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Junkanoo

Junkanoo is a festival that originated during the period of African chattel slavery in British American colonies. It is practiced most notably today in the Bahamas, Jamaica and Belize, and historically in North Carolina and Miami, where there have been significant settlements of West Indian people during the post-emancipation era. In the present day, there are considerable variations in performance and spelling of the festival, but the shared elements of masquerade, drumming, dance, and parading continue.

Origins
The festival is believed to have begun in the Bahamas; however, evidence shows that Junkanoo's origins point strongly to Jamaica and that it later spread throughout the Caribbean as early as the 18th century. Though stemming from the same origin, celebrations have been localized by different countries and, over time, evolved to be somewhat different. This tradition is one of the oldest dance celebrations in Jamaica. In addition to being a cultural dance of the Garifuna people of Belize and various islands, this type of dancing is also performed in the Bahamas on their independence day and other historical holidays. Historically, Junkanoo parades took place among blacks in southeastern North Carolina and can be traced back to Jamaican roots. The custom had included disguised mocking of slave holders, and it became less popular after slavery was abolished. The last known Junkanoo celebration in the Southern United States was in Wilmington, North Carolina, in the late 1880s. Dances are choreographed to the beat of goatskin drums and cowbells. ==Etymology==
Etymology
The origin of the word "junkanoo" is disputed. Theories include that it is named after a folk hero named John Canoe, or that it is derived from the French term gens inconnus (unknown people), as the revellers wear masks. Variations include jonkonnu, jankunu or jonkunnu. ==History==
History
The festival may have originated several centuries ago when enslaved Africans or their descendants, on the plantations in Jamaica, celebrated holidays granted around Christmastime. The tradition continued in countries like Jamaica after emancipation. Junkanoo evolved far from simple origins to a formal, organized parade with intricate costumes, themed music and official prizes within various categories in The Bahamas. Douglas Chambers, professor of African studies at the University of Southern Mississippi, suggests a possible Igbo origin from the Igbo yam deity Njoku Ji, referencing festivities in time for the New Yam Festival. Chambers also suggests a link with the Igbo okonko masking tradition of southern Igboland, which features horned maskers and other masked characters, similar to junkanoo masks. Similarities with the Yoruba Egungun festivals have also been identified. However, an Akan origin is more likely because the celebration of the Fancy Dress Festivals/Masquerades are during the same time (Christmas week, 25 December – 1 January) in the Central and Western Regions of Ghana. In addition, John Canoe was an existing Ahanta chief and an Akan warrior hero that ruled Axim, Ghana before 1720, the same year the John Canoe festival was created in the Caribbean. Jeroen Dewulf pointed out, the term may have had a religious dimension, relating to the Akan deity Nyankompong (in today's spelling), who was known in eighteenth-century English sources as John Company. According to Edward Long, an 18th-century Jamaican enslaver/historian, the John Canoe festival was created in Jamaica and the Caribbean by enslaved Akan who backed the man known as John Canoe. ==Description==
Description
Junkanoo has been prominent and celebrated in colonies such as Jamaica (as Jankunu, Jonkonnu or Jonkunnu), The Bahamas (as Junkanoo), and North Carolina. Historian Stephen Nissenbaum described the festival as it was performed in 19th-century North Carolina: Essentially, it involved a band of black men—generally young—who dressed themselves in ornate and often bizarre costumes. Each band was led by a man who was variously dressed in animal horns, elaborate rags, female disguise, whiteface (and wearing a gentleman's wig!), or simply his "Sunday-go-to-meeting-suit." Accompanied by music, the band marched along the roads from plantation to plantation and town to town, accosting whites and sometimes even entering their houses. In the process, the men performed elaborate and (to white observers) grotesque dances that were probably of African origin. In return for this performance, they always demanded money (the leader generally carried "a small bowl or tin cup" for this purpose), though whiskey was an acceptable substitute. ==Characters==
Characters
, in Kingston. Traditionally, Junkanoo entails a band of masqueraders with the following characters: • The King and Queen— prominent characters representing European royalty. They usually wear elaborate costumes with shiny materials and crowns. • Pitchy Patchy— a main character in Jamaican Jonkonnu, whose role is to keep masqueraders and the surrounding crowd of spectators in order, by cracking a cattle whip. Pitchy Patchy is often depicted in a suit made of colourful, tattered pieces of cloth. • Belly Woman— a humorous character with a large belly, representing fertility and abundance. Belly Woman is usually a male performer who plays the role of a pregnant lady. • Horse Head— a character often seen with a horse head/skull costume. • Cow Head— a character often seen with a cow head costume including long horns, and is sometimes seen on stilts. • The Red Indians / Wild Apache Indians— common characters that depict Native Americans or Amerindians. They often wear beads, mirrors and feathers. • The Devil— a prominent character that represents evil in the world, whose appearance is scary and mischievous. The Devil's costume includes a pitchfork and tail. • The Red-Set Girls— backup dancers to the rest of the characters, who wear flamboyant dresses. • House Head— a character often depicted as a house/building, carried on the head by a performer, which symbolizes the hope for a better future. • The Bride and Groom— characters dressed like a typical bride and groom. • Jack in the Green— a man covered with green foliage. • Policeman— a character dressed in a police costume. • Warrior— a character dressed like a warrior, sometimes seen with a wooden sword painted silver. ==Popular culture==
Popular culture
The Junkanoo parade has been featured in movies, such as the James Bond film Thunderball (erroneously described as a local Mardi Gras-type festival), After the Sunset, and Jaws The Revenge. It was also in the season one episode, ''Calderone's Return (Part II), of the 1984 television series Miami Vice'', taking place on the fictitious island of St. Andrews. A song titled "Junkanoo Holiday (Fallin'-Flyin')" was written by Kenny Loggins and is featured on his 1979 album Keep The Fire. This song immediately follows the hit song, "This Is It," on the album. "This Is It" has a fade ending that segues into "Junkanoo Holiday (Fallin'-Flyin')", omitting a complete break between the two songs. In the thirteenth episode of the television show Top Chef: All-Stars, "Fit for a King", the contestants danced at a Junkanoo parade, learned about its history, and competed to make the best dish for the Junkanoo King. The post-Covid return to Junkanoo was briefly discussed across the two-part episodes 189 and 190 of Nicole Byer and Sasheer Zamata's podcast, Best Friends, documenting their trip to The Bahamas. ==Gallery==
Gallery
File:Valley Boy at Rush for Peace Freeport Bahamas 2011.jpg|Rush for Peace (Freeport, Bahamas, 2011) File:JunkanooCostumeAfterTheParade2006.JPG|Costume sans participant after the parade File:Junkanoo costume.jpg|Junkanoo costume File:SaxonsCostume.jpg|Junkanoo costume File:Junkanoo Festival, Nassau 2.jpg|Junkanoo Festival, Nassau 2005 File:Junkanoo2.jpg|Junkanoo musician 2005 ==See also==
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