Dona Canô was known nationwide as Caetano Velloso s and Maria Bethânia s mother. But this matriarch from Recôncavo Baiano - she had other six children, two adopted - had a light of her own. In tiny Santo Amaro da Purificação, town where she was born and lived almost all of the 105 years of her life, Dona Canô turned into a community leader. Got improvements for the city, helped the ones more in need, received politicians in her home, gave interviews, inspired songs and put your backyard in the cultural map of Brasil. This master s thesis aims to draw Claudionor Vianna Telles Velloso s profile, as a mosaic of memories, based mainly on the testimonies of people who lived with her: children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren, neighbors in Santo Amaro and friends. The construction of Dona Canô s profile led to reflexions about matriarchs figures, memory and its subjectivity, history and remembrance. To reach this goal, it was essencial to turn to authors such as Walter Benjamin, Jeanne Marie Gagnebin, Silviano Santiago, Didi-Huberman, among others.