By Mel Cooke, Freelance WriterWESTERN BUREAU:
THERE WAS a sprig of mistletoe hanging from the leafy arch at the entrance to Redbones the Blues Cafe' on Saturday night.
It was not there for the kissing, as is standard in the Christmas season, but as a symbol the Maroon presence that night as Scott's Hall, Portland, came to Braemar Avenue, New Kingston, with 'Drums of Defiance'.
It was not a concocted concert, designed to entertain, but more a transfer of the traditional dances of the Maroon community to the small space in the big city. And there was a healthy serving of education about the Maroon way of life as well, with Colonel Prehay explaining the significance of the mistletoe, which was also hung from a low twig of the tree that hangs across the Redbones stage.
"It is also a peace weed. We always travel with our weed, for it represents our ambush," he said.
THE 'MONKEY' PLAYED BASS
The Colonel also explained the drums on stage, which provided the music for the dancers. The 'monkey' played bass, two 'gumbes' provided the treble, the 'cota tick' was a bamboo joint played with long pieces of stick and two pieces of iron that were wrapped together 'represent our muskets and our rifles'.
Of course, there was also the abeng, which was critical to the music as well as the entire proceedings.
Added to that was a sampling of Maroon food, including rundown, that was available during intermission.
The dances were done to call and response chants, which were raised by the older Maroons and immediately echoed by the dancers, drummers and 'chorus line' which stood behind the players of instruments. A microphone was a concession to the change in location.
LADY IN PURPLE
The dancing was communal, with shifting pairings dancing together, but hardly ever touching. There was hardly any consideration to gender and age gap, although there was a dominant, older woman in purple who was the last to leave the performance area at the end of the proceedings.
It was this lady in purple who got on her hands and knees twice to crawl rhythmically on the ground, passing between the legs of a few dancers in the process. Princess, elegant in red, hosted the evening, giving insight into Maroon life along the way. She was especially proud of the children, who she led out after the intermission. She spoke of going to Scott's Hall and seeing them practising under bottle torch light. "These children do not have television. On a Saturday night they would be under a tree drumming and dancing. In this day and age, when you can have children listening to duppy story, learning the history from their grandfathers -," Princess said proudly.
