Jonkonnu parades
Encyclopedia
Jonkonnu, Junkanoo Jonkanoo, Jankunu, John Canoe or Johnkankus is a musical street masquerade
, believed to be of West Africa
n origin, which occurs in many towns across the Caribbean
every December 26 and New Year's Day
. The largest parade, Junkanoo
, happens in Nassau
, the capital of the Bahamas.
in the early 18th century. It may have also been a creolization of the work 'Njoku Ji
', the name of a yam
Alusi
(deity) of the Igbo people
, of which Okonko, an Igbo secret society, parade in the name of, wearing masks bearing striking resemblance to the Jonkonnu masquerades. This theory is supported further by the fact that Igbo slaves were represented well in colonies where Jonkonnu was and is still being practiced significantly.See images of Okonko/Ekpe masks http://mccoy.lib.siu.edu/jmccall/jones/ekpe.html Recorded names have included King John Conny, Prince Jean Konnu and dzon'ku nu (an African sorcerer persona plus "nu" meaning "man"). Brought to the Americas in the slave trade the tradition survived during the slave off days of Christmas night and New Years.
The practice bears great resemblance to Pre-Christian European animist or "mumming" traditions that survived into the 19th century as Christmas traditions. A notable survivor being the Celtic Wren day
. Both the Jonkonnu traditions and the Mummer's involved covering the face in soot or ash, dressing in fanciful animal like garments such as the Cow Head and the Hobby Horse
, and parading the streets with music before dawn on December 26. The soot or ash has since been interpreted by many as representing race and has also been frowned upon in some cultures.
, occurs in many towns across The Bahamas
every December 26 and New Year's Day
. The largest Junkanoo parade happens in Nassau
, the capital.
December 26, Junkanoo groups "rush" from midnight until shortly after dawn, to the music of cowbells, in costume
s made from cardboard covered in tiny shreds of colourful crepe paper
, competing for cash prizes.
Major musical groups involved in the Nassau Junkanoo have included The Saxons, The Valley Boys, The Roots, One love Soldiers One Family and as of late the Prodigal Sons. Groups of the past included the Vikings and Music Makers
.
A Junkanoo parade is featured in sequences of the James Bond
film Thunderball
that occur in Nassau. The celebration was staged specifically for the movie since it was filmed at the wrong time of year, but local residents were enthusiastic, creating elaborate floats and costumes and involving hundreds of people. The parade was also featured in After the Sunset
and Jaws The Revenge.
Junkanoo is also a fruit-flavored soda
produced by PepsiCo
and is only available in The Bahamas, and also a modernized style of music sung by Bahamian band Baha Men
.
, Jankunu is a satirical dance where individuals dress like colonial slave masters and dance off beat to a fast tempo drum 4/4 beat. Because of a thin mustache and black hair, the mask of what is most likely Spaniard is worn. The dance is associated with Garifuna culture, however Belizean kriol people
s, East Indians, and Garifunas in Honduras participate in the practice.
mime. It is a Jamaican traditional dance
form of African descent.
Typically Jamaicans would parade in the streets and enact mime
-style
plays. This folk form has gone through many stages of development until
today when it is rarely performed on the island
. In the early stages there
was the introduction and adaptation of the celebratory parade, then in the
1770’s the European influence developed (set girls); after emancipation
the British influence was more obvious. Today, Jonkonnu is only seen at
cultural fairs and in very rural parts of the island.
The Jonkonnu festival
is secular in nature and used to be performed at
Christmas. It was the festive opportunity afforded to the slaves by the
planter class, Christmas
was one of the few times that slaves were
relieved of their duties.
The Characters :
Core participants;
Pitchy patchy
,
The cowhead,
The horsehead,
The devil.
Other participants
The King
,
The Queen
,
The police
,
Belly woman,
French
set girls
The characters parade through the streets in very elaborate costumes; they
are attired costumed with head dresses, masks, pitchforks (devil), batons
(police), fans (set girls) and any other paraphernalia that is necessary
to complete the character.
There are basic jonkonnu steps that are done and each character has a
signature movement such as:
Pitchy Patchy – turns, cartwheels, large movements in circular patterns.
Belly woman - moves belly in time with the music
, where it was called John Canoe, John Koonah, or John Kooner.
It may have influenced the Gulf Coast Mardis Gras.
