IDENTIDADES 1 ENGLISH IDENTIDADES 5 ENGLISH | Page 117

binary cell. The tempo is =100, all in
major mode, 2 x 4; the melodic lines
form a curve that generally starts high
and slowly but constantly descends to
end in an accented tone.

Goya), Ifran, Yataity, Calle y Cruz de
los Milagros, and in Mercedes (Corrientes) and General Obligado (Santa Fe),
according to some third-party references.

Charande or zemba musicians, religious
dance for Saint Baltazar worship. The person with the red and yellow ribbons in a
banderola is Rufino Wenceslao Pérez, a
renowned charandero who died in 1994,
and played the “bombo” at all the saint’s
festivities from 1937 on. . Empedrado
(Departamento Empedrado, Corrientes),
1994 © Pablo Cirio.

The Cambara’angá function as key,
playful personnel in these feasts, as they
are meant to stimulate attendees with
shouts and pantomimed fights, incite
participants to dance alone, among
themselves and/or forming couples.
They are also supposed to help out with
chores necessary to carry out the celebration. They have neither specific
dances nor music. People are supposed
to dance while there is music, be it
Chamamé, Valseado (waltz-like music)
or Cumbia, the three dance genres practiced at the aforementioned chapels.
Their movements are histrionic; men
cannot drink alcohol or talk to women.
They also play to the best of their abilities in ad hoc Chamamé groups that
form.
It is young men and boys who preponderantly assume this role, for the most
part. As such, postulants must endure a
rite of passage, (“El nombramiento”)
[the naming] when the festival starts,
the Day of the Novena, that is. During
the procession, some ride horses and
simulate equestrian battles with unmasked horsemen. The horsemen are
pursued and reached.

The “bombo” is percussed with the
hands and Empredado has a unique
style 1.13 bars long. It is one, solitary
piece of hollowed tree trunk in the form
of a conical barrel. The two openings
are covered with hairless dog or goat
hide. Each drum skin is held in place by
a metal arc; there is a zigzagging twine
or rope running between them (Cámara
1991), Cirio 2000, 2002, 2003b).

It is possible to translate Cambara’angá
to “disguised in black” or “fake black,”
but what is important for devotees is
that the saint is being personified. Costumes consist of head masks, a cape, an
apron, and gaiters or chaps. The colors
are predominantly red and yellow. All
the clothing is chock full of appliques:

The Cambara’angá are devotees who
wear ceremonial costumes that hide
their identities during this gratitude expressing festive cycle (for favors conceded to them or their family members).
These exist at four chapels in southeastern Corrientes: El Batel (Departmento

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