Man of the Northeast Museum

In the later afternoon we visited a museum named Man of the Northeast. This museum was very informative. We started off watching a video depicting the culture and daily life in Pernambuco. We then learned more about the people that have lived in this area for the last 500 years. We saw some brutal reminders of slavery. The shackles and chains that were put around the slaves when they slept. Collars and leashes made me cringe in disgust. Certainly an age that was so brutal and so sad. We also saw long wooden harnesses that contained circles for the head and other body parts.

There was an exhibit there called King of the Congo. During Carnaval a dance is performed called the maracatu. The performance is centered around the character "King of the Congo". He parades through the streets in his coloful garb with his queen and court by his side. The music is a fast percussion rhythm. The story goes that when slaves were brought to Brazil some were naturally kings and queens of their village. To honor their presence a celebration would be performed to honor them. To prevent suspicion the slaves would incorporate European clothing to act as though they were praising European culture. The slaves were forbidden to practice or worship their native religons. Therefore they incorporated their ancient beliefs with Christianity. This was another way in which the slaves kept their traditions from Africa and merged it with their experiences in the new world.