In 1918, researcher Lindolfo Gomes (1875-1953) published the collection Contos populares, bringing together narratives he collected from the oral tradition in the state of Minas Gerais. The collection was reissued in 1931 and 1948. The third edition included a number of folk tales which, according to the researcher, were current in several other regions of Brazil, hence the title change to Contos populares brasileiros. The fourth edition, in 1965, changed the classification of the folk tales, which were organized in cycles. This classification is especially interesting for the purposes of our study, since it distinguishes thematic groups related to the presence of Africans and their descendants in Brazil: the cycles Do coelho e da onça, De Pai João, and Lendas sobre a formação das raças. Before presenting the stories themselves to the reader, Lindolfo Gomes includes a chapter on $A s$ bistórias (the stories), in which he sets out performance considerations. Some of these deal with common attitudes among storytellers, who make certain entreaties to their audiences before beginning their tales, sharpening public interest or silencing excited listeners.