Fethxá is an Indian (Native Brazilian) musical group of the Fulni-o tribe from Aguas Belas, about 300 Km off the coast in Pernambuco State. The group performs the tribe’s cultural traditions through a rich performance of dance and music. The group’s name Fethxa means Sun in the tribe’s native language, Yathe, which is still spoken by the Fulni-o Indians nowadays. Fethxa plays a rhythm called Samba de Coco which is a fusion of indigenous Indian and African musical cultures.
With colorful presentations, which emphasize the body painting and clothes made by the tribe, Fethxa shows in its performances a rich aspect of its culture where the audience can see the presence of the African, Indian and European cultures. The tribe has preserved all these influences, which is very rare in other tribes in Pernambuco.
Another aspect of Fethxá are the vocals. There is always a response to the main vocals. The performers sing all the titles in Yathe at first, and then in Portuguese. The lyrics talk about daily life in the tribe, about nature, love and the first contact with the African and European cultures. Aside from Samba de Coco the artists also play Toré, a religious rhythm where they send messages and ask for protection to their ancestor and Cafurna, a rhythm where they tell stories about their ancestors.
The first CD of Fethxá was recorded live in a studio, with everybody playing at the same time.
Author: Angel Romero
Angel Romero y Ruiz has dedicated his life to musical exploration. His efforts included the creation of two online portals, worldmusiccentral.org and musicasdelmundo.com. In addition, Angel is the co-founder of the Transglobal World Music Chart, a panel of world music DJs and writers that celebrates global sounds. Furthermore, he delved into the record business, producing world music studio albums and compilations. His works have appeared on Alula Records, Ellipsis Arts, Indígena Records and Music of the World.
