cangaço

The Cangaço was a social movement that took place in the northeast of the country in the 19th and 20th centuries. In it, the cangaceiros demonstrated their dissatisfaction with the precarious conditions in which the majority of the Northeastern population found themselves, since power was concentrated in the hands of the farmers.

The cangaceiros were groups of armed nomads who lived in bands. The term “cangaço” was chosen because the word derives from canga, a piece of wood used on the head of cattle for transport purposes. In this sense, if they were nomads, they carried many belongings during their walks.

The cangaceiros were excellent connoisseurs of the caatinga, plants and food. For a long time (1870 to 1940) they dominated the northeastern hinterland, with many being protected by colonels in exchange for favors.

History of the cangaço:summary

With the Proclamation of the Republic, in 1889, several social and economic problems plagued the country, especially in the Northeast, where violence, hunger and poverty increased.

Thus, at the end of the 19th century, the emergence of outbreaks of cangaceiros in the north and northeast of the country was already noticeable. However, the cangaço movement acquired greater coherence and organization at the beginning of the 20th century.

It represented an important social phenomenon in Brazilian history, made up of individuals committed to bringing a new, more inclusive and egalitarian reality to the population of the northeastern sertão.

Using violence, armed with shotguns, knives and daggers, the bandits went out in groups to various places in the northeast of the country. They looted farms, kidnapped and killed farmers, commanding respect wherever they went.

It was in this context that the population began to feel protected, standing next to the bandits, symbols of strength and honor.

On the other hand, there were the cangaceiros who frightened the population, who invaded villages, robbed, killed and raped women.

The cangaceiros had their own style. They used leather clothes, including hats, in order to protect themselves, both from the coarse vegetation of the caatinga and from police attacks, as they were constantly pursued.

And that's how the cangaceiro movement surpassed a decade, demonstrating its strength, determination and dedication.

Lampião and Maria Bonita

Lampião was a revolutionary figure, considered the “King of Cangaço ” or “Lord of the Sertão”. His name was Virgulino Ferreira da Silva (1897-1938) and he was born in Serra Talhada, Pernambuco. He was a former Colonel in the National Guard and went through almost every northeastern state fighting injustice.

Maria Bonita, Lampião's wife, became known as the "Queen of Cangaço". Her name was Maria Gomes de Oliveira (1911-1938) and she was one of the icons of the cangaceiro movement, being the first woman to join the group, fighting bravely.

Lampião and Maria Bonita were brutally murdered in an ambush prepared by the authorities, at the time ruled by Getúlio Vargas. It all happened when the couple was camping at Grota de Angicos, in Poço Redondo (Sergipe), on July 27, 1938.

The end of the couple, icon of the bandit, considered by the authorities to be dangerous people:Lampião and Maria Bonita.

Their heads and those of their companions were exposed as prizes; only with the approval of Bill nº 2.867, of May 24, 1965, the heads were duly buried.

The death of the leaders meant the end of the cangaceiro movement, which spread across the north and northeast. Some bandits, afraid of being beheaded, turned themselves in to the authorities.

For some, the movement ended in 1940 with the death of one of the bandits, who was a friend of Lampião, Cristino Gomes da Silva Cleto, known by the name:Corisco .

Main bandits

There were several bands of cangaceiros, however, the one that stood out the most was the one led for a decade (1920-1930) by Lampião.

Below are some names, and respective nicknames, of personalities who stood out in the bandit movement:

Anisio Marculino (Gasoline)
Antonio dos Santos (Green Cobra)
Antonio Inácio (Moreno)
Ezequiel Ferreira da Silva (Beija-Flor)
Domingos dos Anjos (Serra do Uman)
Hermínio Xavier, aka Chumbinho
Izaias Vieira (Zabélê)
Januário Garcia Leal (Seven Ears)
Jesuíno Alves de Melo Calado (Jesuíno Brilhante)
Joaquim Mariano Antonio de Severia (Fog)
José de Souza (Lieutenant)
João Mariano (Swallow)
Laurindo Virgolino (Hose)
Lucas Evangelista (Lucas da Feira)
Manoel Baptista de Morais (Antônio Silvino)