The ''Mongoose Play'' is a piece of folk theatre from
Saint Kitts. The play is based around a battle against
mongooses, who threatened the island's
chicken
The chicken (''Gallus gallus domesticus'') is a domesticated junglefowl species, with attributes of wild species such as the grey and the Ceylon junglefowl that are originally from Southeastern Asia. Rooster or cock is a term for an adu ...
s, an important food source, after having been imported to exterminate the then-raging snake and rat population. The ''Mongoose Play'' involves both dance and music performed by costumed masqueraders.
References
Musical Traditions
Saint Kitts and Nevis music
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