Unit 4 - Caribbean Identity

and Culture

SOCI 1002: Introduction to Sociology

E-tutor Presentation
African Retention, Creole Culture
and Caribbean Cultural Forms

 Music
 Dance
 Folklores
 Religion
 Language
 Fashion
 Music
Caribbean music genres are
diverse and has a lot of rhythm
and beat. They are each
influenced by African,
European, Indian and
Indigenous. Some of the styles
include:
 calypso, soca, reggae
bouyon, cadence-lypso,
compas, punta and
reggaeton.
Caribbean music has a lot of
rhythm and beat. It involves
the use of instruments such as:
 Tambourine, Banjos,
Bamboo Flutes, Rattles,
"Ilimba" also known as an
African Xlyophone
Dance

 Caribbean dance and

music complement each
other. In fact, dance
styles are frequently
named after the music
that inspired them. For
example, music played
in clubs throughout
Jamaica frequently
serve as the impetus for
new styles. These new
styles often quickly
change after their
inception. Sometimes,
new styles are named
after songs.
Dance Cont’d

Dances in the Caribbean

include:
 Ballet,
 Ballroom,
 Street dancing.
 Salsa
 Tango
 Meringue
 Rumba
 Beguine
Formal Dance
 Jamaican jonkonnu
dancing
Folklores

 Folklores are verbally

communicated beliefs,
practices, tales and
myths, of a people.
 Many of the folklores
were brought to the
Caribbean by Africans.
They include:
 Story-telling- Anancy
Stories (Nancy Stories)
was transferred from west
Africa to the Caribbean.
Folklores Cont’d
In addition, African religious figures encompass a major part of
Caribbean folklore. Supernatural folklore figures possessing
characteristics, which are identical with those of African
deities, and include:
 Duppy- A duppy can be either the manifestation (in human
or animal form) of the soul of a dead person, or a
malevolent supernatural being.
 La Diablesse- This is the devil woman, sometimes
personified as an old crone, who steps forth with her cloven
hoof from behind a tree on an isolated road with the sound
of chains mingling with the rustle of her petticoat.
 Papa Bois- He appears in a number of different forms,
sometimes as a deer, or hairy and though very old,
extremely strong and muscular, with cloven hoofs and
leaves growing out of his beard.
Religion

 Christianity – originated
in varying forms or
versions over several
centuries in the region.
 Hinduism – came to the
region with the
indentured East Indian
immigrants during
the period 1838 – 1917.
 Islam – was first brought
to the Caribbean by the
enslaved Mandingo
peoples of Africa.
Religion Cont’d

 African Syncretic Religions –

African religions came to
the New World with the
enslaved Africans. such as:
Santería, Revivalism, Obeah
and Voodoo.
 Rastafarianism - During the
18th century a religious
force had developed in the
USA which looked to the
biblical references to
Ethiopia as a means of
challenging the myth that
blacks were destined to be
‘beasts of burden’.
Language
 Most of the languages spoken in the
Caribbean are European languages,
they are: English, French, Spanish
and Dutch. There are also a number
European language-based creoles
and local patois used informally in
each country, which is a direct
influence of the diverse African
influence from the different tribes.
 English- The official language of:
Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda,
Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, British
Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands,
Dominica, Grenada, Guyana,
Jamaica, Montserrat, Puerto Rico,
Saba, St. Eustatius, St. Kitts and
Nevis, St. Lucia, St. Maarten, St.
Vincent and the Grenadines,
Trinidad and Tobago, Turks and
Caicos Islands, U.S. Virgin Islands
Language Cont’d
 Spanish- the official language of Cuba, Dominican
Republic, and Puerto Rico
 French- the official language of Guadeloupe, Haiti,
Martinique, St. Barthelemy, and St. Martin
 Dutch- the official language of Aruba, Bonaire, Curaçao,
Saba, St. Eustatius and St. Maarten
 Haitian Creole- the official language of Haiti
 Papiamento- a Portuguese and Spanish-based Creole
language) (official language of Aruba, Bonaire and
Curaçao
Fashion

 Clothing worn in the

Caribbean is as diverse
as the people. The
tropical weather and
ethnic influences shape
the Caribbean
wardrobe.
An examination of Caribbean Identity
and Culture

Below is a link to a
YouTube video that
examines the
Caribbean Identity
and Culture:
 https://www.yout
ube.com/watch?v
=L0iv-hUsQTs
Reflection

What impact does globalization have on African retention,

creole culture and Caribbean cultural forms?
References
 Beckwith, Martha Warren (1929). Black Roadways: A
Study of Jamaican Folk Life. Chapel Hill: The University
of North Carolina Press.
 Gramley, Stephan., Pätzold, Kurt-Michael. (2003). A
survey of modern English: The Languages of the
Caribbean.
 Loftman, Beryl I. (1953). Creole Languages Of The
Caribbean Area, New York: Columbia University
 Sanatan, A (2013). CBNS101 - Caribbean Identity and
Culture.
 Taylor, Douglas. (1977). Languages of the West Indies,
London: Johns Hopkins University Press