Cultural Diversity in Brazil: Afro-Brazilians and Folklore

Milestone Three ATH315

1 Cultural Groups The many cultural groups of Brazil piece the country together. The indigenous Brazilians were mixed mainly with the Portuguese who also brought African slaves with them. This makes up only 3 of the many cultural groups that make up Brazil today. Mulattoes are Brazilians who are of African and European descent, and mestiços are a mix of European and indigenous descent (Martins et al., 2023). Afro-Brazilian is also a common term for Brazilians of African descent. There are still about 300 indigenous tribes living in Brazil today, but at one point there were over 1000 tribes before the Europeans came. A few tribes are the Guarani, Yanomami, and Kawahiva (Survival International, 2023). My main focus will be on Afro-Brazilians and Mulattoes. African and Portuguese history has really shaped Brazil today, and I believe that they represent an important part of history. During the African slave trade, around 5.5 million African slaves were taken to Brazil from 1550 to 1850 (Klein and Luna, 2010, p. 151). The different African cultures were influenced in parts of Brazil. For example, Ghanaian and Nigerian culture was more concentrated in the Northeast of Brazil, but most slaves in Brazil came from the Congo-Angola regions (Klein and Luna, 2010, p. 157). The form of Mulattoes and Afro-Brazilians came when slave owners started to intermingle with African slaves. European beliefs were pushed on the slaves and many became Christian and Catholic. While many African traditions were being dismissed, some new traditions still had African influence (Klein and Luna, 2010, p. 216). Carnival is a perfect example of a tradition that has both European and African influences. It is a 4-day festival that celebrates African ancestry while also celebrating Roman Catholicism. The Mulattoes have a rich history and occupy about half of the Brazilian population (Martins et al., 2023).

2 Folklore and Mythology Brazil's mix of cultures presents many stories. Brazilian folklore and mythology are highly influenced by European and African cultural groups, and it is also influenced by the Catholic church. There are ballads that have been brought from Portugal to Brazil that are still sung today, and many are religious ballads specifically from Madeira (Fontes, 2000, p. 100-101). Afro-Brazilians, Mestiços, and indigenous Brazilians all have their own versions of myths. While Brazilians with African ancestry might focus their folklore on black magic, Mestiços have more of a Catholic Christian version. The offering to Yemanjá, an African Goddess of the water, is still practiced by Afro-Brazilians (Fontes, 2000, p. 290). There are festivals every year, and people will send flowers, and other goods on a boat while they make a wish. If their boats sank, then they were not sincere about giving their gifts. People also jump over waves and their wishes are supposed to come true (Lay, n.d.). The indigenous Brazilians have Curupira, who is a protector of the forest. Curupira had magical powers and used them to protect the forest and the animals from any harm. He also helped people who were lost or in need (Kurupira Project, n.d.). These myths are similar in the sense that one is a Goddess protecting the water, and the other is a boy protecting the land. Another story from Brazilian mythology which incorporates the Catholic church is the legend of “A Mula sem Cabeça”, which translates to “The Headless Mule”. This folklore came to Brazil from Portugal, and it is about a woman who turned into a headless mule because she had sexual relations with a priest. The story states that women who seduce priests will turn into headless mules with fire coming out of their necks (Lucas, 2023). This story is rather different than the previous myths. The identities that Brazil is faced with are shown in the many different stories told in the

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3 country. The influence of Africa and Europe on indigenous Brazil has given many versions of mythology that we see all over the world. Black magic and the Catholic church also influence Brazil, and we see them join together in festivals throughout the country.

4 Resources Fontes, M. da C. (2000). Folklore and Literature : Studies in the Portuguese, Brazilian, Sephardic, and Hispanic Oral Traditions. SUNY Press. (n.d.). The Curupira Myth. Kurupira Project. https://www.kurupira.net/kurupiraproject/folklore.php Klein, H.S., & Luna, F.V., (2010). Slavery in Brazil . Cambridge University Press. Lay, J. (n.d.). Offerings for Yemanjá. Exploring Virtual Cultures. https://www.explore- vc.org/en/galleries-content/yemaya2.html Lucas (2023, April 5). The Legend of the Headless Mule: A Brazilian Folklore Story. Urban Legends World. https://urbanlegendsworld.com/headless-mule/ Martins, L., Burns, B.E., Momsen, R.P., Schneider, R., M. and James, P.E. (2023, July 10). Brazil. Encyclopedia Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/place/Brazil (2023). The Brazilian Indigenous People . Survival International. https://www.survivalinternational.org/tribes/brazilian

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