Kumina in Jamaica

Kumina is both a dance and an African derived religion in Jamaica that is primarily based on african immigrants from the Congo-Angola region in west-central Africa. The region provided Jamaica with the 3rd largest African population in the country. This video gives some insight into Kumina. Please enjoy. I am not sure where the original source of this clip is from. If anyone knows this documentary or new reports please forward the information. I would like to get my hands on a copy. Thanks!!
No copyright infringement intended. Unaware of original source.
This is strictly for educational purposes

[@lorriann6628]

My mom walked by as I'm watching this and starts crying, apparently this is where she grew up. She always talks about kumina. She recognized multiple people in the video. The Man playing the drum in blue used to baby sit my older brothers!! His name is Mass Sam(another way of saying Mr Sam). OMG small world. She said thank you whomever posted this.

[@seanreid2986]

Ask your mom what is the name of the lady singing

[@spiritualchild321]

Malembe kentu (hello) that's Queenie singing with friends. Me and this group all represent the st Thomas association of maroons kumina and spirituality SAMKS.

[@mightyrem]

songoma rituals Malembe kentu, is this the bikongo language?

[@spiritualchild321]

Yes romel this is the Congo language. We talk and sing in this language usually at kumina events and things and rituals.

[@mightyrem]

songoma rituals does SAMKS or yourself have an email address I could I could contact you/them on if possible

[@bcom11]

this make me so happy to see. jamaicans preserving our african roots. we need more learning about this.

[@omalone1169]

bcom11 apparently there is a bailo and then a country version. I am still learning . So far I know that Desmond Puesey and Jackie Guy teach it in UK

[@PLEASANTGIFFT]

Yes...

[@gatheringleaves]

If anyone wants more info about Kumina and post emancipation immigration from Africa into Jamaica I highly recommend Alas, Alas, Kongo by Monica Schuler published in 1980

[@mavoungoukelanou8045]

Kumina means arrived. Ma Ndombé (mama wa ndombi) means black mother which is a female divinity in the Kongo kingdom. Yetu na Yetu means between us That's what I understand in this song. I'm happy to know that I got my bakongo people in Jamaica. I love Jamaicans ❤️

[@NoJa.]

Same I’m congolese and I can pick out similarities in our cultures

[@carsade]

sorry what language is this, slaves came from Congo? my Congolese friend dont know dis

[@mavoungoukelanou8045]

@@carsade they are using some kikongo words. Congo is big and we have so many languages. Maybe your Congolese friend is not from the Kongo tribe or he simply don't speak the language.

[@carsade]

@@mavoungoukelanou8045 apologies i meant she is not aware of slaves coming fron Congo just west africa or maybe its just, not on about the language

[@mavoungoukelanou8045]

@@carsade ooh ok I get you. They mostly took slaves in west and Central Africa.

[@Stonygut1865]

That's my late Aunt Zilla (Gully Queen) and her daughter my cousin Beryl (both women being interviewed) there! I miss those kumina days in Jamaica!

[@renaebruce-miller]

FitzRoy send me an email at [e-mail] let's connect

[@kendellflemimg3453]

Big up gully queen

[@seanreid2986]

What were their full names, your aunt and cousin. And are they still alive today?

[@Stonygut1865]

@@seanreid2986 Actually, the older woman is my grand aunt; my mother's aunt. I knew her as Zilla Beckford. We affectionately called her Aunt Zill or Aunt Zilla. Her daughter Beryl's last name I don't remember at this point but I will ask her daughter who now resides in Florida. Both Aunt Zilla and her daughter Beryl have long been deceased.

[@howishabuchanan9857]

Beyral MacFarlane (orange head scarf) and Zola Beckford (red scarf) and they are mother and daughter. My grand aunt and great grandmother. ❤

[@niveauzanda5424]

Wow she said yétu na yétu 😯😯 that's my kongo language tho.

[@seanreid2986]

This is so beautiful , but I think the government should do more in educating and preserving our culture .

[@jamaicandrilla4005]

It's sad that Christianity is/was forced on us but we still preserve our cultural. And another thing I notice when I was small and when I used to travel to my grand parents house in St Mary I used to experience this on the regular and I was so comfortable with it as to going to Sunday school and that always made me wonder....

[@marilynlawson8216]

Three Jamaican folk dances I remember learning about. are Brukkings, Ettu, and Kumina!

[@jamaicandrilla4005]

Don't forget Dinki mini

[@marilynlawson8216]

@@jamaicandrilla4005, thank you so much for the reminder.

[@theunstoppableone3515]

The Lady that is chanting the song is my Aunt.

[@BabaRoots-ti9ie]

I need her link to share our culture Ghana 🇬🇭 Jamaica 🇯🇲 Africa ❤. Thanks

[@princessmoon2656]

So I’m on a search to find out my ancestry & heritage. My grandparents are from Saint Thomas, JA & they look exactly like these people & the Congolese which the Kumina came from. I’m so happy I came across this.

