Maria Bonita

Maria Bonita na di nickname wey dem give one woman wey her real name be Maria Déia. She follow
No one gang of criminals wey dem dey call Cangaço for Brazil northeast side. Di gang dem na outlaws — people wey dey run from police, dey  rob, dey fight, and dey do bad bad things. All dis one happen for 1920s and 1930s. Di name Maria Bonita mean "Fine Maria" for English. For Brazil , many people sabi her as folk heroine — e mean say, even though she follow bad gang, many people still like her story and respect her. Some people even talk say her real name fit be Maria Alia da Silva or Maria Gomes de Oliveir.

Her life story
Maria Bonita be di girlfriend of one man wey dem call "Captain" Virgulino Ferreira da Silva. But people sabi di man pass as Lampião. Di name Lampião mean "lantern

" or "oil lamp". Lampião na di leader of di criminal gang wey Maria Bonita follow. Maria Bonita grow for one area wey dem dey call Jeremoabo, wey dey for Bahia State for Brazil.

Di wahala start because  police kill Lampião papa for 1919. Lampião vex well well, e swear say e go revenge, and e no even pity anybody. E turn full-time outlaw — dat one mean say police dey always pursue am, but e dey always escape. Lampião dey call police macacos, wey mean "monkeys".

Di kind weapon wey di gang dey use na di type wey dem thief from police or dem bribe some police people to get   am. Dem get big military gun wey dem call Mauser, some other smaller gun like Winchester rifle, revolver, and di special Luger pistol wey dem like well well.

Di gang no small —  sometimes dem be only 12, sometimes dem reach like 100 people. Dem go enter small towns, villages and farms for 7 different states for Brazil. Dem go fight police, kill people and even cows, collect money by force, kidnap people, torture people, burn dem skin with fire, wound  dem, rape women, and scatter everywhere.  wear full leather from head to toe because di place wey dem dey hide get plenty sharp bush and cactus wey fit tear person skin.

Di women wey follow dis kind gang dem dey call dem cangaceiras. Di cangaceiras no be weak women at all — dem dey strong like di men, dem sabi use gun well, and dem no dey fear fight. Maria Bonita even follow fight military police. For one of di fight, police shoot her and another woman for di gang,   dem die. Another woman for di gang wey dem call Dadá, dem shoot her leg so tey dem cut di leg comot.

Maria Bonita pikin

For 1932, Maria Bonita and Lampião born one girl pikin wey dem name Expedita. E no be only her — other women for di gang dey born too. But because dem dey always run from police, dem no fit carry di pikin follow body. So di gang dey give di pikin to family member or priest wey dem trust to help raise dem. After Maria Bonita and Lampião die, na her uncle — João Ferreira — raise di pikin. João na di only brother for Lampião wey no turn criminal.

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How Maria Bonita join di gang
For 1930, when Maria Bonita still dey her early 20s, she leave her husband wey be cobbler (person wey dey repair shoe) — di man name na José Nenem — and she follow Lampião gang. Di kind cloth wey dem dey wear no be ordinary cloth — dem dey. Some people wey sabi di gang talk say sometimes Maria Bonita and di other women dey beg Lampião and di men make dem no too do wicked things to innocent people. Sometimes di women go even help some people escape.


How she die
For 28 July 1938, police catch di gang through one man wey betray dem — di man name na Joca Bernardes. Police ambush dem for one farm wey dem dey hide, wey dem call Angicos farm for Sergipe State. Di police carry big machine gun follow body. Di fight no even long — police kill Lampião, Maria Bonita, and 9 other members of di gang. About 40 people escape.

After dem die, police cut off dem head, carry am go Salvador (di capital of Bahia) go show doctors wey dey study dead body. Later dem put di head for public show make people see am. Na only for 1969 dem finally allow di family of Lampião and Maria Bonita carry di head go bury proper.

Wetin people remember her for
Maria Bonita and Lampião story no die for Brazil. E dey inside di way people dey talk about love and violence story, just like Bonnie and Clyde for America. Dem write plenty books, comics, songs,  movies and even soap opera (TV drama) about dem.

One popular song wey people still dey sing today na "Acorda Maria Bonita" — e mean "Wake up, Fine Maria!" — di song dey praise her and di cangaceira women.

 Wia dem gada di tori