Matachindé

Description
Reviews
Citation
Cataloging
Transcript

Eight hours from the bustling urban center of Buenaventura lies the remote village of Juntas de Yurumanguí, an Afro-descendant community that has maintained autonomy over its religious practices for generations. Each year, the community celebrates Holy Week, an event that transcends the boundaries of conventional clerical authority. Here, the blend of Catholicism and indigenous spiritual elements creates a unique form of worship, reflecting the rich syncretic traditions passed down through centuries of resistance.

This documentary not only captures the profound spiritual significance of these ceremonies but also serves as a window into the community’s struggle for sovereignty in the face of historical and social pressures. Scholars of religious studies, African diaspora studies, and post-colonialism will find this work an invaluable resource in understanding how marginalized communities navigate the complexities of faith, autonomy, and identity in a post-colonial world.

Citation

Select a citation style:

Main credits

Palacios, Víctor (filmmaker)

Other credits

Cinematography and editing, Víctor Palacios.

MARC Record See Worldcat record

Keywords

Matachindé,Víctor Palacios,Colombia,documentary,first nations,religious syncretism,syncretism,Mandinga,Manacillo,Manacillo festivities,traditions,Afro-Latin,slavery,Yurumanguí,Juntas de Yurumanguí,Yurumangui,anthropology,ethnography,Colombian Pacific coast,,afro latin america,black latin america,afro latino,afro latinx,afro latina,black latino,black latinx,black latina,afro latin,afro-americanism,afro-brazilian,afro-cuban,afro-haitian,afro-colombian,afro-dominican,afro-mexican,afro-puertorican,afro-honduran,afro-bolivian,afro-argentinian,afro-chilean,afro-peruvian,afro-nicauraguan,afro-guatemalan,afro-caribbean,diaspora,slave trade,anthropologically,cultural anthropology,forensic anthropology,anthropologist,human nature,physical anthropology,ethnocentric,ethnography,functionalism,cultures,societies,human people,human society,functionalism,globalization,ideology,pragmatism,dogmatism,social change,society,culture,identity,identity politics,culture wars,left wing,right wing,intersectionality,identity groups,civilization,literacy,humanism,cancel culture,online culture,cultural revolution,cultural diffusion,culture shock,popular culture,pop culture,material culture,cultural capital,cultural assimilation ,racism,discrimination,prejudice,ethnicity,ethnic,race studies,ethnic studies,racist,racial sensitivity,bias,prejudice,racial prejudice,ethnic prejudice,genetics,hereditary,culture,ethnic culture,ethnology,ethnography,ethnic sensitivity,religion,spirituality,organized religion,soul,spiritual beliefs,religious beliefs,belief systems,branches of religion,religious sects,sects,gods and goddesses,monotheism,theism,pantheism,polytheism,spiritual awakening,sociology,anthropology,psychology,sociological,sociological perspectives,conflict theory,human conflicts,sociological thinking,conflict perspective,topics in sociology,sociology topics,sociology studies,social studies,people and cultures,human relations,human relationships,cultural studies,culture studies ,south america,south american countries,countries in south america,argentina,bolivia,brazil,chile,colombia,ecuador,guyana,paraguay,peru,suriname,uruguay,venezuela,south american politics,south american culture,south american cuisine,south american education,south america in media,south american languages,south america history,latin american studies,caribbean american studies,island studies,latin american culture,latin american history,latin american politics, caribbean american culture,caribbean american history,caribbean american politics, latin american languages,latin american and caribbean studies,hispanic american studies,hispanic people,hispanic culture,hispanic politics; "Matachindé"; Pragda Films

WEBVTT

00:02:48.265 --> 00:02:51.633
How many inhabitants
there are here, in Juntas?

00:02:52.066 --> 00:02:54.699
About 682

00:03:15.265 --> 00:03:22.467
I´m Naka Mandinga, it´s my ethnic name.
In 1956 I was baptized as Jorge Isaac,

00:03:23.032 --> 00:03:29.432
but later I learned that my ancestors
had been kidnapped to west Africa.

