Recognizing Communication
To get an understanding of where the observations are rooted, it should be noted that the members of Purdue Capoeira are not Brazilian, do not speak Portuguese, and typically have not taken a martial art before. The students look precisely as they are described: as students. What is significant about this is provided in the sense that a group of non-ethnic, non-Portuguese speaking, untrained college students can come together and perform a beautiful display of culture and tradition. I observed the use of language, music, and traditional nicknames in order to understand this community more. Observations were taken at a Tuesday night meeting, on Facebook, and during various other times.
Observations at MeetingThe meeting on this particular night only had a few members (6 plus Chris), and was composed of 4 males and 2 females. This turnout was much less than a normal turnout, such as the amount of people coming to the club at the beginning of the semester. Nevertheless, the meeting went forward.
A large part of the meeting is working up moves and various positions in order to work other moves into them. The main move of Capoeira is known as ginga, which is essentially a swinging motion back and forth that allows for an open stance. Music is played on the radio/iPod, most of which sounds similar to the "La Laue" song posted in the next column over. The music have a strong twinge of Berimbau to it, and the pace of the song is what encapsulates the pace of the game. Most of the players do not understand the lyrics of the songs, as they are in Portuguese; every once in a while, the instructor will explain why a song is named a certain thing. One particular example is a song about a street block or street corner; it is a traditional song that speaks about the slave trade and a certain street corner where much trade went on (I cannot find the song at this time). Various moves are practiced throughout the meeting, and if group members do not remember the names to certain moves they are graciously informed on how to do them. One such move that caused much confusion during this meet was a move known as "Esquiva de Frente", which is essentially a front dodge. This was being confused with "Esquiva Lateral", which is a sideways version of the other esquiva. |
Facebook ObservationsThe group members discuss various things on the group Facebook, which acts like a forum for them. It has not been as active for the past few months as it was at the beginning of the year.
Here, a member introduces himself by a nickname, an apelido that has been given to him by a club known as Axe Capoeira. His nickname is Catautau, and he explains that he is one of the oldest students of "Bambu", the mestre of the organization in Chicago. The name "Bambu" derives from the mans stature, as he is tall and skinny and resembles a stick of Bamboo. Here, a member posts a song that has been previously taught in the group during a birthday roda for a member the day before. During a birthday roda, members must play the amount of rounds as their age. He posts a description of "La Laue", which to an outsider means absolutely nothing, but to the group members it is recalled as the words to the song, and incites a feeling of nostalgia and musicality. In this post, the mestre of Axe Capoeira in Chicago posts information about an upcoming open roda, which is essentially a roda open to the public. (This is Bambu; his name used to appear as Bambu, but it was changed soon before I screen captured it) One of the club berimbaus became damaged after a trip to Axe Chicago, and one of the members took it upon himself to purchase a new berimbau online. The post, surprisingly enough, elicited an excited response from members, as it meant that the bateria would once again be functioning. |
Misc. ObservationsThe Portuguese language is used extensively in the emails as greetings and closing remarks. An example of this is "Oi" as a way of greeting the group for an email; Oi means "hello" or "hi" informally in Portuguese. A way of closing an email is through the word "Salve", which means something along the lines of "good health" to all of the members.
Nicknames: I compiled a list of some of the nicknames I came across (members of Purdue Capoeira and members of Axe Capoeira Chicago)
As a part of my interview with Chris Zaseck, he spoke to me about the types of nicknames, their origins, and what they mean to their beholder. An important note is that not every member has a nickname; in fact, no member of Purdue Capoeira, aside from the instructors and members of Axe Capoeira, have nicknames. Chris also noted that you earn a nickname. "You could get one on your first day or it could take you ten years." |