Historian Stephen Nissenbaum describes the ritual as it was performed in 19th-century North Carolina:
Nissenbaum likened john canoe to the wassailing
tradition of medieval Britain
, seeing in both a ritualized inversion of the established social hierarchy
that provides, simultaneously, a temporary suspension and powerful reaffirmation of that hierarchy. Wassailing performed this inversion along the axis of social class
, whereas the 19th-century American version of John Canoe performed it along the axis of race. Both John Canoe and Wassailing bear strong resemblance to the social inversion rituals that marked the ancient Roman
celebration of Saturnalia
.
"John Canoe of Belize
, who perform traditional Garifuna music
.
Masquerade ceremony
A masquerade ceremony is a cultural or religious event involving the wearing of masks.Examples include the West African and African Diaspora masquerades, such as Egungun Masquerades, Northern Edo Masquerades, Caribbean Carnival and Jonkonnu.-External links:* - slideshow by Life magazine*...
, believed to be of West Africa
West Africa
West Africa or Western Africa is the westernmost region of the African continent. Geopolitically, the UN definition of Western Africa includes the following 16 countries and an area of approximately 5 million square km:-Flags of West Africa:...
n origin, which occurs in many towns across the Caribbean
Caribbean
The Caribbean is a crescent-shaped group of islands more than 2,000 miles long separating the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea, to the west and south, from the Atlantic Ocean, to the east and north...
every December 26 and New Year's Day
New Year's Day
New Year's Day is observed on January 1, the first day of the year on the modern Gregorian calendar as well as the Julian calendar used in ancient Rome...
. The largest parade, Junkanoo
Junkanoo
Junkanoo is a street parade with music, which occurs in many towns across The Bahamas and The Turks and Caicos Islands every Boxing Day , New Year's Day and, more recently, in the summer on the island of Grand Bahama. The largest Junkanoo parade happens in Nassau, the capital...
, happens in Nassau
Nassau, Bahamas
Nassau is the capital, largest city, and commercial centre of the Commonwealth of the Bahamas. The city has a population of 248,948 , 70 percent of the entire population of The Bahamas...
, the capital of the Bahamas.
Origins
The etymology is disputed. It is possibly Malinke (spoken in Guinea)- jonkannu translates as "Sound(s) of the slaves," and may refer to the music and songs of the festival. However, others have suggested that the celebration may have been named for a West African chieftain or shaman among the Papaws or Popos tribes of West AfricaWest Africa
West Africa or Western Africa is the westernmost region of the African continent. Geopolitically, the UN definition of Western Africa includes the following 16 countries and an area of approximately 5 million square km:-Flags of West Africa:...
in the early 18th century. It may have also been a creolization of the work 'Njoku Ji
Njoku Ji
Njoku Ji was the guardian deity of the yam for the Igbo people of southeastern Nigeria. In parts of Igboland there are still annual rituals in honor of the yam deity known as Ifejioku In some parts children who were dedicated to the service of the deity were named Njoku. As adults such children...
', the name of a yam
Yam (vegetable)
Yam is the common name for some species in the genus Dioscorea . These are perennial herbaceous vines cultivated for the consumption of their starchy tubers in Africa, Asia, Latin America and Oceania...
Alusi
Alusi
Alusi, also known as Arusi or Arushi, are deities that are worshiped and served in the religion of the Igbo people. There are a list of many different Alusi and each has its own purpose...
(deity) of the Igbo people
Igbo people
Igbo people, also referred to as the Ibo, Ebo, Eboans or Heebo are an ethnic group living chiefly in southeastern Nigeria. They speak Igbo, which includes various Igboid languages and dialects; today, a majority of them speak English alongside Igbo as a result of British colonialism...
, of which Okonko, an Igbo secret society, parade in the name of, wearing masks bearing striking resemblance to the Jonkonnu masquerades. This theory is supported further by the fact that Igbo slaves were represented well in colonies where Jonkonnu was and is still being practiced significantly.See images of Okonko/Ekpe masks http://mccoy.lib.siu.edu/jmccall/jones/ekpe.html Recorded names have included King John Conny, Prince Jean Konnu and dzon'ku nu (an African sorcerer persona plus "nu" meaning "man"). Brought to the Americas in the slave trade the tradition survived during the slave off days of Christmas night and New Years.
