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Jamaican culture represents a rich blend of cultures that have since inhabited the island. Spanish and British settlers, and West African slaves brought cultural elements, as did East Asian and Indian immigrants who came to the island as indentured servants.
Tainos
The biggest areas of influence of the Taino Indians on Jamaica was in language and foods. In fact, Jamaica's name comes from the Taino name for the island, Xaymaca: the "land of wood and water." Other words include:
- Cohiba - the Taino word for tobacco.
- Tabaco - the Taino word for the pipe from which they smoked.
- Hamaca - the Taino word for hammocks, which they used as beds.
Foods included cassava, maize, waterfowl, and, of course, seafood. The Tainos' diet became the diet of the early Spanish settlers, and the native plants have remained over time, though iguanas and manatees are not a part of the current Jamaican diet.
Rastafari
The best know side of Jamaican culture is reggae music, and the Rastafarians who are recognised all over the world for playing what is a distinctively syncopated style that arose from another Jamaican sound, ska. Bob Marley, from Kingston, is doubtless the best known performer of this style. But not every Rastafarian plays reggae music, and not every reggae listener is Rastafarian.
Rastafarianism is a religion based on the Christian King James Bible. The Bible is read in an Ethiopianist fashion, and adherents believe in the Emperor Haile Selassie of Ethiopia as an avatar of God, or Jah. Marcus Garvey and a back-to-Africa movement both inspired this religion.
Some "rastas" wear their hair in dreadlocks. Others only eat food that is I-tal, which is somewhat similar to a vegan diet where certain foods are avoided. However, there is not a well-defined dogma in Rastafarianism.
Dance
Dance has always been important on Jamaica - from colonial times until the present. Early folk dances often served religious purposes, or were associated with religious holidays. More recently, dances have become associated with the music of Jamaica, particularly dancehall styles.
More than 30 distinctive Jamaican dances have been identified, with seven main styles. These styles are Maroon, Myal, Kumina, Revival, Rastafari, Jonkonnu, and Hosay.* Jonkonnu and Hosay are considered secular dances, despite the performance of Jonkonnu around Christmas time. Possibly the best-known Revival (religious) style is Pukkumina, which still exists today.
Dance theater is also growing in importance. Rex Nettleford, Eddy Thomas, and Edna Manley are three Jamaicans whose influences on the arts - 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.
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.
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.
See also
- For more information on Jamaican music, see Music of Jamaica.
- For more information on the National Gallery of Jamaica, see National Gallery of Jamaica.
- For more information on Jamaican literature, see Jamaican literature.
- For more information on Rasta, see Rastafari movement.
- For more information on the patois, see Jamaican English.
External links
- Island Thresholds, Peabody Essex Museum’s interactive feature, showcases the work of contemporary Caribbean artists and their exploration of identity, culture, and social justice.
- Jamaica Guide - Culture
Further reading
Mordecai, Martin and Pamela. Culture and Customs of Jamaica. Greenwood Press. 2001.
"Culture of Jamaica"