[@claudettestewart3711]

Seeing this reminds me of my Great Aunt Claire, Mother Clarke, & my Mother. All practiced this form of African Spirituality.

[@matthewreid6240]

My dad bishop reid use to have an African session at his revival church in lime hall st. Ann also at Holt close in Kingston,these kumina dancing and chanting was a part of the worship.

[@omoz189]

Very insightful 👏 I had to get up to dance in mark of respect for my Ancestors 🙏 My background I am from the Urhobo people in southern Nigeria in Delta State Congo an Cameroon are neighbours to Nigeria 🇳🇬

[@Bestlifestyle32]

My mom is in this video Rip mom. This is Middleton Charles town, miss berel singing I miss these people even miss ansil

[@rosemariewatkiss7414]

I love kumina ❤❤🇯🇲🇯🇲🇯🇲

[@Bestlifestyle32]

Seeing this just bring back a lot of memories, to see my mom, and uncle when they were young. Also the older people that grew me miss beryl also miss ansyl trust me brings tears rest in peace my mom “minna”

[@spiritualking3271]

My condolences to you . Any of the player and dancers are any still alive?

[@rogerengland2821]

Wonderful thing to keep the spirit of your ancestors relevant in these stagnant times. Amazing video documentary.

[@spiritualchild321]

Malembe kentu Mumbaka (hello friends this is our kumina) songs: 'madombe', 'white sandals'. The st Thomas association of maroons kumina and spirituality SAMKS

[@mamisa7626]

Do you know what MANDOMBE means? is Black in KIKONGO

[@mamisa7626]

Malembe means slow, slowly

[@IyamSoRaya]

dee Jay- 01 we literally come from EVERY country that is between the senegambian region on down to angola.... and on the eastern region we have ancestry in southern Tanzania on down to Mozambique. This also includes Madagascar. Jamaicans literally are pan African by blood. It really annoys me when only the ashanti/akan and igbo are given credit. It really does irk me lol. We are also from Benin too as you mentioned... we are from all over.

[@jamaicandrilla4005]

Your so right and I agree with you.That's why they couldn't build a language but a dialect because of the different mixture of people that was either capture/stole/sold and brought to Jamaica.

[@lucianoescobar9979]

Beautiful !! Kumina is so similar to our bèlè in Martinique

[@lundyniam4594]

Beautiful. Appreciate this

[@zakialionofjudah6614]

she sing like akan ashanti

[@omalone1169]

Jely.k Beauty secret funny the song at the ends sounds like a mento. It would've have been curious to hear miss lou speak on this although I imagine carolyn cooper knows quite a bit

[@mansuekimilandu6661]

Yes these are bakongo but even Alan people originally come from kingdom of kongo dia ntotela before they lived in Ghana . They are mixer two people's the pigyme and bakongo

[@mavoungoukelanou8045]

Nope, that's a Bakongo rhythm. And I can understand some of the things she said, for example the yétu na yétu in the song.

[@IyamSoRaya]

We have Akan ancestry yes but not just.... we are as Congolese as we are Ghanaian. Let's not give only one credit. Congo deserves such since it singlehandedly influenced the entire western hemisphere. Literally every black population in the western hemisphere has Congolese roots among others.

[@simoneb3837]

Bless up 🇯🇲🇯🇲

[@theunstoppableone3515]

My grandmother is also in this video.

[@JennirrenUnedited1]

i went to a Kumina session in Jamaica last year and it was so interesting. i would like to learn more.

[@rantsinpatwa]

Jenni rren Unedited I want to go .. hopefully they will allow me to document it.

[@JennirrenUnedited1]

They will. I was able to record and there was no problem. I will send you the link if you wish..

[@rantsinpatwa]

Jenni rren Unedited please send the link. I told my professor who taught Africa Religion in the Americas that I would make a documentary about Kumina. I haven't made it back to ja for any extended time yet but I still plan on doing it.

[@JennirrenUnedited1]

Can i have your email address so I can send footage

[@rantsinpatwa]

Jenni rren Unedited my email is: [e-mail] thanks in advance.

[@j-itisnacks]

If you stood still while watching this, you're out of tune.

[@LordHaveMurcielago]

Not going to lie… I’ve watched a few of these west African culture videos and once I hear the drumming and singing i immediately felt my knees and feet desire to start moving. Lol

[@soniadrummond2169]

Wow wow great! ❤

[@tostoamico7759]

so they came from the anterior of congo?they are singing about mayi ndombe(the dark / black water). i think somebody from kongo can understand what they are saying i think that they are bakongo..

[@mackgoliath5286]

i know kumina is in kongo arrived

[@mansuekimilandu6661]

Yes these are bakongo but even Alan people originally come from kingdom of kongo dia ntotela before they lived in Ghana . They are mixer two people's the pigyme and bakongo.

