The Musical Heritage of the Africans of Guyana

Collection Items

• 
  Item

  A Central African Hymn

  A hymn of the Central African tradition
• 
  ItemMoving Image

  Chibango (Horse Trot)

  Rhythmically similar to a horse trot this drum pattern is used in births, birthdays, marriages (Qweh-Qweh), and other festive occasions. Chibango is also located in the pre and post slavery village customs of Masquerade (Sagar, R. Ethnic Conversations in Sonic Spaces, 2012.
• 
  Item

  Sweet Hand

  Sweet Hand is a classical drumming pattern used in celebratory or events of jollification in Guyana's African centred villages. Certain cultural expressions like the Masquerade which evolved out of the slave and colonial experiences utilized this rhythm; Sweet Hand continues to be performed in other events such as births, Kwe-Kwe or weddings and other village ceremonies. Its rhythm and human pulses are somewhat symmetrical; the rhythm is also very similar to the Mento or Heartbeat, the Jamaican rhythmic percussive foundation of Ska, Rocksteady and Reggae genres (Sagar, R. Ethnic Conversations in Sonic Spaces, 2012).
• 
  Item

  Patwa Hand

  The Patwa hand or rhythm is associated with survival narratives on the sugar plantation. For example, Patwa Hand is the percussive accompaniment for pre- and post-slavery experiences located in musical materials, for example, ‘Mamma nah eti gwah’, ‘Sammy Moomah, Samuel Moomah’.
• 
  Item

  Yallam Pele

• 
  Item

  Kramanti

  A drum pattern that relates to post-slavery plantations’ experiences; this particular rhythm is used extensively for religious occasions, for example, “Zion Dopee”. James Pluck (Resident of Inverness, descendant of Congo) described the Kramati and Congo as distinct social classes among the people of the Congo Region.
• 
  Item

  Indian Hand

• 
  ItemMoving Image

  Mama nah eti gwa

  A song of reflection used by early Africans on the colonial sugar plantations in Guyana
• 
  ItemMoving Image

  Two Dawg a Krass

  A Creole song performed to the Patois Hand one of the Six Hands' Afrocentric drumming patterns in Guyana