USVI Focus Papers (4 0f 4) - Culture

8/9/2019 USVI Focus Papers (4 0f 4) - Culture

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Leahy 1

Mackenzie Leahy

Pr. Hayes-Bohanan

Bibliography5 August 201

!he Mocko "u#bie$ %&'( )ultural Heritage *or +,er 200 ears

!he Mocko "u#bie also seen as Moko "u#bie has been part o* the %nite/ &tates 'irgin

(slan/s culture *or o,er 200 years. Moko is a ter# *ro# A*rica that re*erre/ to go/s but also

re*ers to healerho3e,er #ost 4nglish speaking people interpret #oko or #ocko as #ock.1

"u#bie is a )aribbean slang ter# *or ghost or spirit. +riginating *ro# est A*rica the Moko

"u#bie 3as a spirit /ancer 3ho 3as a seeker an/ protector .

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!he presence o* the Mocko "u#bie

3as i#portant to A*rican religious cere#onies as 3ell as the rites o* passage 3hen a boy is

recognize/ as a #an an/ a girl as a 3o#an.6 Many tribes also belie,e/ that these seekers

coul/ protect the ,illage as they are usually on stilts an/ their height allo3e/ the# to see e,il

be*ore it arri,e/. %n*ortunately there re#ains little historical /ocu#entation o* the spirit

/ancers prior to the 17th century.5

!here are t3o historical recor/s *ro# the )aribbean ho3e,er that o**er so#e insight into

the Mocko "u#bie culture. illia# oung ,isite/ the islan/ o* &t. 'incent *or )hrist#as o*

1 8icholls 9obert . :!he Mocko "u#bie o* the %.&. 'irgin (slan/s; History an/ Antece/ents.: African

Arts 62.6 <1777=$ >. eb.

2 :!he Mocko "u#bie$ A )ultural (con.: Go To St. Croix. ?o!o&t)[email protected]# n./. eb.

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Arts 62.6 <1777=$ >. eb.



Leahy 2

171; he /escribe/ a #ask stilt /ancer calle/ Moco-"u#bo 3ho roa#e/ the streets

acco#panying #usicians.C !he secon/ recor/ is tol/ by )harles illia# ay /escribing the

attire$

One evening in Kingston (St. Vincent) I witnessed a "Willy" or jumbee dance, got u as an

e!ibition by an #$rican %bo &Igbo' negro...."e umsa*man" was assisted by some o$ te %bo soldiers

o$ te negro regiment stationed ere....+e umsa*man was...on stilts si! $eet ig, $astened to is

$eet....e was dressed in a guernsey*$roc- and long stried trousers, made very wide, wic concealed

is $eet. is $ace was covered wit a mas- o$ scarlet clot, ornamented wit cowrie sells and aving a

uge wig and beard, wit a grenadier/s airy ca on is ead, e loo-ed uneartly. +e dance consisted

o$ various contortions o$ te body, su$$iciently droll....&e' alternately amused and $rigtened te

women $or twenty minutes.0

+e documentation available o$ te early 1nited States Virgin Islands2 3oc-o

umbie as been similar to tese early accounts $rom oter islands. # line

drawing, dated 4504, deicts a 3oc-o umbie stilt*dancing mas6uerade wit a

7stilt dancer in a woman2s dress, olding a wi in te uraised rigt and and

li$ting te em o$ te s-irt wit te le$t. # ale mas- is worn wit a tall conical at

toed wit a ennant. +e er$ormer2s $eet are about tree $eet $rom te ground

but are covered by te ornate em o$ te long dress.85 +e drawing can be $ound

in te anis 9ational 3useum, titled 73oca jumy*:ristmanstime.8;


Arts 62.6 <1777=$ >. eb.

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Leahy 6

#s <obert 9icolls writes in te African Arts ournal, 723angus2 (jon =arrell) and

>3arsall2 (=rit? Isaia Sealey), bot now deceased were well*-nown 3oc-o

umbies wo er$ormed in te Virgin Islands until te 4;@As.4A 3ost o$ te many

er$ormers wo receded tem are no longer rememberedB<u$us 3artin catces

the *la,or o* a Mocko "u#bie per*or#ance in the early t3entieth century$

Ah re#e#bah /e perio/s o* /e late thirties an/ early *orties 3en Magnus per*or#e/ alone an/ 3as in/ee/ ah one

#an karni,ul. es sir /ose 3ere /e /ays 3en #asDuera/ing ha/ hit ah lo3 ebb an Magnus an ah *ungi ban

Escratch ban/F use to keep things li,ely on holi/ays. He per*or#e/ in all sections o* /e tung all /ay /ancing on

/ose t3o high stilts /oing arl kine ah antics sho3ing /e *olks ah nu#bah o* /i**runt colore/ petticoats an/ *ancy

un/er3ear.

