Evanir

Evanir was one of the expert capoeiristas who trained at Mestre Waldemar's legendary barracão in the Liberdade neighborhood of Salvador during the early 1950s. Mestre João Grande, recalling the atmosphere at Waldemar's establishment, described it vividly: "There were only snakes, experts, bred there"—and listed Evanir alongside Tatá, Bom Cabelo, Chita, Macário, Sete Molas, and Zacarias. All were described as "extremely good."

In 1953 or 1954, when João Grande had only three months of capoeira training, he experienced Evanir's circle firsthand. He was playing with Evanir at Waldemar's roda when Antônio Cabeceiro bought the game without João Grande seeing. "Exactly at the time when I did a meia lua de costas without looking," João Grande recalled, Cabeceiro "threw me out of the roda, into the middle of the street. I didn't even see it coming. I got all dirty and had to leave."

The following Sunday, João Grande returned to Waldemar's roda, this time watching Evanir carefully before playing. When they entered the game together, João Grande gave Evanir a rasteira. Evanir retreated and returned the rasteira, but João Grande stepped on his leg, "ripped his pants from top to bottom." Evanir became upset afterward.

Another memorable confrontation occurred at a roda on December 8th at Conceição da Praia—the Feast of the Immaculate Conception. João Grande played with Bom Cabelo first, exchanging meia luas and a cabeçada. Then Evanir bought the game. During an intense exchange, João Grande removed one arm from his protective guard to adjust a loose shoe. "Evanir turned rapidly and hit my face with the tip of his foot, in a chapa de frente just below my eye," João Grande recalled. The injury occurred but play continued, with Mestre Bugalho playing accelerated São Bento Grande on berimbau. The two capoeiristas remained estranged for a year afterward.

Their conflict resolved during Carnival. João Grande was at Cantina da Lua restaurant when he learned that Evanir was defeating Natividade, a student of Mestre Pastinha, in a nearby roda. He went to the roda, where Evanir challenged: "Who will play? Whoever wants to play with me can come." João Grande entered the game. "Then it was a battle!" he recalled. Evanir "played low and didn't get up. He did everything low." They fought together for a full two hours. Following this exhausting match, "we congratulated each other and the bad terms ended and we became friends."