The practice bears great resemblance to Pre-Christian European animist or "mumming" traditions that survived into the 19th century as Christmas traditions. A notable survivor being the Celtic Wren day
Wren Day
Wren day also known as Wren's day, Hunt the Wren Day or The Hunting of the Wrens celebrated on 26 December, St. Stephen's Day, in the Isle of Man, Ireland, Wales and Newfoundland. The tradition consists of "hunting" a fake wren, and putting it on top of a decorated pole...
. Both the Jonkonnu traditions and the Mummer's involved covering the face in soot or ash, dressing in fanciful animal like garments such as the Cow Head and the Hobby Horse
Hobby horse
The term hobby horse is used, principally by folklorists, to refer to the costumed characters that feature in some traditional seasonal customs, processions and similar observances around the world. They are particularly associated with May Day celebrations, Mummers Plays and the Morris dance in...
, and parading the streets with music before dawn on December 26. The soot or ash has since been interpreted by many as representing race and has also been frowned upon in some cultures.
Junkanoo in the Bahamas
The Junkanoo street paradeParade
A parade is a procession of people, usually organized along a street, often in costume, and often accompanied by marching bands, floats or sometimes large balloons. Parades are held for a wide range of reasons, but are usually celebrations of some kind...
, occurs in many towns across The Bahamas
The Bahamas
The Bahamas , officially the Commonwealth of the Bahamas, is a nation consisting of 29 islands, 661 cays, and 2,387 islets . It is located in the Atlantic Ocean north of Cuba and Hispaniola , northwest of the Turks and Caicos Islands, and southeast of the United States...
every December 26 and New Year's Day
New Year's Day
New Year's Day is observed on January 1, the first day of the year on the modern Gregorian calendar as well as the Julian calendar used in ancient Rome...
. The largest Junkanoo parade happens in Nassau
Nassau, Bahamas
Nassau is the capital, largest city, and commercial centre of the Commonwealth of the Bahamas. The city has a population of 248,948 , 70 percent of the entire population of The Bahamas...
, the capital.
December 26, Junkanoo groups "rush" from midnight until shortly after dawn, to the music of cowbells, in costume
Costume
The term costume can refer to wardrobe and dress in general, or to the distinctive style of dress of a particular people, class, or period. Costume may also refer to the artistic arrangement of accessories in a picture, statue, poem, or play, appropriate to the time, place, or other circumstances...
s made from cardboard covered in tiny shreds of colourful crepe paper
Paper
Paper is a thin material mainly used for writing upon, printing upon, drawing or for packaging. It is produced by pressing together moist fibers, typically cellulose pulp derived from wood, rags or grasses, and drying them into flexible sheets....
, competing for cash prizes.
Major musical groups involved in the Nassau Junkanoo have included The Saxons, The Valley Boys, The Roots, One love Soldiers One Family and as of late the Prodigal Sons. Groups of the past included the Vikings and Music Makers
Music Makers
The Music Makers was a 1940s band from Saint Kitts and Nevis. They were among the most popular of the Carnival bands from that era....
.
A Junkanoo parade is featured in sequences of the James Bond
James Bond
James Bond, code name 007, is a fictional character created in 1953 by writer Ian Fleming, who featured him in twelve novels and two short story collections. There have been a six other authors who wrote authorised Bond novels or novelizations after Fleming's death in 1964: Kingsley Amis,...
film Thunderball
Thunderball (film)
Thunderball is the fourth spy film in the James Bond series starring Sean Connery as the fictional MI6 agent James Bond. It is an adaptation of the novel of the same name by Ian Fleming, which in turn was based on an original screenplay by Jack Whittingham...
that occur in Nassau. The celebration was staged specifically for the movie since it was filmed at the wrong time of year, but local residents were enthusiastic, creating elaborate floats and costumes and involving hundreds of people. The parade was also featured in After the Sunset
After the Sunset
After the Sunset is a 2004 action comedy film starring Pierce Brosnan as Max Burdett, a master thief caught in a cat-and-mouse game with FBI agent Stan Lloyd played by Woody Harrelson...
and Jaws The Revenge.
Junkanoo is also a fruit-flavored soda
Soft drink
A soft drink is a non-alcoholic beverage that typically contains water , a sweetener, and a flavoring agent...
produced by PepsiCo
PepsiCo
PepsiCo Inc. is an American multinational corporation headquartered in Purchase, New York, United States, with interests in the manufacturing, marketing and distribution of grain-based snack foods, beverages, and other products. PepsiCo was formed in 1965 with the merger of the Pepsi-Cola Company...
and is only available in The Bahamas, and also a modernized style of music sung by Bahamian band Baha Men
Baha Men
The Baha Men are Bahamian singers in a Bahamian band. They play a modernised style of Bahamian music called Junkanoo.-Early career as High Voltage :...
