Abstract: In a nutshell, the book “Um boi Zepelim enfeitiçado” by José Adeilson dos Santos sheds light on the cultural significance of vaquejada in the Northeast in the 1950s. Some have criticized the work for romanticizing the historical context, omitting capitalist progress, and idealizing traditional masculinity.

Keywords: Vaquejada, Northeastern culture, and historical romanticization.

The Histories of Sergipe Collection, published by the Sergipe State Department of Education, Sport and Culture (SEDUC), has made it possible to access master’s dissertations and doctoral theses in History that might otherwise have remained dormant on library shelves. This has allowed for the sharing of new approaches to historiography in Sergipe with a wider audience. One of the most recent initiatives was the publication of Um boi Zepelim enfeitiçado: trajectória de vida do Vaqueiro ‘Doutor Vito’ e as vaquejadas ‘Pega-de-boi no Mato’ no sertão serg The book Ipano, written by José Adeilson dos Santos, aims to discuss the cultural significance of the vaquejada de pega-de-boi no mato in the semi-arid areas of the Northeast region. (p. 16).

In 2018, José Adeilson dos Santos presented his master’s dissertation in the Graduate Program in History at the Federal University of Sergipe. The dissertation, entitled “Vaquejada in Sergipe in the 1950s,” explored the history of this traditional practice in the region, focusing on the experiences of José Aloísio de Matos, also known as Doutor de Vito. We would be remiss if we did not mention the esteemed Doutor de Vito, a renowned cowboy from Aquidabã (SE), who is credited with catching the “bewitched ox Zepellin” in the Caatingas of Porto da Folha (SE) in 1954. The aforementioned collection published the book in 2022. The historian sought to value the “humble everyday life” of the backlands of Sergipe, following in the footsteps of Luís da Câmara Cascudo in A Vaquejada Nordestina e Sua Origem (1976), but updating them under the influence of the theoretical framework of the New Cultural History, combined with the methodology of oral history. By conducting interviews with a number of cowboys, he was able to create a valuable set of documents on the popular traditions of cattle breeding in Sergipe, particularly with regard to the aboios and toadas. The book is illustrated and consists of three chapters, as well as a presentation and concluding remarks.

Since colonial times, the encourado cowboy has been a traditional archetype of the sertão, symbolically representing both the freedom and domination that existed there. It is thought that this came about thanks to the concentration of land ownership and the absenteeism typical of the local economy since the colonial period (Brandão, 2008: p. 127). However, according to João Guimarães Rosa, it was Euclides who brought the cowboy to the forefront and made him the central figure in the narrative, no longer just a backdrop but an integral part of the ecological landscape where he lives and works. In the center of Euclides’ book, the cowboy is shaped by a number of factors, including his “intense stamp, his code and curriculum, his humanity, his rude history” (Rosa, 1985: p. 131).

It could be said that within the northeastern cattle-raising tradition, the vaquejada and the aboio are inseparable. If the first dates back to the round-up festivities, after a safe winter, the purpose was to “bring down the ox by its tail,” a custom that symbolically reproduces the heroism of… The cowboy who goes into the forest to capture and bring back the brave and recalcitrant bull; the second reveals “the presence of oriental singing in Brazil”, whose vocalic ground produces “a reassuring effect on the herd” (Oliveira, 2006: p. 284).

The author’s description of this ranching tradition in Sergipe is quite good, as it brings out, in direct language, traces of the rural culture of the sertanejo. However, it could be improved by including a broader context of the capitalist advance in the countryside, which prevents the herd from being “left to roam the ownerless pastures, spotted without barbed wire fences and without limits.” The sertão is a landscape that has been transformed by the construction of highways and by-passes, which have brought with them the stench of gasoline and the detritus of oil spills. The macambiras and mandacarus trees, which were once a source of shade and sustenance, now stand as spectral reminders of a bygone era. (Cascudo, 1976: p. 28)

