cockroach found a gold coin. That was worth a fortune! The little cute cockroach took the coin and put it in a small box and thought, “I'm rich!”
She decided to rebuild the house, bought new clothes, and then she was even more beautiful than she was before. But the little cute cockroach felt that there was something missing, so she had an idea...the little cute cockroach put a ribbon in her hair, went to the window, and started singing….
“Who wants to marry the cute little lady cockroach, who has a ribbon in her hair, and money in the little box?”
Soon appeared a contender: elegant, charming, and with his mane combed. It was the horse.
When the little cute cockroach saw the handsome horse, she sighed and said, “Mr. Horse, what do you say in the morning?”
The horse snorted loudly!
The little cute cockroach got scared and said, “Oh, Mr. Horse! You are very beautiful, very elegant, but I will not stand for this loud noise! Sorry, but I do not want to marry you!”
When the little cute cockroach saw the handsome horse, she sighed and said, “Mr. Horse, what do you say in the morning?”
The horse snorted loudly!
The little cute cockroach got scared and said, “Oh, Mr. Horse! You are very beautiful, very elegant, but I will not stand for this loud noise! Sorry, but I do not want to marry you!”
The horse left, and the little cute cockroach continued to sing, “Who wants to marry the cute little lady cockroach, who has a ribbon in her hair, and money in the little box?”
Then appeared a second contender, elegant, cute, fluffy, alert, and very brave. It was the dog. When the little cute cockroach saw the fluffy, cute dog, she sighed and asked, “Mr. Dog, how do you speak in the morning?”
The dog filled his chest with air and barked; he barked loudly.
The little cute cockroach got scared and said, “Oh, Mr. Dog, you are very beautiful, very elegant, but I will not stand for this loud noise! Sorry, but I do not want to marry you!”
The dog left and the little cute cockroach continued to sing, “Who wants to marry the cute little lady cockroach, who has ribbon in her hair, and money in the little box?”
Then one appeared suddenly. He had a friendly mustache. He was a mouse.
When the little cute cockroach saw the mouse with the friendly mustache, she sighed…deeply… and asked, “Mr. Mouse, what do you say in the morning?”
The mouse made a little noise, nice and low. The little cute cockroach was delighted! They even set a date for the wedding right there. The little cute cockroach decided to prepare a “feijoada” for the wedding. Feijoada is a delicious Brazilian-style pot of beans with meat. The mouse had other animals decorate the church.
The bride prepared a white dress, the color of purity. The groom ordered a black suit, the color of night.
On the wedding day, the little cute cockroach went to the church accompanied by the bridesmaids. The mouse also went to the church, but when it passed in front of the little cute cockroach’s house, the mouse smelled something very good, a pleasant smell...the smell of hot beans with delicious meat. The mouse entered the house and went to the kitchen…he followed the aroma. Above the stove, the mouse saw the pot of boiling beans. He came close…very close and - Kaboom! - Fell directly into the pot of beans! Poor mouse!
Meanwhile, in the church the little cute cockroach and the guests waited and waited...until someone suggested, “Why don’t we have the party first and then the wedding?”
Everyone agreed and went to the little cute cockroach’s home.
They reached it, and when they opened the pot of beans...they found the mouse inside of the pot of beans! --baked…baked in the middle of the large pot!
Everyone agreed and went to the little cute cockroach’s home.
They reached it, and when they opened the pot of beans...they found the mouse inside of the pot of beans! --baked…baked in the middle of the large pot!
Then the little cute cockroach looked closely and felt a great sadness in her heart...she cried a lot…she cried for a week. Then she put the ribbon into her hair, went to the window, and started to sing, “Who wants to marry the cute little lady cockroach, who has ribbon in her hair, and money in the little box?” The end.
[Show picture 18]
This is an example of traditional Brazilian storytelling. Thank you for coming to this presentation.
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Villaca, L. (Director). (2009). O Contador de Historias [Motion Picture].
The movie“O Contador de Historias” (The Storyteller) is a great example of how storytelling occupies an important part in the modern cultural scene. This movie was launched recently in Brazil. The plot tells the story of one of the best-known storytellers in the country: Roberto Carlos Ramos.
