Kromanti dance or Kromanti play (capitalised to Kromanti Dance or Kromanti Play) is a Jamaican Maroon religious ceremony practiced by

Jamaican Maroons Jamaican Maroons descend from Africans who freed themselves from slavery on the Colony of Jamaica and established communities of free black people in the island's mountainous interior, primarily in the eastern parishes. Africans who were ensl ...

. It is rooted in traditional African music and religious practices, especially those of the Akan people of Ghana. The name ''Kromanti'' (or

Coromantee Coromantee, Coromantins, Coromanti or Kormantine (derived from the name of the Ghanaian slave fort Fort Kormantine in the Ghanaian town of Kormantse, Central Ghana) is an English-language term for enslaved people from the Akan ethnic group, t ...

) derives from

Kormantin Fort Amsterdam, is a former slave fort in Abandze, Central region, Ghana. It was built by the English between 1638 and 1645 as Fort Cormantin or Fort Courmantyne, and was captured by admiral Michiel de Ruyter of the Dutch West India Company in ...

(or Cormantin ) where a historical slave fort in the coast of Ghana was located. Many slaves shipped to

Jamaica Jamaica (; ) is an island country situated in the Caribbean Sea. Spanning in area, it is the third-largest island of the Greater Antilles and the Caribbean (after Cuba and Hispaniola). Jamaica lies about south of Cuba, and west of His ...

during the Atlantic Slave trade originated from present–day

Ghana Ghana (; tw, Gaana, ee, Gana), officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country in West Africa. It abuts the Gulf of Guinea and the Atlantic Ocean to the south, sharing borders with Ivory Coast in the west, Burkina Faso in the north, and To ...

West Africa West Africa or Western Africa is the westernmost region of Africa. The United Nations defines Western Africa as the 16 countries of Benin, Burkina Faso, Cape Verde, The Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Ivory Coast, Liberia, Mali, M ...

.Prahlad, Anand, ''Reggae Wisdom: Proverbs in Jamaican Music'', Univ. Press of Mississippi (2001), p. 276,

(Retrieved 4 April 2019)Bilby, Kenneth, ''The Kromanti Dance of the Windward Maroons of Jamaica'', Nieuwe West-Indische Gids, 55/1&2 (1981), p. 52-102 The pure form of Kromanti dance is not one of those contemporary dances of Jamaica, neither is it a Jamaican party or hall dance, but a

sacred dance Sacred dance is the use of dance in religious ceremonies and rituals, present in most religions throughout history and prehistory. Its connection with the human body and fertility has caused it to be forbidden by some religions; for example, some ...

based on the tenets of traditional African religious practices. Although the dance has influenced some aspects of Jamaican culture, and is still practiced today, the religious aspects of the dance are no longer performed as in the past—due to Jamaican Maroons' conversion to

Christianity Christianity is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth. It is the world's largest and most widespread religion with roughly 2.38 billion followers representing one-third of the global pop ...

.Bilby, Kenneth, ''Caribbean Crucible'' nRepercussion: ''A Celebration of African-American Music'' (ed. Geoffrey Haydon and Dennis Marks), p. 130 n

Academia.edu Academia.edu is a for-profit open repository of academic articles free to read by visitors. Uploading and downloading is restricted to registered users. Additional features are accessible only as a paid subscription. Since 2016 various social ...

(Retrieved 4 April 2019) Despite its modern twist, it is still concerned with solving problems of day-to-day life, such as illnesses resulting from spirit possessions, infidelity, and any other life problems. The Maroon (people), Maroons viewed Kromanti dance as a form of

metaphor A metaphor is a figure of speech that, for rhetorical effect, directly refers to one thing by mentioning another. It may provide (or obscure) clarity or identify hidden similarities between two different ideas. Metaphors are often compared wi ...

ical warfare, a protection on a spiritual level rather than a physical one.Taylor, Patrick; Case, Frederick I.; ''The Encyclopedia of Caribbean Religions: Volume 1: A - L; Volume 2: M - Z'',

University of Illinois Press The University of Illinois Press (UIP) is an American university press and is part of the University of Illinois system. Founded in 1918, the press publishes some 120 new books each year, plus 33 scholarly journals, and several electronic proje ...

(2013), pp. 476-81

(Retrieved 4 April 2019)

Rituals

The ritualistic aspects of Kromanti dance involves a "distinctive music and dance styles" which is "centered around Spirit possession, possession by

ancestral spirits The veneration of the dead, including one's ancestors, is based on love and respect for the deceased. In some cultures, it is related to beliefs that the dead have a continued existence, and may possess the ability to influence the fortune of t ...

."Bilby, Kenneth, ''Caribbean Crucible'' nRepercussion: ''A Celebration of African-American Music'' (ed. Geoffrey Haydon and Dennis Marks), p. 132 n

(Retrieved 4 April 2019) Some of the surviving elements derived from African tradition are ''Country'', a music style that uses a Drums in communication, drum language like the Dondo, in order to play songs and proverbs; and healing, which is achieved through a

rhythm Rhythm (from Greek , ''rhythmos'', "any regular recurring motion, symmetry") generally means a " movement marked by the regulated succession of strong and weak elements, or of opposite or different conditions". This general meaning of regular re ...

ic dance,

music Music is generally defined as the art of arranging sound to create some combination of form, harmony, melody, rhythm or otherwise expressive content. Exact definitions of music vary considerably around the world, though it is an aspe ...

, and possession. Like "many other African-derived healing ceremonies, a possessed medium attends to patients, employing song, dance, sacrifice, and

herbal remedies Herbal medicine (also herbalism) is the study of pharmacognosy and the use of medicinal plants, which are a basis of traditional medicine. With worldwide research into pharmacology, some herbal medicines have been translated into modern remedies ...

." The Kromanti dance usually begins after nightfall and continues until daybreak. After several hours, the dance losses its recreational momentum and the chief "fete-man" (ritual specialist, similar to an African high priest) becomes possessed.

References

{{Afro-American Religions Afro-American religion Afro-Jamaican culture Obeah Religion in Jamaica Akan culture

Rituals

See also

References