Abstract

AMORAS, Noshua. Playing caboco in maracatú of Mata Norte, Pernambuco (Brazil). Rev. colomb. antropol. [online]. 2021, vol.57, n.2, pp.69-88.  Epub July 01, 2021. ISSN 0486-6525.  https://doi.org/10.22380/2539472x.2017.

This article analyzes the figuras (characters) of the maracatú, a typical play of the Pernambuco region of the Zona da Mata (forest zone) in Brazil, that dates back to the colonial period and which mobilizes mythical, poetic and corporal elements. I will demonstrate that playing caboco (a emblematic maracatú's figure) involves both a careful ritual ornamentation procedure and a less visible aspect, related to the bodily transformations that emerge in the players and that allow them to acquire certain strengths and powers. Given that the latter are linked to the “old time” of the play -admired and feared at the same time- playing caboco involves a dilemma for the players: how to experience bodily transformations and connections with certain forces without letting them take them over in full?

Keywords : Pernambuco; Zona da Mata; popular culture; maracatú.

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