1 post tagged “moko jumbi”

Moko Jumbi

I

The masked thing dances.

Long stilt legs leap,

sway and swing in abandon

to the tune of steel pans.

.

Peacock proud,

it lifts its colorful can-can,

spins and swirls its

layered rainbow.

II

The young ask,

does the devil hide behind the mask?

Will it kick and growl

if we touch it?

Will we melt like metal,

disappear before its steely stare?

Will it banish us to hell?

Should we take refuge?

III

The country devil in you is long dead.

You, who doled out death

to women and the uninitiated,

now mock your ancestors.

Women, under the spell

of bacchanal,

dare you to strike

the deadly blow.

Does the spirit world

cry for its loss?

You now stir laughter

and not fear.

Jumbi, you jam with us,

mock your past,

mask your loss

in the revelry of carnival.

© 07.06.2009 Althea Romeo-Mark

A moko jumbie (also known as "moko jumbi" or "mocko jumbie") is a stilts walker or dancer. The origin of the term may come from "Moko" (a possible reference to an African god) and "jumbi", a West Indian term for a ghost or spirit that may have been derived from the Kongo language word zumbi. The Moko Jumbies are thought to originate from West African tradition brought to the Caribbean.

A Moko Jumbie character may wear colorful garb and carnival masks. They also frequent festivals and celebrations such as Caribbean Carnival.

Wikipedia