What is "malhao"

The Malhão is a Portuguese circle dance and song in time from Estremadura. The first line of one version is "Malhão, malhão, o malhão do norte" which can be translated as "winnower, winnower, o winnower of the North." The form of alternate endings derives from the cossante or cosaute, a courtly sung dance originating in 11th Century France. The dance is also preserved in Malacca. The song also exists as the base of a fado, with local variations as in the Malhão de Cinfães, Malhão das Pulgas, and Malhão de Águeda, all recorded by Amália Rodrigues.