However, its beliefs and rituals are not unrelated to those of maroons runaway slaves in. Unlike obeah, its practices focus more on the connection of spirits with humans. During a kumina ceremony the exponents call upon their ancestral spirits. Kumina provides a perfect example of what intra african syncretism. Jamaican styles of music religious music afroamerican religion.
Dance history explores the intersection of the collective narrative with the human body. During this dance ritual the spirit of the deceased person may take possession of the living in order to deliver final messages and farewells. Kumina is an african jamaican religion and practices that include secular ceremonies, dance and music that developed from the beliefs and traditions brought to the island by bakongo enslaved people and indentured labourers, from the congo region of west central africa, during the post emancipation era. The centrality of spirit possession is a core component of both myal and kongo religion. Kumina or cumina kumina is the most african of jamaican cults. Stephane and estime the origin of kumina kumina is a dance which was formed by africans who were slaves that were brought to jamaica. Mar 07, 2006 the dominant elements of kumina are dance, music, spirit possession, healing and the use of herbs. Kumina is a jamaican religious ceremony involving music, dance, and spirit possession, and is a way of celebrating and appeasing ancestors. Check out kumina country songs by kumina singers on amazon music.
For this purpose, this text will be divided into three categories. The bruckins party is a stately, dippinggliding dance typified by the thrust and recovery action of the hip and leg. Jamaicas heritage in dance jamaica information service. Jamaica gleaner africa live in kumina sunday october 9. Kumina is an afrojamaican religion and practices that include secular ceremonies, dance and music that developed from the beliefs and traditions brought to the island by kongo enslaved people and indentured labourers, from the congo region of west central africa, during the postemancipation era. Making caribbean dance connects the dance of the islands with their rich multicultural histories and complex identities. The dominant elements of kumina are dance, music, spirit possession, healing and the use of herbs. Her entrance into the world of the kumina religion is documented in olive lewins book, rock it come over. Traditional jamaican dances 10 popular jamaican folk dances.
May 24, 20 in her book rock it come over olive lewin describes the critical role of the drummer, the cyas drummer is crucial to the success of a bands. Jamaica gleaner africa live in kumina sunday october. The kumina, a dance ritual, is often performed during the nine night. Enhanced with numerous illustrations and musical examples, caribbean currents is an uptodate. Sep 26, 2012 kumina, commonly called a traditional folk form to jamaica has its own history before even reaching jamaica. The bruckins party is a stately, dippinggliding dance typified by the thrust. Stop over documentary, discovery, history 629,860 views 54. An exploration of modern contemporary dance from a. The dance and music are two of the kumina s strong features the drum. It was once theorized to be of akan origin, because of its popularity with akan slaves. It is a religion, music and dance practiced by, in large part, jamaicans who reside. In 1986 janet wason was asked to spend six months on the island of dominica to research, report on, and video its dances. Jul 25, 2016 we say the best poems on the tongue contain the spiritual sounds of a culture, and here, the poetry in monica minotts kumina queen carries forward personal and ancestral memories line by line, song after song.
In small doses, they were able to bypass, subvert and even transgress the prescribed codes of canonised cultural subordination. University of the west indies press 2000 the book describes jamaican music and folk. The origins of dance the earliest history of human dance is a continuing mystery. Kumina is a ritualistic medium through which our african ancestors are celebrated and appeased. Kumina in rural southeastern jamaica journal of pan african. Now fully revised and updated it remains the only book to address the rationale, process, techniques and methodologies specific to the study of dance history. The dance and music are two of the kuminas strong features the drum playing an integral part in this dance ritual. Port royal is featured in almost every history book of developed nations. Kumina news newspapers books scholar jstor august 2008 learn how and when to remove. Kumina is a afrojamaican religion influenced mainly by the bantu peoples from the congoangola area.
It is a religion, music and dance practiced by, in large part, jamaicans who reside in the eastern parish on st. In the photo above, members of the ndtc perform kumina. A powerpoint on the religion kumina deities cultural. Rymans chapter on the closeness of the maroonkumina relationship, in a consideration of culture as a negotiation of african ancestry. Kumina is the most african of the cultural expressions to be found in jamaica, with. Kumina, commonly called a traditional folk form to jamaica has its own history before even reaching jamaica. Thomas parish, jamaica, secondgeneration african, likely in the late 1920s. Kumina in jamaica kumina is described as one of the most african. Kumina, otherwise known as kalunga or kaduunga, features flatfooted inching of the feet or the kongo step, a steady, but often subtle, forwardthrusting of the hip with the rib cage and arms moving against the hip, followed by wild spins and sudden breaks, signalled by the lead drum. Kumina is an afrojamaican religion influenced mainly by the bantu peoples from the congoangola area. Kumina, the howellite church, and the emergence of.