It is possible that this gap can be explained by a certain romanticism on the part of the author, which may have been influenced by Cascudo’s search for the tradition of the vaquejadas in Sergipe at a time when cattle were kept loose. He has based his biography of Doutor de Vito (chapters 1 and 2) on poems and songs by Patativa do Assaré (Vaqueiro) and Maurício do Pajeú (Boi Zepelim). It seems that since he was a boy, his destiny was set: to be a fearless and honorable cowboy. This can potentially lead to a biographical illusion of “understanding a life as a single, self-contained series of successive events.” For Pierre Bourdieu, this is a perspective that is almost as challenging to grasp as attempting to explain the rationale behind a subway journey without considering the intricacies of the network (Bourdieu, 1996: p. 189). It would be beneficial to gain a deeper understanding of the capitalist advance in the countryside of Sergipe during the period analyzed by the author.

However, the section on the ox Zepelim (chapter 3) is arguably as important, if not more so, than the biographer. It seems that the belief that the animal was bewitched conveys much of the popular religiosity, as well as the presence of the cangaço in the region of Porto da Folha (SE), as the marruá is named after Zepelim, a cangaceiro from Lampião’s gang who died in the municipality mentioned.

The ox’s fame was celebrated in songs and tales throughout the hinterlands of Sergipe, Alagoas, and Bahia. As the historian observed, Zepelim’s saga serves as an illustrative example of one of the most challenging and contentious oxen in the caatingas of the Sergipe hinterland (p. 99 and 113).(p. 99 e 113).

Toada “Pega do boi Zepelim” (Dr. Victor) | Image: Canal LR Vaquejada

By overcoming this formidable “trophy ox,” Doutor de Vito, hailing from Aquidabã, earned the title of “cowboy-hero” and is remembered for his remarkable feat with the horse Meladinho, which secured the “Zepelim catch.” It is interesting to note that, in contrast to the cowboy image, which is often associated with a tanned skin tone and a shapely physique (Brandão, 2008, p. 128), the hero’s slim body was reflected like a giant, standing tall and head held high with his prey as he entered the city of Porto da Folha. It would be remiss of me not to mention how he was “latanhado,” and with spills of blood from the scratches and thorns of the caatinga. It could be said that it was similar to the tattoo he had in honour of his victory over the Zeppelin. And so, the author concluded his book. “Vaquejada de pega-de-boi no mato, boi Zepelim and the cowboy Doutor de Vito, by the orientation of our approach, met at the same place. With regard to the history of the cultures of the sertões – of cattle culture – it might be said that they comprise the motto of the same rhyme (p. 117, 115, 144, 149 and 160).

I believe the book met my expectations as a historian and descendant of a family that came from the cattle culture in the sertões of Sergipe. It brought to Sergipe’s historiography topics that had been overlooked or little worked on, such as the historical past of the sertão “transformed into Memory through the paths of orality” (Byington, 2006, p. 292).

However, it would be beneficial to make a few repairs for a future re-edition. Firstly, the number of footnotes may have been excessive, which could have made reading more challenging. This suggests that the publisher may not have carried out an editing process to transform the dissertation into a book. It would be helpful to clarify this in the introduction, where it is stated that the dissertation is divided into three chapters, rather than the book. Secondly, the book’s portrayal of the “macho goat,” a manly, strong, and fearless figure, may not align with the evolving understanding of traditional masculinity within the patriarchal family in a changing Sergipe (Albuquerque Júnior, 2008). His proposal to valorize the “macho” in the “decisive” and “courageous” northeastern hinterland may inadvertently overlook public and domestic violence against women, children, and LGBT people. It would be remiss of us not to mention that this idealisation of the encourado cowboy also overlooks the presence of the motorcycle, which has come to replace the cowboy in driving goats and cattle.

It would be beneficial to revisit the concept of involuntary memory as it is presented by the historian, as it differs from the ideas put forth by W. Benjamin and A. Proust. As Harald Weinrich (2001, p. 208) has suggested, this memory “no longer attempts to recall memories through a conscious effort, and also relinquishes the pursuit of securing them against oblivion with various techniques.” It would seem that certain memories return spontaneously, although not necessarily from interviews for academic work.

