Kumina dance history book

Kumina news newspapers books scholar jstor august 2008 learn how and when to remove. 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. Kumina in rural southeastern jamaica journal of pan african. Read the fulltext online edition of rock it come over.

Separations, kongo, machunde, mondongo, moyenge, igbo, yoruba. It developed via the creolization of african religions during the slave era in jamaica. Kumina is the most african of the cultural expressions to be found in jamaica, with. A methodology for study published in 1983 by dance books. 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. Kumina in jamaica kumina is described as one of the most african. Poet kamau brathwaite reads from born to slow horses youtube. If the person was very rich, maybe also will be a duppie band. For this purpose, this text will be divided into three categories.

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. Brathwaite reveals that kumina is the living fragment of an african mainly kongo religion in the caribbeanjamaica 46. Kumina is a cultural form indigenous to jamaica it is considered as a. Kumina, the howellite church, and the emergence of. Its history as a religion can be directly traced back to africa. Did you know that christopher columbus is the one who claimed jamaica for spain. The dance and music are two of the kuminas strong features the drum playing an integral part in this dance ritual. The national dance theatre company of jamaicas 50th. If you know the answer to this question, please register to join our limited beta program and start the conversation right now. You can not understand history of dance without understanding how dance is the individuation of collective storytelling.

One of the distinct features of kumina is the prominence of dance and ritual as a form of religious and cultural expression. 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. 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. 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. It is perhaps the tradition most closely rooted in african cultures the kumina religious group came originally from the congo. A powerpoint on the religion kumina deities cultural. Originally published in 1983 the first edition rapidly established itself as a core student text. Kumina,where is it from and how did it get to jamaica. Reggae, style of popular music that originated in jamaica in the late 1960s and quickly emerged as the countrys dominant music. Musicmento jamaicas first original popular music form which is a combination of african and british musical elements. Mar 07, 2006 the dominant elements of kumina are dance, music, spirit possession, healing and the use of herbs. The folk music of jamaica book university of the west indies press 2000 the book describes jamaican music and folk.

Jamaica is a beautiful island that has a sad yet happy history. 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. 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. Thomas kumina is an afrojamaican religion influenced mainly by the bantu peoples from the congoangola area. Dance history will be an essential purchase for all students of dance. Jamaicas musical and dance heritage has gone through various stages of transformation over a relatively short period. Stop over documentary, discovery, history 629,860 views 54. During this dance ritual the spirit of the deceased person may take possession of the living in order to deliver final messages and farewells. Dance history explores the intersection of the collective narrative with the human body. Kumina or cumina is a cultural form indigenous to jamaica. 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.

Explained by moshi soloman drumming and dancing, honor to the ancestors, these things endure from african roots to this day. An exploration of modern contemporary dance from a. The dance and music are two of the kumina s strong features the drum. The bruckins party is a stately, dippinggliding dance typified by the thrust and recovery action of the hip and leg. Kumina provides a perfect example of what intra african syncretism. 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. Kumina sessions some extending, as in this poem, to twentyone days, involve singing, dancing and drumming and are of two general types.

Kumina can take your life, save your life and help you to enjoy life. This entry looks at the religions worship and historical context. Check out kumina country songs by kumina singers on amazon music. Linguistics evidence cites the kongo as a specific ethnic source for the language and possibly the music of kumina. It is based on an earlier publication dance history. This book looks a the africanderived and africancentered religious traditions that are found in jamaicia. 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. Learn more about revivalism, including its history. Informant a illustrates the potential uses of kumina s curative and cultural benefits. 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. 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.

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. In the photo above, members of the ndtc perform kumina. It incorporates ritualistic magic, spiritual possession and dancing. These go together with candles, graters, shakas and catta sticks, played on the back of the drum. 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. Caribbean dance is a broad category that can include everything from nightclubs to sacred ritual. Ndtcs retelling of jamaicas embodied and written histories through live dance performance cultivates a sense of presence that transforms the. The practice of myal as a spirit possession originated in jamaica. 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.

The gerreh is a dance of african origin that is performed the night after the death of a. University of the west indies press 2000 the book describes jamaican music and folk. By the 1970s it had become an international style that was particularly popular in britain, the united states, and africa. Kumina ceremonies are usually associated with wakes and entombments, but can also be performed at births, anniversaries and thanksgivings.

Celebrating the range of jamaican language english, patois and various combinations, the poems explore an ache coded in the bloodline. Jamaica gleaner africa live in kumina sunday october. 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. It is said that indentured laborers from africa came to jamaica after the after slaveryemancipation period looking for work. 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.

In 1986 janet wason was asked to spend six months on the island of dominica to research, report on, and video its dances. Unlike obeah, its practices focus more on the connection of spirits with humans. 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. 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. They came from the kongo region in africa with their religious and secular beliefs, language, behaviors and practices. 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. Native jamaicans, many of which still refer to themselves as africans, wholeheartedly believe in the healing power of the kumina. It is said that indentured laborers from africa came to jamaica after the after slavery. Jamaican styles of music religious music afroamerican religion. In small doses, they were able to bypass, subvert and even transgress the prescribed codes of canonised cultural subordination. Heinemann educational books caribbean limited and gleaner company limited, 1983. List of books and articles about dance history online.

