Massú

Massú was one of the legendary valentonas - tough, fearless women - who practiced capoeira in Salvador, Bahia during the early 20th century. Her name appears alongside the most famous female capoeiristas of the era: Rosa Palmeirão, Salomé, Chicão, Maria Doze Homens, Angélica Endiabrada, and Catu.

The significance of Massú in capoeira history is evidenced by her inclusion in Pedro Abib's seminal work "Mestres e Capoeiras Famosos da Bahia" (Famous Masters and Capoeiristas of Bahia, EDUFBA 2009), where she shares a chapter with Rosa Palmeirão titled "Rosa Palmeirão e Massú: Vacila pra tu vê!" The phrase "Vacila pra tu vê" - roughly meaning "Hesitate and you'll see" or "Slip up and you'll find out" - captures the threat these women represented to anyone who underestimated them.

Like her contemporaries, Massú operated in an era when capoeira was criminalized and female practitioners were exceptionally rare. These valentonas carved out fearsome reputations through their skills in combat, their readiness to confront anyone who challenged them, and their defiance of social norms that sought to confine women to passive roles. Contemporary sources frequently associate these women with "enfrentamentos com a polícia, brigas com navalha" - confrontations with police and razor fights.

The scenarios where these women operated were the streets, the brothels, and the prostitution zones. The motives were jealousy, alcohol, and personal rivalries - the same defining characteristics that marked the male capoeiristas of the era. Massú exemplified this world as powerfully as any man.

The handling of razors, pocket knives, and daggers by these women led researchers to believe they were indeed capoeiristas, as these weapons were companions of the old practitioners of capoeiragem after slavery. While formal proof of training is elusive for most historical female capoeiristas, their documented combat skills and association with known capoeira circles establish their place in the lineage.