The ABC of Old Masters of Capoeira

João Ramos do Nascimento
Mestre Traíra
192? - 1970?

December, 2017 in: featured

The ABC

192? - Was born in Cachoeira, Bahia.
1938 - M Ananias met him in the rodas of M Juvêncio in São Felix.
1945 - Jorge Amado describes him in his book Bahia de Todos os Santos.
1947 - Started to learn from M Waldemar. Later told that had also learned from Severo do Pelourinho.
1953 - Appears on Alice Brill's photos in M Waldemar's hut (see below!).
1954 - Participated in the film Vadiação of A. Robatto (see below!).
1955? - Appears on Pierre Verger's photos in M Waldemar's hut (see below!).
1956 - On the 2nd November O Estado de São Paulo posted two photos of him (see below!).
1957 - Was interviewed by Aloysio de Alencar Pinto.
1960 - Together with M Waldemar and other capoeiras was filmed for Bahia, Capoeira na Praia in Itapoã by P. Solange (see below!).
1963 - Recorded an LP together with M Cobrinha Verde, M Gato Preto and other capoeiras (listen below!).
1970/71 - M Barba Branca started to learn with him. In the same year appears in the book Capoeira Angola: ensaio sócio-etnográfico of W. Rego.
1970/71? - Died of cirrhosis.
📻 Velhos Mestres

M Traíra and M Cobrinha Verde*, 1963

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01.

Santa Maria

9:07

02.

São Bento Pequeno*

5:30

03.

São Bento Grande

5:21

04.

Jogo de Dentro

6:33

05.

Cavalaria

5:09

06.

Iúna

1:38

07.

Seqüencia de ritmos

7:39

M Traíra and M Cobrinha Verde*, 1963
«Vadiação», 1954

«Vadiação», 1954

«Bahia, capoeira na praia», 1960

ina.fr, 1960

Photo gallery
Mulunga,
Bugalho,
M Waldemar (berimbau),
Bom Cabelo,
M Traíra
Liberdade, Salvador
Alice Brill, 1953
IMS's collection

Instruments: Zacarias, Traíra, M Waldemar
Squatting: ? and Nagê

Instruments: Zacarias, Traíra, M Waldemar
Squatting: ? and Nagê

Instruments: Zacarias, Traíra, M Waldemar
Squatting: ? and Nagê

Instruments: Zacarias, Traíra, M Waldemar
Playing: (old) Curió and Nagê
Sitting at the back A. Robatto

Instruments: Zacarias, Traíra, M Waldemar
Playing: (old) Curió and Nagê

Instruments: Zacarias, Traíra, M Waldemar
Playing: (old) Curió and Nagê
Sitting at the back A. Robatto

Instruments: Zacarias, Traíra, M Waldemar
Playing: (old) Curió and Nagê

Instruments: Zacarias, Traíra, M Waldemar

Instruments: ?, ?, ?
Playing: Traíra and Zacarias?
Sitting: Nagê and ?

Instruments: M Waldemar, ?, ?
Playing: Traíra? and ?
Sitting: ?

M Traíra (berimbau),
Nelson (berimbau)
M Waldemar's hut
Pierre Verger, around 1955
Pierre Verger Foundation

M Traíra (berimbau),
Nelson (berimbau)
M Waldemar's hut
Pierre Verger, around 1955
Pierre Verger Foundation

M Traíra (berimbau),
Nelson (berimbau),
Bugalho (berimbau)
? (pandeiro),
? (pandeiro)
M Waldemar's hut
Pierre Verger, around 1955
Pierre Verger Foundation

M Traíra (berimbau),
Nelson (berimbau),
Bugalho (berimbau)
? (pandeiro),
? (pandeiro)
M Waldemar's hut
Pierre Verger, around 1955
Pierre Verger Foundation

M Traíra (berimbau),
Nelson (berimbau),
? (berimbau)
? (pandeiro),
? (pandeiro)
Playing: ? and ?
M Waldemar's hut
Pierre Verger, around 1955
Pierre Verger Foundation

M Traíra (berimbau),
Nelson (berimbau),
? (berimbau)
? (pandeiro),
? (pandeiro)
Playing: ? and ?
M Waldemar's hut
Pierre Verger, around 1955
Pierre Verger Foundation

M Traíra (berimbau),
Nelson (berimbau),
? (berimbau)
? (pandeiro),
? (pandeiro)
Playing: ? and ?
M Waldemar's hut
Pierre Verger, around 1955
Pierre Verger Foundation

M Traíra (berimbau),
Nelson (berimbau),
? (berimbau)
? (pandeiro),
? (pandeiro)
Playing: ? and ?
M Waldemar's hut
Pierre Verger, around 1955
Pierre Verger Foundation

M Traíra (berimbau),
Nelson (berimbau),
? (berimbau)
? (pandeiro),
? (pandeiro)
Playing: ? and ?
M Waldemar's hut
Pierre Verger, around 1955
Pierre Verger Foundation

M Traíra (berimbau),
? (berimbau),
? (berimbau)
? (pandeiro),
? (pandeiro)
Playing: ? and ?
M Waldemar's hut
Pierre Verger, around 1955
Pierre Verger Foundation

In the "atelier" of Mário Cravo, in Salvador, capoeirista Traíra makes the berimbau sound
In the engraving: the correct way to hold the berimbau and the caxixi
O Estado de São Paulo, 1956

?,
M Traíra (berimbau),
M Cobrinha Verde,
M Bugalho? (berimbau),
?
Photo by Salomão Scliar?

Berimbau in M Traíra's hands
Photo by Salomão Scliar?

?,
?,
M Traíra (pandeiro),
? (berimbau),
M Waldemar (berimbau),
? (berimbau)
Playing: ? and ?
The 60-s?
M Traíra

About the Old Masters:

«[Besouro's] first contact with the world of capoeira took place with an old african called Alípio, who was a captive in the Pantaleão Mill. When planting sugarcane, the student heard and learned from the old man the teachings of capoeira. Uncle Alípio was a Babalawo [candomblé priest] and had been a slave when young, a son of a black woman who was brought in a ship from the port of São Jorge da Mina in Dahomey [Benin].»
Abib, 2009
«Mestre Pastinha and his students would put the strap [of caxixi] around the little and the ring finger. He talks about this in his book, and it can be seen on the photographies taken in his Academy.»
Shaffer, 1977
«Rafael I don't know with whom he learned, don't know. I knew him here when he was capoeira mestre. I didn't have much knowledge about him. But later he came here to Pero Vaz [..] He also had his academy in the city. I didn't have integration with him.»
M Waldemar, 1987
«The deceased Traíra was who took care of the roda. I went there, gave my order and went to have a beer. I was made.»
M Waldemar in Abreu, 2003
«That time there was a group [in São Braz]: it was me, Messias [M Messias, born in 1929], Zinho, Genesio, Lao, Tomazinho, Jaime, Chumbinho [..] So we had this group of boys who were all 16, 15-16 years old. And we used to get together on Saturdays and Sundays to do this capoeira. And Léo was the mestre.»
M Gato Preto, 1999