Milton Freire de Carvalho, known in the capoeira world as Mestre Onça Tigre, was born on February 7, 1919, in Mossoró, Rio Grande do Norte. The son of Joaquim Carvalho Sobrinho and Maria Freire de Carvalho, he lived there until he finished high school, then moved to Recife, where he completed his pre-medical course.

A black belt in Jiu-Jitsu in Fortaleza, he initially encountered resistance to being accepted as a student of Mestre Bimba, as the founder of Capoeira Regional was wary of integrating practitioners of other martial arts. After insisting, he not only joined, but became one of Bimba's most notable students, graduating in the 1942 class, alongside Maia and others, as recorded by Dr. Decânio in A Herança de Mestre Bimba (1997).

The anecdote about his question to Bimba - whether a colleague would escape a Jiu-Jitsu choke - is remembered with humor by the master, whose answer was categorical: "Ixprimenti!". This coexistence illustrates the respect and technical challenge that Onça Tigre brought to the Regional.

During his training, he also worked as a monitor at the Centre for the Preparation of Reserve Officers (CPOR), where, with military authorization, he helped set up a Capoeira Regional Baiana Academy, under the direct supervision of Mestre Bimba.

With the end of the Second World War, he moved to the state of São Paulo. Five years later he settled in São José do Rio Preto, and in 1952 he completed a master's degree in health.

Professionally, he graduated in dentistry, had a master's degree in public health, and later completed a bachelor's degree in law in Brasilia. This multiple background marked his career as an educator, researcher and defender of Capoeira Regional.

In 1964, faced with the climate of political persecution instigated by the military regime, he moved to Taguatinga (DF), where he founded the first Capoeira school in the Federal District, taking with him the direct teachings of Mestre Bimba's academy. He also became President of the Capoeira Association of the Federal District (ASCADF).

He later lived in the state of Goiás, in the Paranã Valley, where he set up a cattle ranch. For family reasons, he later returned to his hometown of Mossoró.

Throughout his life, Mestre Onça Tigre consolidated his reputation as a great connoisseur and defender of Capoeira Regional, firmly and with dignity representing the direct lineage of Mestre Bimba.

References

• Dr. Ângelo A. Decânio - The Heritage of Mestre Bimba

• Biographical information provided (historical and chronological excerpts)