This is an essay illustrating the enculturation of a Brazillian sport/martial art, Capoeira, into a commercial society

Capoeira is a word that my spell-checker doesn't recognize. To say it is a martial art from Brazil would be a loose translation, for it is far more than that. Even the masters of Capoeira who know it best would be hard pressed to choose between martial art, sport, game, dance, musical performance, ritual, or way of life. Just as there is debate over what it is, everyone has his own story of where it …

…sense that it would have such complex influences that are almost impossible to trace. And then there's the mystique. What, after all, is Brazil, without the alluring mystique and the dark, sublime beauty of the unknown? What, then, would capoeira be, if we knew all about it with certainty? Would it be as fascinating? The way it is, capoeira is like a dazzling gem, each facet adding brilliance while scattering the vision that much further.