Adelina

Known as “Boca da Noite” (Mouth of Night), Adelina was an enslaved woman, as was her mother. It is said that her father was a slave master, had riches, and promised his daughter that he would set her free when she turned seventeen. The promise was not kept and Adelina remained as an enslaved housemaid. Raised in the house of her master, she studied on her own and learned to read and write. After his impoverishment, Adelina’s father started to manufacture cigars. Adelina sold the cigars she carried on a tray in downtown São Luís. In Largo do Carmo, where she had student clients, she had the opportunity to participate in abolitionist demonstrations. Among legends and memories about her, it is said that the fact that Adelina knew the city streets and the people of the region well was her greatest asset in the political struggle. She was able to anticipate police actions, coordinate the escape of enslaved people and contribute to the maintenance of quilombola villages.