Junkanoo and the Carnival in the Bahamian Culture

Reflection
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Reflection
“The Bahamas” shows the transformation of Bahamian music and the challenges associated with maintaining its identity. The article has enabled me to learn various things. For example, it is clear that Jeff Kaliss and Joseph Spence were great guitarists who discovered distinctive genres from community festivities, African rituals and rhythms, and Protestant church music (“The Bahamas,” n.d.). Spence was a talented, expressive, and innovative guitarist who was known locally as the eccentric street-corner performer. Junkanoo and Goombay have been linked to African traditions, and many middle-class Bahamians and tourists like them. I have learned that the name goombay drum was derived from a specific instrument linked to the West African fertility chants and dances. In particular, the drum is constructed from a metal or wooden barrel, used to keep oil, food, or rum (“The Bahamas,” n.d.). In addition, it has a single membrane of goat or sheep skin that is stretched over one end and nailed.
Nicolette Bethel’s “Telling the Difference: Junkanoo vs. Carnival” portrays the difference between Carnival and Junkanoo by elaborating on their origins. When reading this article, I had the privilege to understand how these two types of music began to be practiced in the Bahamian culture. One of the primary lessons obtained from the article is that Junkanoo and Carnival are different and no one is junior to the other. The Spanish, Dutch, and French settlers migrated with these traditions to the Caribbean colonies. These celebrations are deep-rooted in sexuality, dances, and fertility rituals from the African traditions (Bethel, 2015). Individuals practicing them wore costumes and mask...