You can not understand history of dance without understanding how dance is the individuation of collective storytelling. Kumina ceremonies are held in the form of ecstatic dance. Poet kamau brathwaite reads from born to slow horses youtube. In this page youll find a brief picture of each one of those categories and the names of some people choreographers, dancers, teachers, producers who were or are significant for those periods. If you know the answer to this question, please register to join our limited beta program and start the conversation right now. Sage reference kumina sage knowledge sage publications. Delving deep into the many forms of ritual, social, carnival, staged, experimental, and performance dance, the book explores some of the most mysterious and beloved, as well as. Celebrating the range of jamaican language english, patois and various combinations, the poems explore an ache coded in the bloodline. Then the need was to provide a theoretical basis for dance history as a burgeoning area of academic study, to offer examples of good history writing and to outline various curriculum development strategies. Kumina is an afrojamaican religion and practices that include secular ceremonies, dance and.
Renowned kumina queen bernyce henry balances a lit candle on a tin as she leads the port morant national and international kumina dancers at falla backa mi in 2005. In addition to the information on jamaicas musical and dance heritage provided in this article, the jamaica information service jis also has for sale a few publications which have been designed to provide more comprehensive information on jamaicas musical and dance history. Dances include the bailo, mainly used for entertainment purposes and the country, used during the private religious ceremonies. Here she concentrates on two genres she studied intensively, the africandescended bele and the europeanderived quadrille, though both, she shows, have absorbed influences from the other continent. It was formerly done to commemorate the emancipation of slaves on august 1, 1838. The practice of myal as a spirit possession originated in jamaica. Read the fulltext online edition of rock it come over. This book looks a the africanderived and africancentered religious traditions that are found in jamaicia.
Using an investigative approach, this book presents the who, what, when, where, why, and how of dance history in relation to other arts and to historical, political, and social events. Heinemann educational books caribbean limited and gleaner company limited, 1983. A methodology for study published in 1983 by dance books. Test your jamaican black history month knowledge by taking the test below. List of books and articles about dance history online. It is said that indentured laborers from africa came to jamaica after the after slaveryemancipation period looking for work. Thomas kumina is an afrojamaican religion influenced mainly by the bantu peoples from the congoangola area. Jamaicas musical and dance heritage has gone through various stages of transformation over a relatively short period. Delving deep into the many forms of ritual, social, carnival, staged, experimental, and performance dance, the book explores some of the most mysterious and beloved, as well as rare and littleknown, dance traditions of the. Each dance carries a meaning and tells a story from the synchronized. By the 1970s it had become an international style that was particularly popular in britain, the united states, and africa. With other contributions on social dance, ballet, early european modern dance and feminist perspectives on dance history this book offers a multitude of starting points for studying dance history as well as presenting examples of dance writing at its very best.
Originally published in 1988, folk dances of jamaica is a detailed practical and theoretical discussion of five jamaican folk dances the kumina, dinkie minie. Caribbean dance is a broad category that can include everything from nightclubs to sacred ritual. The form and content of the dance, with red and blue sets competing, is reminiscent of 19th century plantation jonkonnu and the set girls parade. Kumina is a cultural form indigenous to jamaica it is considered as a. It developed via the creolization of african religions during the slave era in jamaica. Learn more about revivalism, including its history.
The folk music of jamaica book university of the west indies press 2000 the book describes jamaican music and folk. Did you know that christopher columbus is the one who claimed jamaica for spain. Over time, myal began to meld with christian practices and created the religious tradition known as revivalism. Kumina country songs by kumina singers on amazon music. Brathwaite reveals that kumina is the living fragment of an african mainly kongo religion in the caribbeanjamaica 46. Kumina ceremonies are usually associated with wakes and entombments, but can also be performed at births, anniversaries and thanksgivings. In relation to jamaican religion the book provides personal accounts from kumina practitioners as well as a insightful look into the religion, dance and some philosophy of kumina. From the wellknown genressalsa, merengue, reggae, calypso, and bachatato more localized forms like chutney and kaseko, this wideranging book surveys caribbean musics prodigious diversity and colorful history. It is based on an earlier publication dance history. Lewin 2000, 164 offers that links had been made when the kumina people arrived. It was widely perceived as a voice of the oppressed. Ndtcs retelling of jamaicas embodied and written histories through live dance performance cultivates a sense of presence that transforms the.
Kumina kumina is a religion centered in jamaicas southeastern parish, st. It is perhaps the tradition most closely rooted in african cultures the kumina religious group came originally from the congo. May 01, 2018 kumina s music, dance and other recreational practices expressed the enslaved individuals desire to exercise autonomous power in the body gilroy 2000. Kumina,where is it from and how did it get to jamaica. Kumina or cumina is a cultural form indigenous to jamaica. The language and the dances of kumina are so undiluted that they can be.