Port royal is featured in almost every history book of developed nations. These people have retained the drumming and dancing of the akan people. It is a religion, music and dance practiced by, in large part, jamaicans who reside. Inspired by the british, the annual monthlong maypole festival in bluefields is an amalgam of.

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. The language and the dances of kumina are so undiluted that they can be. Dances include the bailo, mainly used for entertainment purposes and the country, used during the private religious ceremonies. Later on, kumina was brought to jamaica from the africans, and ever since then, kumina has been around. Join our email list for the latest news from smithsonian folkways recordings. Kumina ceremonies are held in the form of ecstatic dance. An interactive arts approach provides an indepth look at dance from the dawn of time through the 20th century. Originally published in 1988, folk dances of jamaica is a detailed practical and theoretical discussion of five jamaican folk dances the kumina, dinkie minie. Apr 29, 2001 kumina is the most african of the cultural expressions to be found in jamaica, with negligible european or christian influence. Kumina country songs by kumina singers on amazon music. Kumina is a jamaican religious ceremony involving music, dance, and spirit possession, and is a way of celebrating and appeasing ancestors.

Her entrance into the world of the kumina religion is documented in olive lewins book, rock it come over. Sage reference kumina sage knowledge sage publications. Thomas parish, jamaica, secondgeneration african, likely in the late 1920s. Making caribbean dance connects the dance of the islands with their rich multicultural histories and complex identities. 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. Prior scholarship has fostered perspectives on kuminas african history. 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. Olive lewin in her book rock it come over, kumina expresses the. Music is the most popular and dynamic aspect of caribbean expressive culture. Kumina or cumina kumina is the most african of jamaican cults.

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. Kumina, commonly called a traditional folk form to jamaica has its own history before even reaching jamaica. Kumina is an afrojamaican religion and practices that include secular ceremonies, dance and. It is a religion, music and dance practiced by, in large part, jamaicans who reside in the eastern parish on st. 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. For example, the kumina dance is still practiced throughout the island as a curative. We dive deeper into jamaicas blue mountains and get welcomed into the scotts hall maroon community.

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. Stephane and estime the origin of kumina kumina is a dance which was formed by africans who were slaves that were brought to jamaica. Jamaicas heritage in dance jamaica information service. However, its beliefs and rituals are not unrelated to those of maroons runaway slaves in. Heavy drumming, commonly associated with west african music is a popular component of jamaican music simpson, 32. Dancing developed as a natural expression of united feeling and action. 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. The national dance theatre company ndtc of jamaicas 50 th anniversary season staged an encounter with the countrys living history. An interactive arts approachprovides an indepth look at dance from the dawn of time through the 20th century. Kumina is a ritualistic medium through which our african ancestors are celebrated and appeased. Kumina kumina is a religion centered in jamaicas southeastern parish, st. Enhanced with numerous illustrations and musical examples, caribbean currents is an uptodate. A river and its people, the niger river local boats documentary, discovery, history duration. Sep 26, 2012 kumina, commonly called a traditional folk form to jamaica has its own history before even reaching jamaica.

The video examined the various dance forms of our culture kumina, brukkings, gereh, dinkie minnie and others. 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. Kumina is a afrojamaican religion influenced mainly by the bantu peoples from the congoangola area. The drums used in the dance are the kbandu, which provides the basic rhythms, and playing cast, the lead drum. 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 bruckins party is a stately, dippinggliding dance typified by the thrust. Kumina, the howellite church, and the emergence of rastafarian traditional music in jamaica chapter january 2012 with 152 reads how we measure reads. Jamaica gleaner africa live in kumina sunday october 9.

It was formerly done to commemorate the emancipation of slaves on august 1, 1838. Rymans chapter on the closeness of the maroonkumina relationship, in a consideration of culture as a negotiation of african ancestry. Kumina is an afrojamaican religion influenced mainly by the bantu peoples from the congoangola area. The centrality of spirit possession is a core component of both myal and kongo religion. The kumina, a dance ritual, is often performed during the nine night. Test your jamaican black history month knowledge by taking the test below. Dance history is not only an academic or artistic undertaking. Traditional jamaican dances 10 popular jamaican folk dances. The dominant elements of kumina are dance, music, spirit possession, healing and the use of herbs. Over time, myal began to meld with christian practices and created the religious tradition known as revivalism. 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. The origins of dance the earliest history of human dance is a continuing mystery. During a kumina ceremony the exponents call upon their ancestral spirits. It was widely perceived as a voice of the oppressed.

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. 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. Everything name meaning, origin, pronunciation, numerology, popularity and more information about kumina at nameaning. It was once theorized to be of akan origin, because of its popularity with akan slaves. Lewin 2000, 164 offers that links had been made when the kumina people arrived. Kuminas music, dance and other recreational practices expressed the. Each dance carries a meaning and tells a story from the synchronized. While searching for coconuts in a gully, the spirits took her to a large, hollow cotton tree where.