00:03:30.133 --> 00:03:38.000
Today that land is occupied by the States of
Mali, Ivory Coast, Guinea with Acri and part of the Senegal.

00:03:38.000 --> 00:03:44.133
There was the ancient kingdom of the “Mandingas”.
And I´m one of them. That´s the reason
I changed my name to Naka Mandinga.

00:03:45.633 --> 00:03:49.199
I was born here, in this village.
I ´m native and I grew up here in Juntas de Yurumangui.

00:03:49.199 --> 00:03:56.000
This town lays here since the end of the XVI century,
when Pedro Agustín de Valencia,

00:03:56.532 --> 00:04:01.667
a Spanish man has arrived and settled half an hour
from here, near by the Soledad River.

00:04:02.633 --> 00:04:10.032
He came precisely on December 8th and he
named the first village the Holly Conception.

00:04:11.599 --> 00:04:14.332
From there, the slaves came
here daily to do the mining;

00:04:15.667 --> 00:04:19.033
this region was always a mining region.

00:04:19.466 --> 00:04:29.065
So when Pedro Austin left,
the slaves decided to move the town to this place.

00:04:29.632 --> 00:04:35.432
It´s called Juntas de Yurumangui because it´s the place where
the two rivers, Yurumangui and Soledad, meet.

00:04:42.600 --> 00:04:53.466
This man, we don’t know him.
Some people come here to visit us. There is the Teacher Jennifer.

00:04:54.065 --> 00:05:02.065
They all want to listen to the stories of all our old traditions,
there´s also a woman who comes to give us some company.

00:05:03.033 --> 00:05:08.199
In my place as a Priest of Yurumangui
I have to tell you.

00:05:08.199 --> 00:05:20.000
They came just to know our traditions from the old times.
And after knowing the old times, we are going to push them up foreword.

00:05:21.466 --> 00:05:26.199
How is today´s prier called?
The stations of the cross.

00:05:27.666 --> 00:05:31.000
No, the one for today? How is it called?
The Rosary!

00:05:31.000 --> 00:05:34.399
The rosary!
Let´s pray it in the morning!

00:05:36.100 --> 00:05:45.266
Traditional Afro Prayers

00:06:29.033 --> 00:06:32.666
traditional Afro chants

00:08:04.666 --> 00:08:08.233
The community chooses people like me,
as their representative because of my record

00:08:09.800 --> 00:08:18.500
I have dedicated to learn something,
the things they knew.

00:08:19.867 --> 00:08:26.834
And I kept that. So, the community
has chosen me to move forward,

00:08:27.367 --> 00:08:34.200
so if there´s anybody who will do It after me
in the future, the tradition will not be broken.

00:08:35.667 --> 00:08:51.332
I haven´t studied for being a catechist, I learned it from my father.
He did the studies, and it was his idea, I didn´t.

00:08:52.866 --> 00:09:03.000
So I got the right words for being devoted to the church,
It came from my heart.

00:09:04.133 --> 00:09:16.000
Here we have the holly week festivities, and we present the “manacillo”.
This came from our ancestors.

00:09:18.866 --> 00:09:28.466
In this region we sing the “manacillo” in the “Galilea Hit”.
It goes like this: the singing of the “manacillo” first.

00:09:34.633 --> 00:09:39.667
traditional Afro chants

00:11:14.265 --> 00:11:17.500
At night the Nazarene procession goes out,

00:11:18.332 --> 00:11:26.600
where they carry the image of the Christ
bounded by the Pharisees, by the Jewish.

00:13:38.399 --> 00:13:47.366
During the week, some we call it the “council week”,
we work, until the Palm Sunday,

00:13:47.366 --> 00:13:54.133
until the beginning of the holly week.
After that, we cannot touch anything.

00:13:54.833 --> 00:14:05.432
The old ones told us we cannot labor the land,
not a touch!

