Culture of the Bahamas
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Bahamian culture is a hybrid of African and European cultures. Though increasingly influenced by commercialisation (due to tourism) and American music and television, Bahamian culture retains much of its uniqueness.
Bahamian culture is related to other creole cultures throughout the Caribbean Basin, but also to the Gullah culture in coastal South Carolina and Georgia in the United States. Many Gullah people were taken to the Bahamas after the American Revolutionary War.
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[edit] Music
Junkanoo Music is indigenous to the Bahamas. It is associated primarily with Junkanoo, a type of street carnival which occurs on Boxing Day (December 26) and New Year's Day (January 1). The parades are characterised by spectacular costumes made of crepe paper and powerful rhythms beaten traditionally on goatskin drums (accompanied more recently with tom-tom drums or bongo drums) as well as rich Brassbands and shaking cowbells.
Bahamian music also incorporates other Caribbean forms such as Calypso, Trinidadian Soca and Jamaician Reggae, as well as American-inspired Rap and Hip-Hop.
Calypso and Rake 'n' Scrape singers and bands such as Baha Men have gained massive popularity in Japan, the United States and elsewhere. While Bahamian music continues to be enjoyed by the Bahamian public, with singers such as Ronnie Butler, "King" Eric Gibson, K.B, and the Brilanders.
Early recordings of Bahamian sea chantys, Ring play, and spirituals, can be heard in recordings made by Alan Lomax
[edit] Film
The Bahamas has long been a coveted location for films due to its beautiful environment, and cheap taxation and duty laws.
Film makers have gone to the island chain since 1916, when a portion of 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea was shot there. More recent films include Flipper, My Father the Hero and the newly released Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest.
To date there has been a notable lack of ethnicly Bahamian films. However, a new generation of filmmakers are telling stories of the Bahamas. Thanks to the inception of the Bahamas International Film Festival (BIFF), there has been a rise in the number of ethnicly Bahamian films although none have been widely distributed.
[edit] African influences
African aspects of Bahamian culture are found in local cuisine, Bahamian Dialect and certain religious beliefs and practices. Foods such as okra, black-eyed peas (or moi-moi), benny (sesame seeds) and benny cakes are connected with Africa.
In Bahamian Dialect, some African words and expressions have been retained such as:
- yinna - you (plural) (Yoruba)
- jook (v.) - to stab or poke (Fulani).
- nanny -(v.n.)- feaces or the act of defeacation (probably of Congo origin, from the word nene, of similar meaning)
- cut eye - an expression found in many Caribbean and Atlantic creoles, meaning to glare literally squint or 'cut' your eyes
- Jumbay - meaning ghost,is related to the Congo word nzumbi of similar meaning,
- Yam - to eat, a word still in use in some southern and eastern islands, related to the African word nyam.
In addition, Haitian creole, which also has African roots, is widely spoken by Haitian migrants to the Bahamas.
Bahamian music has clear connections to African forms, the goombay drums, used at junkanoo and goombay fevtival have been traced to West African D'jembe drums and dances such as the fire dance and the ringplay can be traced to Africa. The fire dance has become a thing of the past, but before the 1940s, in the 'over the hill' section of New providence. African Bahamians, used to congragate at night time by fires and sing and dance. Dances were often secret as these were considered wild and unchristian. Fire dances did however become a tourist attraction and there were several performances at hotels in the 1940s and 1950s.
[edit] Religion and Spiritual beliefs
The Bahamas is a very religious country, often described by Bahamians as "a Christian nation."
It has been suggested that the Bahamas has one of the highest number of churches per capita in the world.
Various forms of Christianity are practiced in the islands. Baptists comprise the largest Christian denomination, followed by Anglicans, Catholics, Methodists and Seventh-day Adventists. Jehovah's Witnesses are also present.
In addition to established Christian denominations, a number of home-grown or 'over-the-hill' churches have developed.
Baptist and over-the-hill sermons are often lively, musical and interactive, with lots of hand-clapping, lively rhythms and passionate songs. It is not uncommon for some worshippers in Baptist and over-the-hill churches to 'get the spirit', a trance-like state induced by a moving sermon and characterised by fainting, speaking in tongues or dancing uncontrollably.
The Anglican Church in the Bahamas retains strong ties with other West Indian countries with which it shares its diocese, as well as African and Commonwealth of Nations branches.
While generally tolerant of other religious beliefs, the power of 'the Church' has at times clashed unpleasantly with various alternative lifestyles, most notably homosexuality. The film Brokeback Mountain has been banned in the Bahamas and gay cruises have been met by protests.
In addition, the largely hidden and rarely-mentioned practice of Obeah, is still said to persist. Obeah is a type of sorcery, which is sometimes compared with Haitian voodoo although, in practice, the two are quite different. The most visible sign of Obeah practice is bottles, containing mixtures, tied to fruit trees and fences to prevent stealing. Obeah has African origins and its name is thought to derive from an African word. It is also said to be related to Wanga, Cuban sentira and voodoo.
[edit] Local practices
[edit] Story Telling
Story telling and folklore played a large role in traditional entertainment in Bahamian communities, particularly before modern television. Many of these highly amusing tales also carry wise lessons. Classic characters include B'bouki, B'rabbie, B'debil and Anancy. Bahamian storytelling has witnessed some revival, though the works of Patricia Glinton Meicholas and other authors.
[edit] Asue Draw
Asue draws are a form of savings. A group of people pay an agreed sum on a periodic basic (usually monthly). A trusted member of the community 'keeps the asue'. And each period one member of the group takes all the money that has been paid in (i.e. draws their 'hand'). When every contributor has had their hand or turn, the asue draw can stop or start again.
[edit] Bush Medicine
Many Bahamians, particularly in the Family Islands (the islands outside the capital of Nassau) use natural remedies or 'Bush medicine' to cure illnesses - from flus and colds to more complicated conditions such as diabetes (also referred to locally as "sugar"). 'Serasi', a bitter vine, that grows wild, along with aloe vera and 'love vine' are among the most widely used 'bushes'.
[edit] Arts
[edit] Straw weaving
Traditional crafts include straw work on most islands (each one having a unique plaiting or braiding style) creating beautiful hats and baskets.
This skill was useful when Bahamians led subsistence lifestyles, with baskets being used for carrying fruit and fishing traps. Today strawwork, and wood carvings, are produced and sold to tourists in Nassau's Straw Market.
[edit] Quilting
Quilting has been practiced on the island of Spanish Wells for generations.
[edit] Canvas Art
Beautiful landscapes and vibrant houses and peoples of the Bahamian archipelago have inspired many artists both native and foreign. Some notable Bahamian artists include Amos Ferguson, Eddie Minnis, Brent Malone, Jackson Burnside, John Beadle and John Cox.
