Tia Ciata
samba dancer, Candomblé mãe-de-santo and Brazilian hostess
Biography
Hilária Batista de Almeida, known as Tia Ciata (Santo Amaro, Bahia, 1854 - Rio de Janeiro, 1924), was one of the most influential figures in the emergence of Rio's samba. Born in Bahia, she belonged to the generation of Afro-Brazilian women who carried the culture of Bahia to Rio de Janeiro in the late nineteenth century and kept its religious and culinary traditions alive.
She settled in Rio around 1876, at about 22, and earned a living selling food while raising her family. She married João Batista da Silva, with whom she had fourteen children. Her home on Rua Visconde de Itaúna, beside Praça Onze, became a meeting place for musicians and composers at a time when police broke up samba gatherings. Her religious path was equally important: initiated into Candomblé, she became mãe pequena in João Alabá's house and held a leading role in that Rio terreiro.
Her legacy endures in Rio's memory of Carnival, samba and the baianas who parade with the samba schools. In 2007 a cultural centre bearing her name was founded in the city to promote Afro-descendant culture.
Key contributions
- Her house on Rua Visconde de Itaúna as a cradle of samba gatherings, where Pelo Telefone, the first samba recorded in Brazil, was composed.
- The spread of Candomblé and Afro-Brazilian culture in Rio de Janeiro, with a central role in João Alabá's terreiro.
- The role of the Bahian aunts in the social, economic and cultural life of Little Africa in Rio.
- The presence of the Bahian aunts in Rio's Carnival, with the tradition of launching marchinhas from a tent in Praça Onze.