Boi-Bumbá of Parintins (AM): : Dramatic Performances of an Afro-Indigenous Tradition

Abstract

The scholarly and academic classification of the brincadeira de boi by Mário de Andrade is the most widely referenced by those studying these manifestations of popular culture in Brazil. It is considered a dramatic dance, as it is structured around a narrative involving life, death, and resurrection, along with the notion that the ox (boi) is regarded as a national symbol, given the presence of this tradition across various regions of the country. This text presents an anthropological discussion of the dramatic performances in the boi shows in Parintins, where indigenous discourse has prevailed and now influences much of the judging criteria that determine which boi will win the annual competition. Although many bois-bumbás emerged within Afro-Brazilian families after the formal end of slavery, Afro discourse has only recently regained prominence in Parintins’ performances. The founder of Boi Garantido, Lindolfo Monteverde, was an Afro-Indigenous man, as his father, Marcelo, belonged to the Munduruku ethnic group and was known in Parintins, between the 19th and 20th centuries, as a pai de santo (Candomblé priest). Lindolfo's mother, Dona Xanda, was the daughter of a Black woman enslaved until the final days of the slave regime. Therefore, Boi Garantido is an Afro-Indigenous manifestation and, in recent years, has been reclaiming narratives that shape its dramatic performances, reconciling the Afro and Indigenous dimensions that form the foundation of its existence