Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Though welcoming of tourists, the Bahamas is quite xenophobic when it
comes to one group of foreigners: Haitians. Haitians, who have been immigrat-
ing to the Bahamas since the 1950s, are generally treated as a dirty underclass -
headlines in 2010 decried the eviction of 1500 Haitian immigrants from an
Abaco shantytown, and accusations of abuse of Haitians by Bahamian immigra-
tion officials are rampant.
OTHER BAHAMIAN STYLES
The Bahamas' down-home, working-class music is rake 'n' scrape, usually featuring a gui-
tar, an accordion, shakers made from the pods of poinciana trees and other makeshift in-
struments, such as a saw played with a screwdriver.
JUMPING AT JUNKANOO
You feel the music before you see the main event…a frenzied barrage of
whistles and horns overriding the cowbells, the rumble of drums and the joyful
blasts of conch shells. Then the costumed revelers stream into view, whirling
and gyrating like a kaleidoscope in rhythm with the cacophony. This is
Junkanoo, the national festival of the Bahamas - its equivalent of Carnaval or
Mardi Gras - and it is a mass of energy, color and partying that starts in the twi-
light hours of Boxing Day.
The name, pronounced
junk-uh-NOO,
is thought to come from a West Afric-
an term for 'deadly sorcerer.' Others say the festival is named for John Canoe,
the tribal leader who demanded that his enslaved people be allowed to enjoy a
festivity. With its origins in West African secret societies, the parade evolved on
the plantations of the British Caribbean among slaves who were forbidden to
observe their sacred rites. The all-male cast of masqueraders hid their identity,
following West African mask-wearing traditions.
At first Junkanoos were suppressed by the Bahamian colonial government,
which feared they might get out of hand and lead to slave uprisings. Later,
planters encouraged them. Creole elements found their way into the ceremony,
along with British Morris dancing, polkas and reels. On Jamaica and other is-
lands, Junkanoo was suppressed to extinction, but in the Bahamas it became an
integral part of the culture.
Junkanoo is fiercely competitive and many marchers belong to 'shacks,'
groups who vie to produce the best performance, costume, dancing and music.
The most elaborately costumed performers are one-person parade floats whose
costume can weigh over 200lb and depict exotic scenes adorned with a myriad