It is therefore important to consider the strangeness of cultural changes when confronting archaic and modern values in the process of remembrance, taking into account the dialogue between past and present. It would be beneficial to examine the discourse on northeastern Brazil, including topics such as drought, migration, and mysticism, in order to gain a deeper understanding of cultural permanence and change in the northeastern hinterland.

In addition to these misconceptions, the book achieves the objective it sets out in its introduction and could be a valuable resource for those who are curious about “pegas de boi,” as well as for experts in the field.

References

ALBUQUERQUE Jr., Durval Muniz de. Nos destinos da fronteira: história, espaços e identidade regional. Recife: Edições Bagaço, 2008.

BOURDIEU, Pierre. A ilusão biográfica. In: FERREIRA, Marieta de Moraes e AMADO, Janaína (org.). Usos e abuso da história oral. Rio de Janeiro: Editora da FGV, 1996.

BRANDÃO, Tanya Maria Pires. O Vaqueiro: símbolo da liberdade e mantenedor da ordem no sertão. In: MONTENEGRO, Antônio Torres et al (orgs.). História, cultura e sentimento: Outras histórias do Brasil. Recife: Editora Universitária da UFPE; Cuiabá: Ed. da UFMT, 2008.

BYINGTON, Sílvia Ilg. A vaquejada nordestina e sua origem. In: SILVA, Marcos (org.). Dicionário Crítico Câmara Cascudo. São Paulo: Perspectiva, 2006.

CASCUDO, Luís da Câmara. A vaquejada nordestina e sua origem. Natal/RN: Fundação José Augusto, 1976.

OLIVEIRA, Alzir. Tradições Populares da Pecuária Nordestina. In: SILVA, Marcos (org.). Dicionário Crítico Câmara Cascudo. São Paulo: Perspectiva, 2006

ROSA, João Guimarães. Pé-duro, Chapéu-de-couro. In: Ave, Palavra. 3ed. Rio de Janeiro: Nova Fronteira, 1985.

WEINRICH, Harald. Lete: Arte e crítica do esquecimento. Rio de Janeiro: Civilização Brasileira, 2001.

Summary of Um boi Zepelim enfeitiçado: Trajetória de vida do Vaqueiro “Doutor Vito” e as vaquejadas “Pega-de-boi no Mato” no sertão sergipano dos anos 1950

• Apresentação
• I. Com o dom e paixão, para ser o vaqueiro “Doutor de Vito”
• II. com o dom e paixão, para ser o vaqueiro “Doutor de vito”
• III. Por “Zepelim”, cavalos e vaquejada: um sertão de famas
• considerações finais
• Fontes
• Referências

Reviewer

Antônio Fernando de Araújo Sá é doutor em História pela Universidade de Brasília (UnB), professor do Departamento de História e do Mestrado em História da Universidade Federal de Sergipe e editor da Ponta de Lança – Revista Eletrônica de História, Memória & Cultura. Publicou, entre outros títulos, Rio Sem História? Leituras sobre o Rio São Francisco (2018) e Entre sertões e representações: ensaios e estudos (2021). ID LATTES: http://lattes.cnpq.br/4761668150681726; ID ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6496-4456; E-mail: fernandosa1965@gmail.com.

To cite this review

SANTOS, José Adeilson dos. Um boi Zepelim enfeitiçado: Trajetória de vida do Vaqueiro “Doutor Vito” e as vaquejadas “Pega-de-boi no Mato” no sertão sergipano dos anos 1950. Aracaju: Editora SEDUC, 2022. Cattle festivals in the 1950s. Crítica Historiográfica. Natal, v.4, n.18, July/August, 2024. Available in <https://www.criticahistoriografica.com.br/en/cattle-festivals-in-the-1950s-review-by-fernando-sa-ufs-of-the-book-um-boi-zepelim-enfeitiada-trajetoria-de-vida-do-vaqueiro-doutor-vito-e-as-vaquejadas-pega-de-boi-no-mato-no-sertao-se/>.

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Crítica Historiográfica. Natal, v.4, n. 18, July/August, 2024 | ISSN 2764-2666.