SPopularly referred to as the “forgotten parish”, Thomas Parish is located in eastern Jamaica and boasts a reputation as the home of Kumina, also known as Kalunga or Kadunga. Travelling from Kingston to the parish is a battle against human and vehicular traffic, stray animals, heat and dust from a major highway project currently under construction that is expected to transform the parish.
Still, there are plenty of unexpected bonuses for visitors looking for their first experience of Kumina, an expressive art form that celebrates life, death and spirituality through dance, music and the Kikongo language.
St. Thomas has much to offer, including rugged beauty, pristine beaches, breathtaking sunset views and the world-famous Bath Fountains (praised for their therapeutic properties). St. Thomas is also characterised by its Kumina – a culture rooted in honouring its ancestors (the original Bongo people) and cherishing an authentic cultural heritage.
Rituals and ceremonies are held at births, engagements, marriages, deaths, wakes and burials.Kikongo is still spoken in Kumina communities, but is rapidly disappearing, except for chanting at certain Kumina ceremonies.There are also communities of Kumina practitioners in St. Mary, St. Catherine, Portland and Kingston.
“[There] “This is a well-known traditional dance music from the Kongo region known as Kemenu,” explains renowned anthropologist and ethnomusicologist Kenneth Bilby, describing the ancient Central African kingdom of Kongo (which once stretched across parts of present-day Angola, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Gabon and the Republic of the Congo).[The] The drumming style itself is known as khumnu. [which] It’s very similar to Jamaican Kumina drumming.”
The term “bongo” evokes the original Kikongo language and is used by Kumina followers to refer to people of African descent. In the local dialect, bongo is often used with a derogatory connotation, a legacy of colonialism, similar to the perception some still have of communities descended from enslaved Africans who practice Ifá, Voodoo, Candomblé, and Santeria.
But the Kumina people have reclaimed the word as a legitimate source of power, African pride and identity.
“The bongo signifies a true grassroots man, even though the Bongo Nation is scattered,” says Lenroy Alexander, a longtime member and elder of the Kumina community. It is a ceremonial drum. Kubandu/Bandu and Play Cass — which strengthens the connection with the bongos: both drums speak, resist, refuse to be silenced.
TThe drums are also a constant reminder of communal healing.Drums are traditionally made from tree trunks wrapped with tough vines taken from the bark and the skin of a female goat, either from cedar, trumpet or breadfruit trees.
In the past, drums were also made to look fake. Playing Cass, For example, rum barrels were originally made from casks that held rum on sugar plantations. These barrels were used to hide and protect the drums from the (dangerous) prying eyes of the plantation overseers and managers. Play Cass Their appearance later took on a similar appearance to the now famous Jamaican rum barrels.
Playing these drums during ritual performances is at the heart of Kumina, their mesmerizing, pulsating rhythms matched by the frenetic movements of the dancers as they communicate with the ancestral spirits.
Of course, it is an accompaniment instrument. Sciacca (made from a gourd containing seeds or stones), Was Or rhythm sticks (made from thin bamboo segments) and a grater (like the one you have in your kitchen for grating cheese) are just as important.
of Play Cass and Kubandu It’s like a conversation between a man and a woman. Sculptor and musician Philippe Supersade Kubandu (“Doo-doo-doo-doo-doo-doo.”) A very patient man would say, “Yes, my lady! Yes, my lady!” to soothe his wife. Play Cass Respond with a very fast, urgent, high-pitched staccato rhythm (“penny penny”), as if a wife was telling her husband to hurry home.
Kumina is not an adopted custom but a way of life rooted in the ethos of the community.
During the kumina, the rhythm of the drumming affects the whole body and is intended to transport the participants to a higher dimension. It is a continuous dialogue between the dancer and the drummer, the dancer and the ancestors. The drummer is also responsible for the safety of the dancer. Kubandu and Play Cass Ancestors play a central role, as they are not only worshipped but also feared.
Miar Portal or It is a channel to connect with the spirits of ancestors and is generally called ” Miar As a manifestation of ancestral presence, this is perhaps one of the most fascinating aspects of Kumina. A personal encounter cannot be easily put into words or explained in academic terms. In the words of spiritualist Simon Davis:
Miar It is a state of being under the direction of spirit. When spirit comes to you, it is in connection with the old Africans, the old Africans of the ancestors. You are the vessel through which the spirits speak and also respond to the spirits. The ancestors come in many forms.
TIn recent years, there have been changes in Kumina music, but these are not due to “true practitioners,” for whom Kumina is not a practice but a way of life rooted in the spirit of the community.
Popular sound systems, typically only found in dancehall spaces, are used during “Dead Yards” (or Nine Nights, a funeral tradition in the region), and Kumina musicians have to deal with loud speaker boxes and pop music.
Between 2003 and 2016, many reggae music producers also started a musical trend of experimenting with Kumina music. The “Kumina Riddim” (a “riddim” is a produced instrumental track) was born from here, with several reggae artists adding their own vocals to the Kumina Riddim.
Dancehall fans were thrilled as this set of riddims was played on the radio and blared from speaker boxes, with the crowd revelling in a colorful and vibrant array of titles including “Kumina Rock”, “Dance Kumina”, “Wheel & Turn” and “Party up in Here”.
To an outsider, the opportunity to witness Kumina in action may seem a little intimidating at first, but it offers a glimpse into something deeper. To understand Kumina is to observe and absorb the community’s activities. “Just like you cross a bridge when you come to St. Thomas, you also cross a cultural bridge in Yass,” a Kumina supporter proudly stated in patois.
It is not easy to reach the communities in Kumina as most of them are not located close to each other and you need someone who has connections to the communities.
Kuminas are central to Afro-Jamaican traditions and culture and continue to play an important role in remembering the spiritual and physical liberation practiced in this Afro-Atlantic environment. Kuminas are a valuable part of Jamaica’s intangible cultural heritage and are actively documented and preserved by the African-Caribbean Institute of Jamaica/Jamaica Memory Bank.
