Jumbie Dance of Montserrat

The jumbie dance is also known as the purest manifestation of folk religious on Montserrat and it is an iconic part of the folk culture that brings together the local folklore, dance music and song. It is also defined as the surprising and unique mixture that is made up of western instruments that produces Africanesque music to the dancers to which they perform the Irish steps while moving their upper bodies like Africans.

source of picture: thebvis.blogspot.com

The jumbie dance was lastly preformed in 1980s. jumbies are traditionally spirits, one of the several types include the African sukra and jabless and the Irish mermaid and also animal spirit that is similar to Puca and the Jack Lantern. Jumbies embraced a similar place in Montserratian society known as fairies and also in Irish culture, and they are the recipients of many small offerings like the bits of food or drink and the subject of the large daily fallacies and rituals.

Jumbie dance is performed by four couples (one woman and one man) and each of them made a series of sets which is made up of five quadrilles that is played at successively swifter tempos. The couples will change if they get tired, until eventually one becomes possessed by the jumbie. They usually move about wildly and fall to the floor and shout in glossolalia.

Some of the Montserratian Irish believe the origin of jumbie dance to the pre-liberation era when the slaves attempts to perform the dances performed by the foreigners and landowners. Jumbie dance is done traditionally after a celebration in the home of a sponsor and also to mark times of individual problems or major life changes like wedding or christening. This jumbie dance is used to induce spiritual possession and grant divination skills. Jumbie dances are often done to cure diseases, remove curses or discover the identity of a guilty party.

There are three jumbie dancers in a unit, which the performance is accompanied by the babala (tambourine, or jumbie drum), triangle, fife or pulley (concertina or melodeon and accordion) and most significantly is the French reel (which is also the jumbie drum or woowoo), a skin drum that brings an ominous sound which attract the jumbie spirits. Babala and the French reel are both similar to the Irish bodhran in making; all the three drums are played with a fingertips, palms and backs of the hands.

The same music which is used in the jumbie dance also accompanies the country dances (which is also known as goatskin or drum dance). The country dances are severely fun, though; it uses diverse songs and dances more than the jumbie dance. Rum shops are mainly home to string bands, especially during the Boxing Day, ensembles of guitar, banjo, cuatro (ukulele) and accordion.

Masquerade in Montserratian tradition is both ritual and celebratory element of the traditional music. Group of dancers (masqueraders) has bright costumes and big adornments, which include the whips (hunters) which are used for the masqueraders to use to move the crowds away, as they move around the streets and also scare away evils spirits and send signals to other dancers to follow. The masqueraders move from door to door and receive small gifts while dancing a standard type of dances that is made up of the heel-and-toe polka and five quadrilles. Thus event starts in the mid-December and ends January.

Montserrat is also a place for string band folk custom that provides accompaniment to many types of songs and dancers. This mainly includes ukulele (yokolle, which is imported from Hawaiian music), triangle, guitar, bass boom pipe, fife, gradge and shak-shak. String bands are traditionally performed during wedding; this custom diminished with the emerge of stereos and recorded music as well as the spread jazz bands, but was later renewed in the 70s, now string band play at hotels and nightclubs.