Yuka is a secular

Afro-Cuban Afro-Cubans or Black Cubans are Cubans of West African ancestry. The term ''Afro-Cuban'' can also refer to historical or cultural elements in Cuba thought to emanate from this community and the combining of native African and other cultural el ...

musical tradition which involves drumming, singing and dancing. It was developed in western Cuba by

Kongo Congo or The Congo may refer to either of two countries that border the Congo River in central Africa: * Democratic Republic of the Congo, the larger country to the southeast, capital Kinshasa, formerly known as Zaire, sometimes referred to a ...

slaves during colonial times. Yuka predates other Afro-Cuban genres of dance music like

rumba The term rumba may refer to a variety of unrelated music styles. Originally, "rumba" was used as a synonym for "party" in northern Cuba, and by the late 19th century it was used to denote the complex of secular music styles known as Cuban rumba. ...

and has survived in Kongo communities of

Pinar del Río Pinar del Río is the capital city of Pinar del Río Province, Cuba. With a population of 139,336 (2004) in a municipality of 190,332, it is the List of cities in Cuba, 10th-largest city in Cuba. Inhabitants of the area are called ''Pinareños'' ...

, specifically in El Guayabo and Barbacoa, San Luis. Since the 1940s, yuka performances have been recorded by researchers such as

Harold Courlander Harold Courlander (September 18, 1908 – March 15, 1996) was an American novelist, folklorist, and anthropologist and an expert in the study of Haitian life. The author of 35 books and plays and numerous scholarly articles, Courlander specialize ...

and María Teresa Linares.Linares, María Teresa. 1981. Liner notes to ''Antología de la música afrocubana Vol. 5: Tambor yuka'' ecorded in 1978 EGREM: Havana, Cuba.

Music

Drumming

The

Bantu Bantu may refer to: *Bantu languages, constitute the largest sub-branch of the Niger–Congo languages *Bantu peoples, over 400 peoples of Africa speaking a Bantu language * Bantu knots, a type of African hairstyle *Black Association for National ...

word ''yuka'' means "to beat" and is also used to refer to the drums used in yuka performances. According to Fernando Ortiz, yuka drums were known in the

Kongo language Kongo or Kikongo is one of the Bantu languages spoken by the Kongo people living in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the Republic of the Congo, Gabon and Angola. It is a tonal language. It was spoken by many of those who were taken from th ...

as ''ngóma bobóla mámbu'', where ''ngóma'' means "drum", ''bobóla'' "deep sound" and ''mámbu'' "collective business". These drums are made from hollowed-out trunks of the

avocado The avocado (''Persea americana'') is a medium-sized, evergreen tree in the laurel family (Lauraceae). It is native to the Americas and was first domesticated by Mesoamerican tribes more than 5,000 years ago. Then as now it was prized for i ...

tree. Leather is nailed to one of the open ends, and the player hits the skin with both hands, the drum being slanted between his legs. The drums come in three sizes: *''caja'', the largest and lowest-pitched yuka drum; *''mula'', medium sized; *''cachimbo'', the smallest and highest-pitched drum, it is also known as ''tumba'', ''tumbador'', ''llamador'' or ''tahona''. Modern

conga drum The conga, also known as tumbadora, is a tall, narrow, single-headed drum from Cuba. Congas are staved like barrels and classified into three types: quinto (lead drum, highest), tres dos or tres golpes (middle), and tumba or salidor (lowest). ...

s, also known as ''tumbadoras'', may descend from the yuka drums. Rhythms may also be played on the drum body, the drummer using a small mallet or a stave in one hand, the other hand slapping the leather. The drummer wears two small rattles (''nkembí''), made of metal or gourds, on his wrists. The drums may be accompanied by staves on a ''

guagua Guagua, officially the Municipality of Guagua ( pam, Balen ning Guagua; tl, Bayan ng Guagua), is a 1st class municipality of the Philippines, municipality in the Philippine Province, province of Pampanga, Philippines. According to the 2020 cens ...

'' (hollow wooden slit drum) or the drum body, and by percussion on a piece of iron, the ''muela'' or a guataca (a hoe pick used for plowing). The yuka accompanied by this guataca bell plays a variation of the commonly used tresillo pattern.

Singing

Like most Afro-Cuban music, yuka singing is based on

call and response Call and response is a form of interaction between a speaker and an audience in which the speaker's statements ("calls") are punctuated by responses from the listeners. This form is also used in music, where it falls under the general category of ...

. Songs have a simple structure and sung phrases are generally short. There is a main motif over which singers are allowed to improvise.

Dance

The secular dance is performed by a couple as a stylised contest: the man chases, the woman avoids.Orovio, Helio 2003. ''Cuban music from A to Z''. p. 230. The origin of the yuka lies in western Cuba, particularly Matanzas and

, where it gave rise to the

yambú Rumba is a secular genre of Cuban music involving dance, percussion, and song. It originated in the northern regions of Cuba, mainly in urban Havana and Matanzas, during the late 19th century. It is based on African music and dance traditions, ...

style of rumba. There are several dance moves in yuka that are not found in rumba, such as ''ronquido'' (side steps) and ''campanero'' (figure eight).

References

{{Reflist Central American and Caribbean percussion instruments Cuban styles of music Cuban musical instruments

Music

Drumming

Singing

Dance

See also

References