Kumina

 What is Kumina?
Kumina is an Afro-Jamaican religious belief system and practice which took form particularly in the
1850s with the influx of African indentured immigrants from the Congo region of Central Africa during
the immediate post-emancipation period.

 Emergence in the Caribbean:

The movement formulated in the 1850s with the influx of African indentured immigrants from the
Congo region of Central Africa during the immediate post-emancipation period. Kumina evolved
strongest in St. Thomas where it is said that a large percentage of the immigrants settled. However over
the years and through migration the practice has spread to areas in Kingston, St. Catherine, St. Mary and
Portland.

 Characteristics:
The most significant aspect of Kumina involves the ceremony, which involves communication with
ancestral spirits and incorporates singing, dancing, music and sacrificial offerings. The music is created
by the use of the drums

 The Kbandu an
 The Playing Cast,

which are played astride and accompanied by shakas, graters and catta sticks.

The music accompanies singing, which holds different degrees of significance for Kumina ceremonies.
Bailo are songs in Jamaican creole it is the less sacred, aspects of Kumina ceremonies, while Country
involves the use of the Ki-kongo language and for communicating with the spirits to give them support
to take over the bodies of devotees. Dancing completes the ritual and involves movement with an erect
back posture in a circular pattern anti-clockwise, around the drummers, gyrating hips as the feet inch
along the ground.

The combination of singing, dancing and music often create an environment conducive to spiritual
possession, a significant phenomenon in Kumina, known as Mayal. This is when the spirit of the Gods,
sky, earth-bound and ancestral spirits takes control of the dancer’s body causing them to become an
instrument through which the spirit world communicates with the earthly domain. In this state the dancer
loses control of his/her own speech and movement and can appear to be in a trance.
A Kumina table is another important part of the Kumina ceremony and consists of a number of items
used to satisfy and honour the spirits. Water, sugared water, wine, rice, rum, flowers, fruits, cake,
bread candles, bottles of aerated drink are often present. Candles of various colours such as blue,
white, green, red, black are used to symbolize different occasions and to invite spirits in personal and
mutual circumstances. During ceremonies when interaction with the spirit takes place, animal sacrifices
are usually made.

Kumina ceremonies are held for different reasons - surrounding the death of a person, tombing,
weddings, and anniversaries, to drive out evil spirits from those possessed, to ask for advice in important
matters, for healing and to free individuals from evil spells. Ceremonies can also be held for persons
who seek help in problems and need guidance. In most cases a table is raised and a feast is prepared to
provide food and treats for the spirit and for the people attending the ceremony.

 Impact on the Carribbean:

Kumina has fused into several aspects of Caribbean culture and is responsible for some of the
hybridization which has occurred. Kumina has influenced the following:

 Music [rhythms and beats]

 Religion [Kumina as a religion itself]
 Dance
 Instruments [drums,graters and shakas]
 Rastafari

 What is Rastafari?
The movement as a collective whole, and the combined expression "Jah Ras Tafari" refers specifically
to Emperor Haile Selassie I, the deity. Rastas often replace the title Jah with Rastafari, a designation
coined by the early founders of the movement (especially Leonard Howell), who recognized Emperor
Haile Selassie I-Ras Tafari, an imperial title used by Ethiopian emperors- as divine. Rastas often argue
that every true black person is "Rasta, " a category that suggests unity and connectedness to Africa
rather than cultic or religious affiliation.

 Emergence in the Caribbean:

The movement emerged in Jamaica among working-class and peasant black people in the early
1930s,arising from an interpretation of Biblical prophecy partly based on Selassie's status as the only
African monarch of a fully independent state, with the titles King of Kings and Conquering Lion of
Judah (Revelation 5:5).

 Characteristics:
Religion wise:

A few Rastas have spoken about Rastafari as though it is a reform movement within Christianity.

Examples:

 Rastafarian sistren (the term is always used in the plural) Imani Nyah says, "We are African-
centered Christians who proclaim that Ethiopia is Judah, and that Christ was manifested in the
person of His Imperial Majesty Haile Selassie."
 In a letter to the Jamaica Sunday Herald, another sistren and political activist, Barbara Blake-
Hannah, noted quite correctly that "members of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church are Christians"
and that "the Church proudly claims to be a strong and founding member of denominational
Christianity." But then she added, "Among them are many persons who have come to see Christ
through Rastafari. Indeed, the words Ras (Tafari) mean head = Christ, and, therefore, any man
who claims that he is a Ras, must identity himself with Christ," for "Haile Selassie means: Power
of the Trinity, which Trinity is the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit"
  The Rastas have utilized the spiritual use of cannabis and various Afrocentric social and political
aspirations, such as the teachings of Jamaican publicist, organiser, and black separatist Marcus
Garvey (also often regarded as a prophet), whose political and cultural vision helped inspire a
new world view.
 Many Rastafarians follow an ital diet which essentially means living by the dietary Laws of
Leviticus and Deuteronomy in the Old Testament.
 Dreadlocks- Dreadlocks were seen as emblematic of Rastafarian beliefs, and the style follows
biblical admonitions against cutting hair or becoming bald.
 Marijuana- considered to be the Bible's "holy herb" and is taken as sacrament by many Rastas.
The practice is said to be the key to understanding the universe and God. It was brought to
Jamaica by indentured servants from the East Indies.

 Impact on the Caribbean:

1. The trend of locking the hair.
2. The use of marijuana
3. Diet [vegetarianism]
4. Music and rhythms [use of drums]
5. Garments and style of dress
6. Belief