!he Mocko "u#bies o* the earlier centuries #a/e their costu#es *ro# 3hate,er le*to,er

*abrics they coul/ *in/ inclu/ing potato sacks but the later centuries ha,e since change/

that. (t is belie,e/ that the le*to,er an/ plain attire o* the earlier Mocko "u#bie attire is

/ue in part because the A*rican cultural practices on the islan/s 3ere *orbi//en 3hile they

3ere ensla,e/ an/ thus the islan/ers o*ten ha/ to /isguise their practices.11 Bet3een the

1>0s an/ the 1750s the ti#e that Mangus an/ Marshall 3ere 3ell kno3n Mocko

"u#bies 3ere slightly #enacing characters; the characters /i/nGt rehearse in public it 3as

unclear as to 3ho 3as a Mocko "u#bie an/ chil/ren 3ere generally a*rai/ o* these

characters.12

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11 :Moko "u#bies in the 'irgin (slan/s.: Bolongo Bay Beach Resort RSS . Bolongo Bay n./. eb.

12 :Mokolution$ !he 4,olution o* the Moko "u#bie.: Virgin Islands Traveller . 'irgin (slan/s !ra,eller

1> &ept. 2011. eb.



Leahy

&tarting 3ith the establish#ent o* an annual )arni,al in the 1750s on the %.&.

'irgin (slan/s costu#es beca#e #ore elaborate an/ 3ere specially /esigne/ *or e,ents.16

!he co##on attire *or the Mocko "u#bies inclu/e/ a 3o#anGs /ress or long skirt but not

a//itional paro/y to *e#ale beha,ior ho3e,er since 17C0 3hen Alli Paul begin his career

3earing long trousers a ne3 ,ision *or the tra/ition 3as create/.1

Alli Paul re,olutionize/ the Mocko "u#bie i#pro,ing the stilt /esign along 3ith the

pre,ious #entione/ costu#e /esign.15 Paul 3illingly taught others 3ho 3ante/ to learn

ho3 to be a Mocko "u#bie an/ opene/ the /oor *or 3o#en 3ho 3ante/ to learn the art

*or#.1C !here are /i**erent skill le,els ages an/ stilt heights *or the Mocko "u#bies; they

can range *ro# to 50 years ol/.1 &o#e local establish#ents on the islan/s ha,e gone so

*ar as to host their o3n ,ersion o* )arni,al *or tourists that inclu/e Mocko "u#bies.1>

+ther locals ha,e establishe/ the ?uar/ians o* )ulture Mocko "u#bie troupe on &t. )roi@

13 8icholls 9obert . :!he Mocko "u#bie o* the %.&. 'irgin (slan/s; History an/

Antece/ents.: African Arts 62.6 <1777=$ >. eb.

14 8icholls 9obert . :!he Mocko "u#bie o* the %.&. 'irgin (slan/s; History an/

Antece/ents.: African Arts 62.6 <1777=$ >. eb.

15 :Mokolution$ !he 4,olution o* the Moko "u#bie.: Virgin Islands Traveller . 'irgin (slan/s !ra,eller

1> &ept. 2011. eb.

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17 :Moko "u#bies in the 'irgin (slan/s.: Bolongo Bay Beach Resort RSS . Bolongo Bay n./. eb.

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Leahy 5

an/ the Mocko "u#bie Aca/e#y at the 9icar/o 9ichar/s Pri#ary &chool. ounger

per*or#ers ha,e intro/uce/ #ore /ancing acrobatics an/ stylize/ choreography.17

!he 'irgin (slan/s Mocko "u#bies /o not necessarily represent the spirit /ancer as

it once /i/ but rather an e@hibit o* the culture heritage an/ history o* the 'irgin (slan/s.20

Mocko "u#bies can be *oun/ at %&'( carni,als para/es u#p-ups an/ e,en beach

barbeDues.21 !hough the representation an/ attire has change/ o,er the years the Mocko

"u#bies still represent the tra/ition an/ culture that the original A*rican sla,es kept 3hen

they 3ere brought to the islan/s originally.

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20 :!he Mocko "u#bie$ A )ultural (con.: Go To St. Croix. ?o!o&t)[email protected]# n./. eb.

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Documents

USVI Focus Papers (4 0f 4) - Culture