00:14:06.299 --> 00:14:11.066
My mother tells me, “no, my love,
today the children shouldn´t eat on the floor.

00:14:12.600 --> 00:14:19.466
Today we dress the table.
And we wash the dishes very well.

00:14:20.933 --> 00:14:25.366
And we go to the river, but we wash ourselves
very lightly, we cannot jump into the water.

00:14:26.100 --> 00:14:38.332
My mother told me the story of a girl who
disobeyed her mother and jumped into the water.

00:14:38.332 --> 00:14:45.332
The mother told her
“you are going to turn into a fish”

00:14:46.899 --> 00:14:57.166
and she disappeared first, and then,
she ended up becoming a mermaid.

00:14:57.466 --> 00:15:03.066
She got a spell.
Since then we have these old traditions.

00:15:03.066 --> 00:15:08.200
And I respect everything my mother says.
She tells me, when it´s already Thursday,

00:15:09.600 --> 00:15:18.332
we cannot dance,
we cannot lay on couples.

00:15:19.033 --> 00:15:26.767
So we can only sleep by ourselves,
we cannot sleep with our husbands.

00:15:27.332 --> 00:15:30.066
Though it´s the Christ passion,

00:15:30.066 --> 00:15:34.466
we cannot hit the children,
because we will be hitting the Christ.

00:15:34.866 --> 00:15:47.399
At the holly Thursday, we have the costume
the old ones left us: to cut off the wood,

00:15:47.399 --> 00:15:52.066
so everything is broken and we don´t do any more noise.

00:15:52.700 --> 00:15:56.066
We cannot do any noise.
We take slow washes into the river,

00:15:56.667 --> 00:16:01.299
because if we did noise before, one could become a fish.
That was before.

00:16:01.667 --> 00:16:07.399
Now I don´t know if it´s still like that.
Human kind has advanced so much!

00:16:11.466 --> 00:16:19.633
Traditional Afro Prayers

00:16:48.432 --> 00:16:53.466
traditional Afro chants

00:17:33.432 --> 00:17:42.599
Traditional Afro Prayers

00:18:24.000 --> 00:18:34.032
The characters of the “matachín” represent the
Pharisees soldiers that hit Christ. That´s their meaning.

00:18:35.599 --> 00:18:41.200
The characters! We have, among them,
Tuberius Cesar, Marcus, Judas.

00:18:41.200 --> 00:18:56.165
Those are characters that took place in the Christ’s agony.
It has a relationship with the church affairs.

00:18:57.266 --> 00:19:05.400
Every activity is done by the “Matachin” place and the Church.
Those are two subjects gathered together.

00:19:49.133 --> 00:19:55.767
At half past eleven we start to build the Manacillo´s place.
At this time some wood had been nailed,

00:19:56.299 --> 00:20:02.933
there are some sits being made and there still more to do.
Here there is the Manacillo.

00:20:03.400 --> 00:20:08.066
And some women who support it, they are around,

00:20:08.066 --> 00:20:16.500
they are the singers. The instruments like
the “guazá”, the “bombo”, the “cununo”….

00:20:17.366 --> 00:20:25.133
in six hours there will be all
the instruments here.

00:20:25.799 --> 00:20:32.133
And at twelve o clock there will be the first hit.
Known as the Galilean hit.

00:20:33.366 --> 00:20:44.733
In here there´s some sand, for this to be cleaner and
comfortable, in case of somebody falls down or something.

00:20:54.733 --> 00:21:00.599
And then, the money we´ll collect, we will not spend it in drinks.

00:21:01.933 --> 00:21:08.133
There are some leathers arround, we put it to soak,
and then we do anything we want.

00:21:13.366 --> 00:21:20.834
Then, you´ll have to know.
Silence! They have the word there.

00:21:22.066 --> 00:21:32.000
I think, I say despite there´s still seven people who
haven´t given any drinks yet.

00:21:32.000 --> 00:21:45.633
We have 14 bottles less of Viche, or Guarapo, or whatever…
we have now 8 gallons of viche and two cans of guarapo.

