What is Kumina dance?
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 three most important elements in a Kumina session are dancing, singing and drumming.
Why was Kumina danced?
Thomas perform in 2006. The influences that shaped Kumina landed in the 1850s with the arrival of African indentured immigrants from the Congo region of Central Africa during the immediate post-emancipation period. Kumina dances are used when help is needed to win a court case or for winning a lover.
Why is music and dancing important in Kumina?
The practices of Kumina are primarily linked to healing. Healing ceremonies utilise singing, dancing, drumming, animal sacrifice, and spirit possession, with the intent of summoning spirits to heal the sick individual. These elements are also found in Myalism and Zion Revivalism.
What is the history of dance in Jamaica?
Jamaica’s street dance culture dates back to the late 50’s early 60’s. Rocksteady, and later, reggae eventually evolved from ska in the late 1960’s. In response to ska, a dance called “the ska” was created and then later the more popular “skanking”, these were Jamaica’s first urban dance moves.
How is Kumina dance done?
Kumina features flat-footed inching of the feet (or the kongo step), a steady, but often subtle forward-thrusting of the hip with the rib cage and arms moving against the hip, followed by wild spins and sudden breaks, all signaled by the lead drum.
Who brought Ackee to Jamaica?
“Ackee was brought to the island, probably on a slave ship from West Africa, sometime in the mid-1700s,” explained Janet Crick, director of Jamaica Culinary Tours in Falmouth on the island’s north coast. “Its name is derived from the original name of the fruit in the Ghanaian Twi language: ankye.
Are the Chinese buying land in Jamaica?
The investment is a sign of increasing Chinese interest in Jamaica as an economic base and follows from a wide range of other Chinese projects underway or being discussed. In July, Jamaica announced that it had decided to use Chinese concessional loans to upgrade the road network on the island.
What is Jamaican traditional dance?
Jamaican traditional dances fall roughly into three categories: African derived, European derived and Creole, that is, a mixture of both types. European derived dances such as Etu, Quadrille and Maypole were originally of religious significance, but are now largely social.
What’s Jamaican dance called?
Daggering is a form of dance originating from Jamaica. The dance incorporates the male dancer ramming his crotch area into the female dancer’s buttocks, and other forms of frantic movement. Daggering is not a traditional dance; it is of recent origin, associated with the 2006 wave of dancehall music.
What is Jamaica’s traditional dance?
Bruckins, burru, dinki-minni, ettu, gerreh, gumbay, jonkunnu, kumina, maypole, myal, quadrille, tambu and zella. Dance is such a wonderful artistic expression, influenced by history and culture. Jamaica has a rich heritage of traditional dances, but today many of them are hardly known.
What fruit is native to Jamaica?
ackee
You know about pineapple and mango, but what about mamey and sapodilla? Known as Jamaica’s national fruit, ackee looks like a cross between a brain and scrambled eggs, and doesn’t taste too far off: it’s buttery, nutty, and even scrambles with saltfish, just like you would eggs, for a traditional breakfast dish.
What is Jamaica’s number one fruit?
Ackee – Jamaica National Fruit Perhaps the most important Jamaican fruit and Jamaica’s national fruit. It is also one half of the country’s national dish – ackee and saltfish. Ackee is originally from West Africa, but has been in Jamaica since the 18th century and is now found throughout the island.
What is the history of Kumina dance?
Kumina has been brought popularized by several performance groups such as the Seaforth Dust to Dawn Kumina Group in St. Thomas and the Jamaica Cultural Development Commission (JCDC). However, Kumina was brought to the world stage by the efforts of the National Dance Theatre Company and the efforts of one of its founding members Rex Nettelford.
What is Kumina?
Kumina is described as one of the most African religious expressions in Jamaica. Standing the test of time, Kumina has managed to survive the influences of Western culture. The language and the dances of Kumina are so undiluted that they can be traced back to tribes in the Congo in Africa.
What is Kumina religion in Jamaica?
Kumina. Kumina is a religion centered in Jamaica’s southeastern parish, St. Thomas. 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.
When did the NDTC start performing Kumina?
Nettleford, in 1971, exposed the entire company of dancers, singers and drummers to the ceremony in Seaforth. The NDTC’s interpretation of Kumina is the signature piece of the NDTC and arguably the most performed dance-work in the repertoire since it was commissioned by Carreras Limited in 1971.