Culture of Jamaica

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Jamaican culture represents a rich blend of cultures that have inhabited the island. Spanish and British settlers, and West African slaves brought cultural elements, as did Chinese and Indian immigrants who came to the island as indentured workers. The common national language is English, heavily spiced with local idioms and Elizabethan usage.

Arawak (Taino) natives

The original inhabitants of the region were the Arawaks, now referred to as Tainos. The Arawaks were a subsistence culture, not organised farmers. They were primarily coast-dwelling fishermen. While it appears that some Taino survived the arrival of the Europeans, it's likely that there are now none living in Jamaica, and very little trace of their original culture.

Religion

By far the largest religious group in Jamaica is the Christian faith. The Anglican Church, and the Church of God are throughout the country, and many old churches have been carefully maintained and/or restored . Almost every musician in Jamaica has learned his or her craft in the Christian churches of Jamaica. The Rastafarian religion is a folk derivative of the larger Christian culture, likely influenced by Ethiopian Coptic culture. There are also a small number of Jewish synagogues in Jamaica, dating from 17th century. Elements of ancient witchcraft remain in remote areas, most of which practices are described generally as Obeah.

Rastafari

The best known side of Jamaican culture is its Christian music and the related reggae rhythms, and the Rastafari religion, who are recognized all over the world for playing what is a distinctively syncopated style that arose from earlier ska rhythms. Bob Marley, from Kingston, was a well-known pop reggae performer in the 1980s.

Rastafari is a local religion loosely based on some selected teachings of the Christian Bible. The Bible is read in an Ethiopian fashion, and adherents believe in the Emperor Haile Selassie of Ethiopia as the true descendant of Solomon.

Some Rastafari wear their hair in an untended, uncut condition called dreadlocks. Some also only eat food that is Ital (natural) where certain foods are avoided. However, there is not a single well-defined, literate, dogma of Rastafarianism.

Negro Culture vs. Black Culture

Although African-Jamaicans often refer to themselves as 'black', 'afro', or even 'dread', much early Jamaica history carries the descriptor 'Negro'. Jamaica maintains a strong respect for the pioneering work of Jamaican international business pioneer Marcus Garvey, the founder of the Universal Negro Improvement Association (UNIA). The early headquarters of the UNIA in Kingston has been restored by the Government of Jamaica, and it is open to the public. The main highway serving the industrial area of Kingston is Marcus Garvey Drive.

Dance

Dance has always been important on Jamaica - from colonial times until the present. Early folk rhythms and movements often enhanced Christian religious celebrations, or were associated with Christian holidays. More recently, dances have become associated with the music of Jamaica, particularly dancehall styles.

More than 30 distinctive Jamaican dances have been identified. According to the National Library of Jamaica, traditional Jamaican dances fall roughly under three categories: African derived, European derived and Creole. The Africa derived dance tradition is divided into two types: religious dances and social dances. Religious African dances, such as the ritualistic Kumina, Myal and Pocomania, are integral parts of worship ceremonies. The aim is to bring the dancers into the realm of the spiritual and heighten their readiness for possession. This part of Jamaica's African heritage has mainly been preserved by the Maroon Communities. Social African derived dances include Etu, Quadrille and Maypole (originally religious but now mainly social).

The Jamaican Creole dances integrate elements from both European and African cultures. Examples are Jonkonnu, Bruckin's, Revival, Pukkumina (possibly the best-known Revival (religious) style which still exists today) and Dinkie mini, a dance in the Wake Complex of traditional dances. Social dances that are European derived include those that accompanied work songs and ring games.

Dance is also represented during the Jamaican Hosay, a Caribbean East Indian festival. Jonkonnu and Hosay are considered secular dances, despite the performance of Jonkonnu around Christmas time.

Dance theater is also growing in importance. Rex Nettleford, Eddy Thomas, Olive Lewin, and Edna Manley are four Jamaicans whose influences on the arts - music and dance in particular - has been extremely important. Nettleford, Thomas, and Ivy Baxter formed the National Dance Theatre Company in the 1960s. Other important Jamaicans in dance theater have included the Tony-award-winning choreographer Garth Fagan (The Lion King on Broadway).

Dancehall, or ragga, music has inspired a number of dance styles as well. To understand the evolution of popular dance, it helps to understand the musical progression. Ska music, with fast beats, also had fast dances. The slow to rocksteady also developed slower dances, allowing dancers to stay on the floor longer. Reggae is associated with many things, including the Rastafarian movement, but influenced the newer styles. Dancehall music often creates its own dances based on moves in the lyrics of the songs themselves.

Theatre

Jamaica's earliest theatre was built in 1682. Several more theatres opened in the 1700s and 1800s, attracting performances by both professional touring companies and amateur groups. But performances weren't limited to official venues. Many took place in houses, stores, court houses, and enclosed outdoor spaces large enough to hold them. During this period, classic plays such as Shakespeare were most often produced. However, the Jewish and French communities became large enough to merit productions aimed at them, too.

After the abolition of slavery, Jamaicans began fusing music, humour, and dance into public theatrical performances. Although it took many years for true Jamaican styles to develop, eventually they became more prevalent than European works. Today's most popular theatrical form in Jamaica, pantomime, began in the 1940s as a fusion of English pantomime with Jamaican folklore. Another popular style, "roots" theatre, evolved in the 1960s and 1970s. These riotous bawdy tales full of sexual innuendo remain crowd favorites in Kingston's open-air theatres.

Literature and writing

Derek Walcott, a Nobel prize laureate, attended college in Jamaica. Other significant writers from the island include Claude McKay and Louis Simpson. Plays and works in Jamaican English, or patois, attract special attention. Louise Bennett, Andrew Salkey and Michael Smith have contributed to this phenomenon by writing works in patois. Ian Fleming wrote his famous James Bond novels while living in Jamaica. Jean Rhys is also well-known for her novel Wide Sargasso Sea, which was set in Jamaica. Jamiacan authors are always faced with the decision of writing in standard English for a huge world-wide audience, or in the local patois, for a much smaller, but more trendy, audience. Jamaica films with patois sound-tracks such as The Harder They Come require sub-titles for export to general markets. In general, the use of patois severely limits the potential audience for the otherwise universal Jamaican message.

Film

Jamaica's film industry is not widely known, but it is growing. The Harder They Come and Dancehall Queen are two of the best-known Jamaican movies. However, many popular Hollywood movies have also been filmed in Jamaica. A short list includes The Blue Lagoon, Cocktail, Cool Runnings and Bond-flick Live and Let Die.

Sport

Jamaicans, in general, have a large interest in sports. Cricket, football, dominoes, horse-racing are several popular sports. The Jamaica national cricket team competes regionally, and also provides players for the West Indies. The Jamaica National Football Team qualified for the 1998 FIFA World Cup. The Jamaican Bobsled Team has been a serious contender in the Winter Olympics, beating many well-established teams. Dominoes, which can be played by young and old together, is played everywhere.

Woodwork, Furniture, and Metalwork

Jamaicans have a long history of fine craftsmanship in wood and metal. Jamaica was home to many excellent furniture factories dating from colonial times, and Jamaican "Georgian' furniture was exported to the metropolitan countries.

References

^ The National Library of Jamaica (2003). Dances. Retrieved 17 January 2007.

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