.
Jankunu (or Wanaragua) in Belize
In BelizeBelize
Belize is a constitutional monarchy and the northernmost country in Central America. Belize has a diverse society, comprising many cultures and languages. Even though Kriol and Spanish are spoken among the population, Belize is the only country in Central America where English is the official...
, Jankunu is a satirical dance where individuals dress like colonial slave masters and dance off beat to a fast tempo drum 4/4 beat. Because of a thin mustache and black hair, the mask of what is most likely Spaniard is worn. The dance is associated with Garifuna culture, however Belizean kriol people
Kriol
The word Kriol could mean one of the following ethnic groups:* Belizean Kriol people or Kriols* Upper Guinea Kriol peopleIt could also mean any of the following Creole languages:* The English-based Australian Kriol language...
s, East Indians, and Garifunas in Honduras participate in the practice.
Jonkonnu in Jamaica
Jonkonnu, or Jonkanoo (John Canoe) is a parade that links music, dance, symbols andmime. It is a Jamaican traditional dance
Dance
Dance is an art form that generally refers to movement of the body, usually rhythmic and to music, used as a form of expression, social interaction or presented in a spiritual or performance setting....
form of African descent.
Typically Jamaicans would parade in the streets and enact mime
Mime
The word mime is used to refer to a mime artist who uses a theatrical medium or performance art involving the acting out of a story through body motions without use of speech.Mime may also refer to:* Mime, an alternative word for lip sync...
-style
plays. This folk form has gone through many stages of development until
today when it is rarely performed on the island
Island
An island or isle is any piece of sub-continental land that is surrounded by water. Very small islands such as emergent land features on atolls can be called islets, cays or keys. An island in a river or lake may be called an eyot , or holm...
. In the early stages there
was the introduction and adaptation of the celebratory parade, then in the
1770’s the European influence developed (set girls); after emancipation
the British influence was more obvious. Today, Jonkonnu is only seen at
cultural fairs and in very rural parts of the island.
The Jonkonnu festival
Festival
A festival or gala is an event, usually and ordinarily staged by a local community, which centers on and celebrates some unique aspect of that community and the Festival....
is secular in nature and used to be performed at
Christmas. It was the festive opportunity afforded to the slaves by the
planter class, Christmas
Christmas
Christmas or Christmas Day is an annual holiday generally celebrated on December 25 by billions of people around the world. It is a Christian feast that commemorates the birth of Jesus Christ, liturgically closing the Advent season and initiating the season of Christmastide, which lasts twelve days...
was one of the few times that slaves were
relieved of their duties.
The Characters :
Core participants;
Pitchy patchy
Pitchy patchy
Pitchy Patchy is a Jamaican Jonkonnu carnival figure.One of the original figures of Jamaican carnival, Pitchy Patchy is usually represented by a suit made of tattered, colorful pieces of cloth. Pitchy Patchy's role in the carnival is to keep masqueraders and the surrounding crowd in order by...
,
The cowhead,
The horsehead,
The devil.
Other participants
The King
King
- Centers of population :* King, Ontario, CanadaIn USA:* King, Indiana* King, North Carolina* King, Lincoln County, Wisconsin* King, Waupaca County, Wisconsin* King County, Washington- Moving-image works :Television:...
,
The Queen
Queen regnant
A queen regnant is a female monarch who reigns in her own right, in contrast to a queen consort, who is the wife of a reigning king. An empress regnant is a female monarch who reigns in her own right over an empire....
,
The police
Police
The police is a personification of the state designated to put in practice the enforced law, protect property and reduce civil disorder in civilian matters. Their powers include the legitimized use of force...
,
Belly woman,
French
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
set girls
The characters parade through the streets in very elaborate costumes; they
are attired costumed with head dresses, masks, pitchforks (devil), batons
(police), fans (set girls) and any other paraphernalia that is necessary
to complete the character.
There are basic jonkonnu steps that are done and each character has a
signature movement such as:
Pitchy Patchy – turns, cartwheels, large movements in circular patterns.
Belly woman - moves belly in time with the music
John Canoe in North Carolina
The practice was once common in coastal North CarolinaNorth Carolina
North Carolina is a state located in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties. Its capital is Raleigh, and its largest city is Charlotte...