00:21:46.165 --> 00:21:55.200
I think that if we can still gather some money…
I think we don’t need to invest more in the drinks

00:21:55.767 --> 00:22:05.799
we have enough.
We could invest that in bombo and cununo.

00:22:31.467 --> 00:22:37.532
We all know that tomorrow in the morning we have to
go out for the kiss to the church.

00:22:37.866 --> 00:22:43.066
We need to assure the people to be on time to go
to the graveyard, so they don’t get to spread,

00:22:44.000 --> 00:22:49.733
so we don’t have to go and look for the people.

00:22:50.099 --> 00:22:57.834
Another thing!! When the young go out to the music,

00:22:58.500 --> 00:23:12.165
they don´t know how to dance!!! He will forgive me…
but the young should get out!!

00:23:12.165 --> 00:23:24.767
This tradition doesn´t vanish, but there are some people who said
that they are uncomfortable with the whip ¿do you follow me?

00:23:25.133 --> 00:23:30.099
If they ask for a contribution, I give it,
so I don’t get the whip.

00:23:31.633 --> 00:23:39.400
If it´s my turn, I cooperate, so I assume my role,
and they leave me alone.

00:23:43.165 --> 00:23:52.032
But, as the economic situation is hard at the moment, ¿do you follow me?
Let’s establish a price for the objects they are going to steal.

00:23:52.567 --> 00:24:06.599
The flip flops, the banquets, ¿do you follow me?
I say, let´s put a Price, 500 or 1000.

00:24:17.866 --> 00:24:25.400
Now, I ask for help to get a suit,
because I don´t have any.

00:25:27.666 --> 00:25:32.700
traditional Afro chants

00:27:01.767 --> 00:27:10.933
Traditional Afro Prayers

00:27:36.900 --> 00:27:46.099
Friday at twelve o´clock: since I was born, and now I have 33 years old,
at twelve o´clock it´s the most important moment.

00:27:47.933 --> 00:27:56.834
The “matachines” build the “place” and when it´s ready…
around ten, they start to get dressed. Then, we take out the procession,

00:27:57.366 --> 00:28:06.200
so the matachin are ready and we do the walk.
We take down the Christ from the cross.

00:28:07.500 --> 00:28:14.232
At that moment there´s a gunshot, with the
tambourine we do the sound,

00:28:14.232 --> 00:28:19.232
and they take the Christ down from the Calvary Mont
and they put him into the coffin.

00:28:20.232 --> 00:28:32.633
The “guards” come and it´s the time to start the procession,
so we start singing: “John, the Evangelist… yes…

00:28:33.366 --> 00:28:37.000
John the evangelist dominum
Dominum….so, we must chant…

00:28:39.000 --> 00:28:44.032
traditional Afro chants

00:30:03.200 --> 00:30:12.834
The Christ is dead in the coffin, so,
if the guards are not there, someone can steal the body.

00:30:13.500 --> 00:30:21.733
The apostles want to steal the Christ body,
those are the Matachin.

00:30:22.000 --> 00:30:30.767
So, there are twelve guards and they have to be
attentive with their guns to protect the Christ´s coffin.

00:32:53.200 --> 00:33:01.266
It´s a tradition we have. We go to sleep to the church,
we take everything we need: pillows, blankets, flip flops.

00:33:01.599 --> 00:33:10.066
We take our children with us. And we sleep there,
but the Matachin come inside and they steal everything they can.

00:33:10.066 --> 00:33:14.666
The pillow, the babies, the hair ribbons.
So, we have to go and take it back.

00:33:15.900 --> 00:33:21.366
But to do so, we have to pay. That´s their goal,
to collect some money for their party.

00:35:11.032 --> 00:35:22.000
Dependant! Ehh! Dependant! (thief!)
You have payed already? Wo´s this from?

00:35:22.000 --> 00:35:30.599
Form a girl who´s over there!...(thief!!!)

