What is the Tamunangue?
The Tamunangue, also called Sones de Negros, is a cultural manifestation composed of dance, music and singing that is performed as a promise payment to San Antonio de Padua. It consists of an initial salve (sacred opening hymn) followed by eight sones that are danced in a ritual order.
Its origin is tricultural: it combines colonial Hispanic, African (from the enslaved people taken to the valley's sugar mills) and indigenous elements. It is one of the most accomplished syntheses of Venezuelan popular music, and although it is danced in other towns of eastern Lara, its historical heart is in El Tocuyo.
When it is danced
The big date is June 13, the day of San Antonio de Padua. But the Tamunangue can be danced at any time of the year when someone pays a promise: the devotee hires the musicians and the group of dancers and offers the dance to the saint as thanks.
The 8 sones of the Tamunangue
1. La Batalla
Opening of the Tamunangue. Two men face each other with sticks or staves in a ritual dance-fight that marks the beginning of the offering to San Antonio. It is not a competition: it is an offering.
2. La Bella
A gallant son: the couple dances with elegance, while the musicians sing courtship verses. The woman, dressed in finery, holds a handkerchief that she moves with flirtatiousness.
3. La Juruminga
Cheerful and festive son, with mischievous couplets and games among the dancers. Choreographic movements are introduced in a circle and improvised figures.
4. Yiyivamos
Rhythmic son whose name comes from the refrain "yi yi vamos". It accelerates the pulse of the Tamunangue and prepares the closing of the first dances.
5. El Poco a Poco
One of the most characteristic. It is danced imitating the walk of an old man who falls and gets up, with verse and mime that draws laughter and applause.
6. La Perrendenga
A challenging son: the dancers combine elegance with lively rhythm, and the verses playfully challenge each other.
7. El Galerón
Solemn son, with deep melody and long songs. It recalls the eastern Venezuelan galerón but with a properly Lara style.
8. El Seis Corrido (or Seis por Ocho)
Closing of the Tamunangue. A very fast son in 6/8 meter where the dancers display their best footwork and the musicians their virtuosity. It is the final crowning of the offering.
The opening salve
Before beginning the sones, the group sings the salve (sacred opening hymn): a song to San Antonio in which the musicians and the community ask the saint for permission to begin the offering. It is a solemn moment that marks the difference between the Tamunangue as a popular dance and the Tamunangue as a religious act.
Traditional attire
The man usually wears a hat, white shirt, dark trousers and alpargatas (sandals); the woman, a long colorful skirt, white blouse and handkerchief that she holds while dancing. Each dancer is distinguished by her bearing and her way of handling the handkerchief.
Instruments of the Tamunangue
- Cuatro (Venezuelan four-string guitar): The main string instrument, harmonic base.
- Cinco (Venezuelan five-string guitar): Venezuelan string variant widely used in Tamunangue.
- Cumaco drum / requinto: Leather drums that mark the rhythm.
- Maracas: They provide the characteristic percussive pulse.
- Guitar: Modern melodic accompaniment in some configurations.
Cultural Heritage of Venezuela
The Tamunangue has been declared National Cultural Heritage and Intangible Cultural Heritage of the Nation in Venezuela. It is one of the pillars of Lara identity and a national symbol. Its conservation rests on brotherhoods (cofradías), schools and Tocuyo groups that keep it alive generation after generation.
Great cultivators of the Tamunangue
The memory of the Tamunangue is sustained by Tocuyo families and groups, among them the Goyo family, the Sequera brothers, Don Pío Alvarado and many other cultivators who took the Tamunangue to national stages without losing its community roots.