, where it was called John Canoe, John Koonah, or John Kooner.
It may have influenced the Gulf Coast Mardis Gras.
Historian Stephen Nissenbaum describes the ritual as it was performed in 19th-century North Carolina:
Nissenbaum likened john canoe to the wassailing
Wassailing
The tradition of Wassailing falls into two distinct categories: The House-Visiting wassail and the Orchard-Visiting wassail. House-Visiting wassail, very much similar to caroling, is the practice of people going door-to-door singing Christmas carols...
tradition of medieval Britain
Britain in the Middle Ages
England in the Middle Ages concerns the history of England during the Medieval period — from the end of Roman rule in Britain through to the Early Modern period...
, seeing in both a ritualized inversion of the established social hierarchy
Hierarchy
A hierarchy is an arrangement of items in which the items are represented as being "above," "below," or "at the same level as" one another...
that provides, simultaneously, a temporary suspension and powerful reaffirmation of that hierarchy. Wassailing performed this inversion along the axis of social class
Social class
Social classes are economic or cultural arrangements of groups in society. Class is an essential object of analysis for sociologists, political scientists, economists, anthropologists and social historians. In the social sciences, social class is often discussed in terms of 'social stratification'...
, whereas the 19th-century American version of John Canoe performed it along the axis of race. Both John Canoe and Wassailing bear strong resemblance to the social inversion rituals that marked the ancient Roman
Ancient Rome
Ancient Rome was a thriving civilization that grew on the Italian Peninsula as early as the 8th century BC. Located along the Mediterranean Sea and centered on the city of Rome, it expanded to one of the largest empires in the ancient world....
celebration of Saturnalia
Saturnalia
Saturnalia is an Ancient Roman festival/ celebration held in honour of Saturn , the youngest of the Titans, father of the major gods of the Greeks and Romans, and son of Uranus and Gaia...
.
"John Canoe of Belize
Belize
Belize is a constitutional monarchy and the northernmost country in Central America. Belize has a diverse society, comprising many cultures and languages. Even though Kriol and Spanish are spoken among the population, Belize is the only country in Central America where English is the official...
, who perform traditional Garifuna music
Garifuna music
Garifuna music is quite different from the music of the rest of Central America. The most famous form is punta. Its associated musical style, which has the dancers move their hips from right to left in a circular motion...
.
Films
- 1984 - Caribbean Crucible. From Repercussions: A Celebration of African-American Music series, program 6. Directed by Dennis Marks and Geoffrey Haydon.
- 1990 - Before Reggae Hit the Town. Directed by Mark Gorney.
See also
- JunkanooJunkanooJunkanoo is a street parade with music, which occurs in many towns across The Bahamas and The Turks and Caicos Islands every Boxing Day , New Year's Day and, more recently, in the summer on the island of Grand Bahama. The largest Junkanoo parade happens in Nassau, the capital...
festival of the Bahamas - JonkanooJonkanooJonkanoo is a masquerade festival/parade from The Bahamas, believed to be of West African origin. It is traditionally performed through the streets during the Christmas period, and involves participants dressed in a variety of fanciful costumes, such as the Cow Head, the Hobby Horse, the Wild...
festival of Jamaica - GombeyGombeyThe Gombey is an iconic symbol of Bermuda, this folklife tradition reflecting the island’s blend of African, Native American, Caribbean and British cultures, incorporating them over time into a unique performance art full of colorful and intricate masquerade, dance and drumming.Dancers are usually...
dancers of Bermuda - Boxing DayBoxing DayBoxing Day is a bank or public holiday that occurs on 26 December, or the first or second weekday after Christmas Day, depending on national or regional laws. It is observed in Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the United Kingdom and some other Commonwealth nations. In Ireland, it is recognized as...
- Mummer's DayMummer's DayMummer's Day, or "Darkie Day" as it is sometimes known, is an ancient Cornish midwinter celebration that occurs every year on Boxing Day and New Year's Day in Padstow, Cornwall...
- Mardis Gras
- Wren dayWren DayWren day also known as Wren's day, Hunt the Wren Day or The Hunting of the Wrens celebrated on 26 December, St. Stephen's Day, in the Isle of Man, Ireland, Wales and Newfoundland. The tradition consists of "hunting" a fake wren, and putting it on top of a decorated pole...
Sources
- Nissenbaum, Stephen. The Battle for Christmas. New York: Vintage Books, 1997.
- Origins of jonkanoo