00:35:40.934 --> 00:35:47.300
(life to God, death to Barabbas!)
Here we pay, how much? It´s one thousand,

00:36:01.867 --> 00:36:07.132
dependent! Dependent!

00:36:27.666 --> 00:36:31.300
Give me my pillow!
I´ll pay for my pillow!

00:37:44.733 --> 00:37:55.599
I´m 65 years old today! I´m following
this traditions up to now, that I´m alive.

00:37:58.065 --> 00:38:06.432
Sometimes, you´ll excuse me, but I feel a little tired, don’t ‘I?...
But, I have to do the effort, to not forget the traditions.

00:38:07.233 --> 00:38:19.432
My grandpa represented the character of Tiberio Cesar….
And my father didn´t have a lot of talent for this party.

00:38:19.800 --> 00:38:29.467
So, he said that he had a child who
could replace him….

00:38:30.300 --> 00:38:35.099
So, I did come in! And when I did so, Tiberio Cesar
it´s the oldest man in the matachín.

00:38:36.567 --> 00:38:43.400
So I couldn’t play as Tiberio Cesar,
because I was very young.

00:38:44.867 --> 00:38:52.233
So, the person who was playing Pilato got the role
of Tiberio Cesar and I entered as a soldier.

00:38:52.599 --> 00:38:59.632
Inside the Matachín I was getting better roles with time.
I have been promoted until I got the role of Herod today.

00:38:59.934 --> 00:39:03.099
I´ll get progressively promoted until I reach
the Tiberio Cesar´s role.

00:39:03.099 --> 00:39:13.099
What they are playing here, what they have played.
It was played by the ancient natives before, from the old times!

00:39:13.467 --> 00:39:27.166
And so, when a family member dies, another one comes
in to replace him, and so on… that Is never lost.

00:39:33.900 --> 00:39:42.233
On Saturday we visit the dead ones who were Manacillos…. because
there are more than 50 Manacillos, between the old ones, I knew.

00:39:43.833 --> 00:39:50.032
We visit them! When a father dies,
the son will take his place as Manacillo.

00:39:50.532 --> 00:39:54.065
If he has no son, then the nephew takes his place as Manacillo.

00:40:12.000 --> 00:40:17.032
traditional Afro chants

00:40:31.233 --> 00:40:36.467
Death to God, life to Barabbas!!! (Life to God, death to Barabbas!!)
Death to God, life to Barabbas!

00:40:36.632 --> 00:40:46.400
(life to God) Death to God, life to Barabbas!...
Death to God, life to Barabbas! (Life to God, death to Barabbas!!)

00:40:47.032 --> 00:40:52.900
… Death to God, life to Barabbas! (Life to God!)

00:40:56.333 --> 00:41:01.367
traditional Afro chants

00:41:43.432 --> 00:41:50.900
During the whole day we dance the matachín in a celebration
for Christ´s death….during the whole day we dance the matachín.

00:41:51.199 --> 00:42:01.532
Some people come to challenge the matachín.
So, the person who did it, is taken as a prisoner.

00:42:01.833 --> 00:42:09.333
He is bounded to a three, and someone has to pay
what we call the “barraquete” to release him.

00:42:09.333 --> 00:42:14.032
It´s a bottle of Viche.

00:42:17.599 --> 00:42:25.032
These festivities are done by the church;
the activities are made by the Matachín and the church.

00:42:26.367 --> 00:42:37.432
This town has been traditionally very catholic,
but those catholic prayers have a highly african meaning.

00:42:38.867 --> 00:42:48.300
A lot of African divinities have made a syncretism
with catholic gods, with catholic divinities.

00:43:40.733 --> 00:43:54.199
Oh, Oh! Matachindé Belú Beluve! Mariela Chula I bougth it!
The bells are ringing, the procession came out!

00:43:54.934 --> 00:44:09.367
There comes the “bamba face”, there comes the “bamba face”
to tempt!!!Oh, Oh, Oh! There comes the “bamba face” to tempt!!!

