Tambor de Crioula is a form of expression of

Afro-Brazilian Culture Afro-Brazilians ( pt, afro-brasileiros; ) are Brazilians who have predominantly African ancestry (see " preto"). Most members of another group of people, multiracial Brazilians or ''pardos'', may also have a range of degree of African ancestry. ...

in the state of

Maranhão Maranhão () is a state in Brazil. Located in the country's Northeast Region, it has a population of about 7 million and an area of . Clockwise from north, it borders on the Atlantic Ocean for 2,243 km and the states of Piauí, Tocantins and ...

, in Brazil, that involves circular dancing, singing and percussion of drums (''tambores,'' in Portuguese). This Afro-Brazilian manifestation occurs in most of the municipalities of Maranhão, involving a female circular dance, singing and percussion of drums. The Tambor de Crioula was recognized as Brazilian Intangible Cultural Heritage in 2007 by IPHAN.

Tradictions

Whether outdoors, in the squares, inside the terreiros, or associated with other events and manifestations, it is carried out without specific location or fixed schedule and practiced especially in praise of

St. Benedict Benedict of Nursia ( la, Benedictus Nursiae; it, Benedetto da Norcia; 2 March AD 480 – 21 March AD 548) was an Christianity in Italy, Italian Christian monk, writer, and theologian who is venerated in the Catholic Church, the Eastern Ortho ...

(the black saint). It is a circular dance marked by the percussion of three handmade drums (parelhas) covered in leather and tuned by fire and played by men (coureiros). The women (coureiras) with their beautiful round and colored skirts dance in a very peculiar choreography marked by the "punga" or "

umbigada Umbigada (from Portuguese ''umbigo'', "navel") is a dance move in various Afro-Brazilian dances. Sometimes translates as "belly bump" or "belly blow", it is performed as follows: a dancer opens her arms and extends her navel towards another danc ...

Other cultural manifestations typical of Maranhão are

bumba-meu-boi Toada is a style of Central Amazon Rainforest, Amazonian folk music now moving into the mainstream in Brazil. It is a combination of traditional Amazonian rhythms with African and European influence. The genre was made known throughout Brazil af ...

and cacuriá.

Museum

In 2018, in the city of São Luís, capital of Maranhão, was founded the House of Tambor de Crioula (Casa do Tambor de Crioula), a museum dedicated to the preservation of the memory and tradition of this cultural expression, functioning as a research and documentation center and for the diffusion of dance, with a place for presentations.

References

{{reflist Dance festivals in Brazil Folk festivals in Brazil Maranhão