Later on, kumina was brought to jamaica from the africans, and ever since then, kumina has been around. The gerreh is a dance of african origin that is performed the night after the death of a. Jan 09, 2009 poet kamau brathwaite, originally from barbados, reads selections from the poem kumina from born to slow horses, winner of the 2006 international griffin poetry prize. Informant a illustrates the potential uses of kumina s curative and cultural benefits. Reggae, style of popular music that originated in jamaica in the late 1960s and quickly emerged as the countrys dominant music. These go together with candles, graters, shakas and catta sticks, played on the back of the drum. It incorporates ritualistic magic, spiritual possession and dancing.
Inspired by the british, the annual monthlong maypole festival in bluefields is an amalgam of. Revivalism, generally, renewed religious fervor within a christian group, church, or community, but primarily a movement in some protestant churches to revitalize the spiritual ardor of their members and win new adherents. Heavy drumming, commonly associated with west african music is a popular component of jamaican music simpson, 32. Olive lewin in her book rock it come over, kumina expresses the. Its presence was first noted only in the 1950s, but it was likely formulated by west central african indentured laborers introduced by the british colonial government and british plantation owners between 1845 and 1865. Bilby and bunseki 18 reiterate this by saying kumina is indeed an african form of dance, but it is a great deal more than this. Jamaica is a beautiful island that has a sad yet happy history. The ndtcs interpretation of kumina is the signature piece of the ndtc and arguably the most performed dancework in the repertoire since it was commissioned by carreras limited in 1971. Kuminas music, dance and other recreational practices expressed the. Everything name meaning, origin, pronunciation, numerology, popularity and more information about kumina at nameaning. They came from the kongo region in africa with their religious and secular beliefs, language, behaviors and practices. An interactive arts approach provides an indepth look at dance from the dawn of time through the 20th century. Apr 29, 2001 kumina is the most african of the cultural expressions to be found in jamaica, with negligible european or christian influence. Kumina can take your life, save your life and help you to enjoy life.
The video examined the various dance forms of our culture kumina, brukkings, gereh, dinkie minnie and others. Olive lewin in her book rock it come over, kumina expresses the strongest african retention of jamaican folk culture, and provides powerful clues about the religious and social customs of the african ancestry. Join our email list for the latest news from smithsonian folkways recordings. Its history as a religion can be directly traced back to africa. Dancing developed as a natural expression of united feeling and action. The national dance theatre company of jamaicas 50th. One of the distinct features of kumina is the prominence of dance and ritual as a form of religious and cultural expression. Evolving from the deeply afrocentric kumina and revival through mento and ska, jamaican music and dance has always had its own distinctive sound and rhythm.
Linguistics evidence cites the kongo as a specific ethnic source for the language and possibly the music of kumina. Dance history will be an essential purchase for all students of dance. If the person was very rich, maybe also will be a duppie band. An interactive arts approachprovides an indepth look at dance from the dawn of time through the 20th century. Prior scholarship has fostered perspectives on kuminas african history. Musicmento jamaicas first original popular music form which is a combination of african and british musical elements. At bailo dances, the spirits who are called, more often than not make their presence known. Kumina is important to me because kumina is provided with alot of information needed how to dance it cultural activity in ancient day of kumina.
This entry looks at the religions worship and historical context. It is said that indentured laborers from africa came to jamaica after the after slavery. Originally published in 1983 the first edition rapidly established itself as a core student text. A river and its people, the niger river local boats documentary, discovery, history duration. Explained by moshi soloman drumming and dancing, honor to the ancestors, these things endure from african roots to this day. We say the best poems on the tongue contain the spiritual sounds of a culture, and here, the poetry in monica minotts kumina queen carries forward personal and ancestral memories line by line, song after song. The handy e book of contemporary dance history is a practical guide of 39 pages, for people who want to have basic knowledge about this topic in an easy way. The national dance theatre company ndtc of jamaicas 50 th anniversary season staged an encounter with the countrys living history. For example, the kumina dance is still practiced throughout the island as a curative. Studien zur traditionellen afrojamaikanischen musik beitrage zur ethnomusikologie 26 german edition by grupe, gerd and a great selection of related books, art and collectibles available now at. While searching for coconuts in a gully, the spirits took her to a large, hollow cotton tree where.
Kumina sessions some extending, as in this poem, to twentyone days, involve singing, dancing and drumming and are of two general types. Kumina is a religious group, which originated in congo, west africa, and was brought to jamaica by the free africans who arrived between the 1840s and 1860s. The first africans to arrive in jamaica were servants for the spanish settlers, they later fought to retain their freedom when the english later on. Separations, kongo, machunde, mondongo, moyenge, igbo, yoruba. Native jamaicans, many of which still refer to themselves as africans, wholeheartedly believe in the healing power of the kumina. In relation to jamaican religion the book provides personal accounts from kumina practitioners as well as an insightful look into the religion, dance and some philosophy of kumina. These people have retained the drumming and dancing of the akan people. The drums used in the dance are the kbandu, which provides the basic rhythms, and playing cast, the lead drum. We dive deeper into jamaicas blue mountains and get welcomed into the scotts hall maroon community.