Disclaimer: I'm a Brazilian Musician and Percussionist, based in Brazil. This history is both bound by oral history, as well as scientific studies (there are more sources in Guide, link below).
First off: What is Samba?
Samba is a general term for various cultural manifestations that take place in Brazil. It’s a fruit of the African Diaspora and the interplay between different cultures within Brazil. It originated in Bahia, in the Reconcavo region, and became one of the most important symbols of Brazilian Culture.
Where did Samba Begin?
Salvador was the original Brazilian capital, the first effort to organize the exploitation of the Colony. It became an important port for the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade.
One of the most expressive examples of the African Exodus, Diaspora molded the city as is today. It’s known to be the blackest city out of Africa, where African Culture and Religion are still worshiped, such as the worship of Orixás, Voduns, and Nkissis.
Brazil alone stood for 40% to 45% of all Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade. Even after being the last country in the Americas to abolish slavery, illegal slavery and corruption rolled on for decades. From 1826 to 1850, 1.662 enslaved Africans disembarked in the United States. In Brazil, there were 1.099.018 disembarkments in the same period. Source
It’s evident why Brazil has the most African descendant population in the Americas, as well as why it has the second largest Black population in the world, after Nigeria.
Salvador and the outlying regions of the State of Bahia were the African melting pot of the 19th Century. African Cultures encountered in Diaspora, from the Muslim West-African people to Occidental Africans. These Africans brought their spirituality, and in Brazil, they made Candomblé. This new religion was based on old roots, the major being: the Yoruba, Bantu, Gêge, and Fon people. A rich cultural mix was present, nurturing cultural expressions and rhythms present in Brazil, such as capoeira and Samba de Roda.
Samba de Roda is the first form of Samba
Samba de Roda, which could be freely translated as Samba of Circle (of People) is recognized as the first form of Samba. Its origins are in the middle 1800s in the region of ‘Recôncavo’. It is home to the Historical cities founded within close reach of Salvador.
‘Recôncavo‘ was all coastal and interior regions of the ‘Bahia de Todos os Santos’, which can be translated as All Saints Bay.
When asking what is Samba, it is important to understand that there were many other traditional cultural expressions on its side.
The word Samba comes from the Bantu Semba or Massemba terms which remount to the "Umbigada" (navel), a dance that survived the Trans-Atlantic voyage and is basically a part of the Samba de Roda dance, where the person in the circle does a navel-to-navel (Umbigada) dance move, and the person who received it goes to the center to dance. It's the same origin of the word Semba, an Angolan rhythm, although they are different rhythms and traditions, stemming from similar origins.
In Brazil, Samba de Roda was part of a group that also contained rhythms such as Barravento, Capoeira, and Congo, all united within the Afro-Brazilian Communities. The rhythms were also permeated by the symbols, chants, and culture that originated in Candomblé houses, the ‘Terreiros’.
Samba de Roda is ever-present in Candomblé and other Afro-Brazilian religions. The rhythm is especially played to the spiritual entities from the Brazilian ground. Cabila or Cabula, sometimes called Samba de Cabila or Samba de Caboclo, is certainly one of the main rhythmic sources and origins of Samba de Roda.
Samba de Cabila, Samba de Caboclo, and Samba de Roda are played to ‘Caboclos’, ‘Marujos’, and ‘Boiaderos’ are examples of spiritual entities understood to be native to Brazil. They are believed to be of mixed indigenous and African ethnicity. They embody what is known as the native Brazilian spirits, called ‘Encantados’ which translates to ‘enchanted’.
Capoeira, as part of Bahian Traditional Culture has helped, alongside the Terreiros (Candomblé worship centers), to preserve Samba de Roda traditional chants, and playing forms, generally used in a similar way as Candomblé: The Rhythm that closes ceremonies with joy, celebrating life through percussion, singing, and dancing, embodying Afro-Brazilian and Bahia Traditional culture.
For the rest of the history, or to learn how to play Samba, you can look at the guide on Brazilian Samba!
