History of Physical Activity in Medicine – Brazil Colony
In the first years of Brazil as a Portuguese colony, the original population, the Indians, participated in countless physical activities.
We can
group them according to three purposes. In the first group the
ones necessary for survival: running, jumping, hunting and swimming. The next group
is made out of activities in preparation for war. The final group, mainly dances,
had a religious or recreative purposes.
Also,
in the colonial period, in the slave quarters, specially in Rio de Janeiro and Bahia,
emerged, a harsh, activity that was practiced by the slaves: the “capoeira”. It
consisted of a creative and rhythmic fighting method disguised as a dance.
In
this way, we can highlight that in the colonial era, physical activities
carried out by the indigenous people and by the slaves, represent the first
elements of physical education in Brazil.
The physical activities practiced by the Portuguese in that period consisted mainly in exercises related to military training. At that time, the members of the civilian elite were sedentary. They believed their children should dedicate themselves only to intellectual development.
With
the arrival of the Jesuits, the physical exercises got “polished”. At schools,
kids would participate in playful activities and games. These activities were
the first formal classes of physical education in Brazil.
posted by Nilton Arnt @ 1:03 PM
