Table of Contents
What is Bahamian music called?
Goombay
Goombay is the official music and dance of The Bahamas. With a tropical calypso-style melody, Goombay is a musical method of storytelling and dancing often performed by The Bahamas’ honored rake and scrape bands.
What is some popular music in the Bahamas?
Music of the Bahamas
- Calypso.
- Chutney.
- Dancehall.
- Dub.
- Goombay.
- Junkanoo.
- Rake-and-scrape.
- Ragga.
What type of music is played at Junkanoo?
Heavily influenced by calypso music, it also contains elements of funk and soul. Drums, horns, and synthesizers are all frequently used in soca music, with the occasional cowbell or saxophone thrown in.
What do Bahamians call themselves?
Since the land masses were islands, the end result was Bahama Islands. When Columbus became the first Bahamian “tourist,” he called the inhabitants “Indians,” but they called themselves Lucayans, which means “Island People.” They were descendants of the Arawaks of Hispaniola.
What does Goombay mean in English?
goombay in American English (ˈgumbeɪ ) noun. a dance of the Bahamas done to syncopated rhythms of drums, maracas, sticks, and improvised instruments.
What kind of clothes do Bahamians wear?
Casual Attire While locals wear flip-flops, cut-off jeans shorts and T-shirts with all manner of logos, visitors at the swankier hotels or out to dine in casual restaurants more typically don brand-name tennis shoes, polo shirts and cargo pants.
What does goombay mean in English?
What is Bahamian culture?
The Bahamas has a distinct culture which has evolved over generations, from a mixture of mostly African, combined with some British and American influences, which developed into a unique and colourful style of Bahamian self-expression. Bahamians are best described as easy-going, friendly and hospitable.
What is Bahamian Junkanoo?
Junkanoo, named after the West African John Canoe Festival, originated in the Bahamas around the 17th century as a masquerade. Slaves with their faces hidden under a flour paste, celebrated on Boxing Day and the day after Christmas. Today, as a cultural expression, Junkanoo is highly revered.
What happened to the Lucayans?
The Lucayans were the first indigenous Americans encountered by Christopher Columbus. Shortly after contact, the Spanish kidnapped and enslaved Lucayans, with the genocide culminating in complete eradication of Lucayan people from the Bahamas by 1520.
How do you say thank you in Bahamian?
Tings: “Tings” means “things”, “tanks” means “thanks” – in Bahamian dialect, the “h” often gets dropped.
Where did the word Goombay come from?
In the performing arts, Bahamian music developed a distinctive identity called Goombay music. The derivation of the word is West African, from an African drum called “goom-ba”. This early style of music was typical for both song and dance.