Crafting in Brazil

OK! This is  a couple of days old already and I'll take a stab at it!

There's a ton of artisanry here in the northeast of Brazil, but just like in the 1950s/60s in the USA it isn't so popular among the younger generation that has its mind on "modernization" rather than celebration of yesterday's crafts. Anybody familiar with those times in the USA remembers the introduction of the Foxfire magazine and then books (still exists at foxfire.org) which were intended to capture and extend Appalachian culture and crafts to the world beyond. The northeast of Brazil is kind of like that...... arts and crafts are quickly vanishing.

I'm an amateur historian and love all of the old arts and crafts, both bath home and here. As for trying to become a crafts-person, well, I'm a better observer than participant. Still I do a few small almost artisan things and mostly I focus on encouraging local crafts-people in their talents.

I live in an area that has a long tradition of leather-work as their are small tanneries in the communities I spend time around cabaceiras, Paraíba. I most recently had a pair of cowhide chaps made for me for protection during potential encounters with S. American rattlesnakes (Crotalus durissus) or the Caatinga lancehead (Bothrops erythromelas).... But mostly the artisans here make purses, boots, traditional northeastern hats and associated "cowboy-wear" - which some rural folk still use to ward of the sun and the nasty thorns of a variety of semi-arid plants.

A caretaker here at my home (Alzheimer's mother-in-law) is quick with knitting needles and always producing special dolls on request. She's made Lula, Anne (with an "E"), Dolores and Mirabel (Disney figures that my granddaughter loves). She also has a small shop in our city's Artisan Village where one can find specialized leather-work, ceramics, embroidered shirts, wood objects, specialized liquors and more.

Speaking of ceramics, not far off is Tracunhaém (Pernambuco), a city devoted to ceramic production.

In Bezerros (also Pernambuco) one can visit the studio of J.Borges where the family produces and sells the most marvelously colored woodblock prints. Search for Memorial J. Borges.

São Bento, Paraíba is the place for hammocks... These hammocks are sold throughout Brazil.

There's a quality food artisan I know in Taquaritinga do Norte (Pernambuco) who ships his "jamon" (pork legs) to the finest restaurants of the southeast and they also produce gourmet 'shade" coffee (Yaguara). He's N. american, BTW, and worth a visit.

Pretty much anywhere you go in Brazil you'll find people who have survived using age-old techniques in production of all types.  Still, there's an evolutionary modernization happening and preservation of these old ways is rapidly vanishing - which is why I like to spend a lot of time immersed in the old ways and closer to nature.

I work with native stingless bees, less for the fantastic honey they produce and more because they serve as great ambassadors to topics around preservation of natural resources and the dangers of toxins and other man made obstacles (inconsiderate urbanization and introduction of exotic species). I would be much better seen as a guild apprentice than a journeyman and yet it takes me to places where very talented people create some very special place that I love to visit.

mberigan

03/22/24  @mberigan.  A lot of good points!  We had a fantastic stonemason/carpenter/builder run the renovation of our apartment going on six years ago.  I think that Seu Rai knew how to do everything, worked hard, had a great crew, and delivered the job on time and on budget.  We ran into a couple of really hairy spots, and he would just say, "Não se preocupe, Seu Aloísio, a gente dá um jeito!" -- and by the next morning, problem solved.  I think that we were his last clients in Manaus:  right after he finished our job he went home to his interior town a two day boat trip from here, and as far as I know has never been back to work in the capital.  And you're right:  they don't make 'em like that anymore!

BTW, we thought that the state's Artesanato Market in João Pessoa was fantastic, much of what we bought appeared to be local and well-made, and was much appreciated by us and by the people we brought gifts back to.

During my recent visit to Pernambuco, I had the opportunity to explore Porto Galinhas, which I found to be a remarkable hidden gem. Particularly captivating was the Artisan Porto Galinhas Night Street Market, which offers an array of exquisite carvings and jewelry, leaving visitors awe-inspired by its sheer splendor. I am impressed.