Madeira folk Tales
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An improvised buffoon
Who crosses the Sierra of Porto Moniz still today can see a lot of stones, which is pointed out by the Porto do Moniz tradition with the name of «Cova da Negro». In other times, there appeared in that parish a Negro who occasionally imitated the peasants, when he had opportunity, playing the role of Jester. It seems that it was not very bad, but, perhaps out of naivety and walking there without destination, chose that entertainment, so the people, very much amused. It was said to be a buffoon who amazed the spectators with interesting acrobatics. He jumped like a monkey, open his eyes and made such grimaces that in the imagination of the people even looked like Satan. He performed many shenanigans that he took to the account of funny, but that often was not funny, because the people of everything was bored and usually say «that one thing to be funny, just once only». The Negro, who for the adults out first a fun, later went on to be for the children a terror. During time, the jokes of the Negro were to him a disgrace. He became a tramp, despised and mistreated.
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Meanwhile, there was a group of men, robust peasants of sunburned faces and country labors, armed with catchphrases, scythes in the waistband of the rubber pants. One of them had the unfortunate idea of throwing a stone at the black man who was surprised. Those men, driven by brutal instincts, forgetting any human feeling, did not bother with the pain of the Negro and stoned him until he fell, without being able to get up. Probably not intended to give him death, but the truth is that a stone opened his skull. According to the legend right there was buried. No more children's terror... Ever since then, all the people who went by, threw a stone to the grave. The truth is that the traditional custom has remained until our times and we believe that even today the traveler of that mountain can find there a lot of stones that mark the site of the tragedy.
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Done by Students and teachers from the school February 2018
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