[@omalone1169]

Mansueki Milandu any idea what song they are singing

[@mavoungoukelanou8045]

@@omalone1169 due to the time they have spent in Jamaica, I guess there is a modification and evolution of the language but what I've been able to understand is Kumina which means arrived, ma ndombé (mama wa ndombi) which means black mother (a female divinity in the Kongo kingdom) and yetu na yetu which means between us/among us. I will show the video to my mother who can speak a very good Kongo language and I'm sure she will tell me more about what she understands.

[@kwakumt623]

Very deep

[@shenelleduncan3890]

Beautiful welcome home 🐍

[@theunstoppableone3515]

Prime Minister Edward Seaga could have given more detail on this video. My grandmother use to dance Khumina for Mr. Seaga it's a pity they are all decease. I'm sorry I did not get a lot of information on it but I know persons who still live in St. Thomas where my Aunt and Grandmother is from my dad still lives there.

[@spiritualking3271]

See if you can gather information and make a short videos are write a book. Mr Seaga was going to do a documentary on revivalist church and kumina but unfortunately he pass.

[@Barrerahaddadariel]

What does mean the word mapale? I heard in the chorus of kumina song

[@dominicd2063]

I'm bouncing in my seat. This is some riddim!

[@d15355]

These are originaly makonde people of central africa to east africa they are from congo drc and little bit of angola these are mokonde drums or ngoma in kiswahili

[@rosemariewatkiss8365]

🇯🇲🇯🇲🇯🇲🇯🇲🇯🇲

[@chinoisuzu8104]

vive kongo

[@LordHaveMurcielago]

The killing of the goat was done for my grandfather's funeral. Is this practice specific to Kumina or do the ashanti and yoruba do it too?

[@spiritualchild321]

The killing of the goat is done by any group or tribe. It's a accepted sacrifice to the ancestors

[@steveghany5060]

Yes it is done in the yoruba tradition as well here in trinidad we offer a goat for many diffrent aspects as well as for our ancestors

[@thehoneyeffect]

They let me make friends with the goat 🐐 Rodney and then I saw them stringing up the goat… I wondered what they were doing??? (being a 10yr old Jamaican British kid in Jamaica) they killed Rodney 😭 Me and my little cousins cried But when we stop cry, they finish cook Rodney We felt guilty But bwoy him did taste sweet yuh see! All the guilt melted away, so fresh 😋🤤 bless you Rodney lol

[@tvs9978]

@@thehoneyeffect I have the same story as a child. 🤣🤣🤣What disloyal friends we were

[@RayFamilyreality]

I have the same story as an American child born into a Jamaican family, only I couldn’t eat the goat or the chicken. I actually went vegetarian for damn near 4 months and my mom was so annoyed with trying to feed me other things until I forgot about how meat actually makes it to my plate. Memories lol!

[@biancabonner1383]

The woman dem inna myal to the end

[@rosemariewatkiss7414]

🇯🇲🇯🇲🇯🇲🔥🇯🇲♥️♥️

[@domyandersongarcia3248]

Kukumina royaume KONGO. Man n'ngolee ( n'ngolo) Angola. N'nzambi yaame.

[@omalone1169]

Why does he says 19th century as I thought the Zaire I fluency was from 1700s. Also I'm assuming Ghana is first as I randomly read somewhere it was 47% , whilst the next place was 17%

[@rantsinpatwa]

omalone11 the last batch of Africans brought to Jamaica in significant numbers came from the congo. They were concentrated in specific parts of Jamaica. Ghana/gold coast largest, nigeria second largest and congo/angola third largest number of africans that populate Jamaica.

[@omalone1169]

Rant Jamaica jamaica-gleaner.com/article/art-leisure/20160124/how-anthology-african-jamaican-culture-was-created ps miss me with the Nigeria part 🤣

[@thinkforyourself1116]

@@omalone1169 RJ, is correct in his general assessment, although I will add That a lot of Jamaicans have roots from the old Dahamoney Kingdom too. That piece that you refer to in the Gleander doesn't cover everything. Many of the words we used are Igbo. Look up the Igbo uprising in St ELizabeth and then look up another set of Africans from Nigeria, the Yorubas . Check out Abeokuta in Westmoreland.

[@LordHaveMurcielago]

@@rantsinpatwa Would you happen to have any videos about the Tambu dance which is popular in Wakefield Trelawny. Apparently it stems from the people from Congo.

[@rogerengland2821]

@@thinkforyourself1116 which is right there was a greater concentration of Igbo (Ebo), Yaruba and perhaps Coramante people found on the western end of Jamaica due to how the slave traders did business. This is also evident in some language and other slight cultural differences found between the eastern and western parts of Jamaica.

[@carsade]

what di wiman singing? a patois cause mi nuh undastan a raas she a seh but unteresting