00:44:10.699 --> 00:44:17.432
Death to God and life to Barabbas!.... Death to God and life
to Barabbas!.... Death to God and life to Barabbas!

00:44:23.733 --> 00:44:28.766
traditional Afro chants

00:45:38.065 --> 00:45:43.432
He didn´t do anything to me!

00:46:29.666 --> 00:46:41.733
Some women seek to disturb the Manacillos, and then,
they run after them. They get dressed with leaves and sacks,

00:46:42.934 --> 00:46:56.099
with small huts, and cigarettes, and they do the manacillo´s
women role. The men, they run after one to the other.

00:46:57.032 --> 00:47:06.467
If a woman gets to close to one, the other becomes
jealous. That´s the woman´s role at the Manacillo.

00:47:53.233 --> 00:48:11.300
Today we’re here, celebrating the Manacillo.
We come here to gather some money, because we are poor.

00:48:12.333 --> 00:48:32.367
There are also some girls who make dolls. (Show the money to him).
This is a bill! So with this we buy some food,

00:48:32.367 --> 00:48:44.132
and when we´ll get up, we´ll take him out of the
precession and up there we´ll collect the money,

00:48:45.432 --> 00:48:52.400
the coins and bills because we are very poor.

00:48:54.500 --> 00:48:59.532
traditional Afro chants

00:51:07.833 --> 00:51:17.333
The Matachin has a symbolic role that they represent.
It´s the character of Barabbas.

00:51:17.699 --> 00:51:27.032
For the matachín, He´s a very rich man. He has economic power,
and he gives them money to distribute on Sunday,

00:51:27.032 --> 00:51:31.199
between the poor. So they play to give some fake
money: some leaves and stones.

00:51:32.733 --> 00:51:45.065
They seem to give money to the poor.
That´s the money from Barabbas.

00:52:36.000 --> 00:52:49.400
The Easter Sunday, the dance was in the church,
it´s the last part, when the matachins comes in the procession

00:52:50.467 --> 00:53:00.300
and they enter dancing to the church. This procession
celebrates Christ’s resurrection.

00:53:00.300 --> 00:53:07.233
That´s why the matachin lays down to his feed,
representing the punishment they will have.

00:53:08.166 --> 00:53:20.333
They stay starched out on the floor
as irrationals, snoring like animals.

00:53:29.733 --> 00:53:34.766
traditional Afro chants

00:55:34.632 --> 00:55:46.733
The net serves to capture some Philistines
who are kissing some idols.

00:55:47.467 --> 00:55:53.367
They go and kiss an idol and that makes them the name
of Philistines of the Holly week.

00:55:53.867 --> 00:56:01.432
So we use the net to capture them and they are lead to
the Matachín´s place to give a drink to each one.

00:56:42.233 --> 00:56:57.632
The holly week celebration in our community’s culture has
served to keep alive our own and particular living ways.

00:56:58.699 --> 00:57:03.099
It has helped us to preserve us from being invaded by
the dominant occidental culture.

00:57:04.666 --> 00:57:09.199
And lately, in the context of the armed conflict that is
going on in the pacific coast as a war territory,

00:57:09.500 --> 00:57:14.766
it has allowed us to resist...
to resist the conflict´s impacts.

00:57:16.065 --> 00:57:27.099
Here they have done many military operations:
bombs and gun raids, forcing the people to leave.

00:57:27.099 --> 00:57:36.065
We have developed a strategy called internal
displacement model: When a town is under risk

00:57:37.666 --> 00:57:48.000
of an attack from the army or the paramilitary forces, another
town gets ready to receive the people until the risk is controlled.

00:57:48.900 --> 00:57:57.065
So we keep doing our cultural activities that make our
spirit alive and encourage to not abandoning this territory.

00:57:58.800 --> 00:58:02.032
Without our territory we will stop being what we are.

00:58:03.166 --> 00:58:12.532
You know a culture needs a geographical space to be able
to develop… if we lose our territory, we lose our living way.