"Mama Mama Can't You See" - Military Cadence, Children's Hand clap Rhyme, & Historically Black Fraternities' Song

Edited by Azizi Powell

Latest revision: Feb. 29, 2024

This pancocojams post features versions of the United States military cadence "Mama Mama Can't You See" and versions of children's hand clap rhymes with that same title.

The Addendum to this pancocojams post also includes a few examples of historically Black Greek letter fraternities chants entitled "Mama Mama Can't You See".

The content of this post is presented for folkloric and cultural purposes.

All copyrights remain with their owners.

Thanks to all those who are quoted in this post and thanks to the publishers of these examples on YouTube.
-snip-
Click https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2014/01/hand-clap-rhymes-that-mention-mp3s-cell.html for versions of "Mama Mama Can't You See" in the pancocojams post entitled "Hand Clap Rhymes That Mention Mp3s And Cell Phones". 

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PANCOCOJAMS EDITOR'S NOTE [added January 3, 2023] 
"Mama Mama Can't You See" may be one of the most widely known examples of a playground rhyme that was inspired in part by the military cadence with that same name.

My guess is that "Mama Mama Can't You See" has its source in the 19th century Black American secular song "Hambone". 

Both of those songs have the same call & response pattern and textual structure. Both of  those songs also have very similar tunes although the tempo for the "Mama Mama Can't You See" military cadence is slower than the tempo for the song "Hambone". 

Here's a YouTube sound file of the song "Hambone":

Hambone

Ella Jenkins, May 21, 2015
-snip-

Click http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2017/08/various-versions-of-hambone-songrh for the pancocojams post entitled "Various Versions Of The "Hambone" Song (information, lyrics, & YouTube examples)."

 

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MILITARY CADENCES
These examples are given in no particular order and are numbered for referencing purposes only

I. A UNITED STATES MARINE CORP VERSION OF THIS CADENCE

USMC Cadence - Mama Can't You See



Colt28683, Published on Jun 29, 2011

United States Marine Corp Cadence
-snip-
transcription:
"Mama, Mama can't you see
What this Corp has done for me.
Put me in a barber's chair.
Snip snap and I had no hair.
And if I die in a combat zone
Box me up and ship me home.
Put me in a set of Dress Blues
Comb my hair and shine my shoes.
Pin my medals upon my chest
Tell my mama I did my best.
Mama Mama don't you cry
Marine Corp motto is "Do or die!"
left right layo, left right layo*
low right layo, lefty right low"
A lefty righty low.
-snip-
The caller chants each line and that line is then repeated by the "responders".

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II. A UNITED STATES ARMY VERSION OF THIS CADENCE
"Mama, Mama Can't You See" 

Bob Soldier - Topic, s  May 8, 2020

Provided to YouTube by SongCast, Inc.
-snip-
This sound file replaces one that is no longer available on YouTube

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III. A UNITED STATE ARMY VERSION OF THIS CADENCE -#2
"Here is "Mama, mama can't you see". Needless to say, there are plenty of variants...

Mama Mama can't you see
What this road is doing to me

Mama Mama can't you see
What this road is doing to me

Chorus is a chant of the tune
(Whoa whoa), (Yay yay) or (Da da dada)....

Joined the army to get in shape
But all I do is hurry and wait

They put me in a barber's chair
Shaved my head 'til it was bare.

Use to wear designer jeans
Now I'm dressed in jungle greens

Thought I'd get to get to have some fun
But all I do is shoot my gun....

They took away my set of wheels
Now I've blisters on my heels....

Up in the morning much too soon
We're still marching after noon.

Standing tall and looking good
We ought to be in Hollywood....

Ain't no use in going slow
There are many miles to go

Ain't no point in going fast
We shall never be the last

(Someone's name) Don't be blue
Frankenstein was ugly too...."
-CET {Edmund}; http://www.mudcat.org/thread.cfm?threadid=10803 "Cadence or Marching Songs", 9/30/2004

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IV. A UNITED STATES NAVY EXAMPLE OF THIS CADENCE
Navy Cadence



Tenee Brown, Published on Jun 6, 2016
-snip-
This example is given without transcription.

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EXAMPLES OF "MAMA MAMA CAN'T YOU SEE" HAND CLAP RHYMES
Video #1: mama can't you see?



Uploaded by vdsmdac98mcs on Jun 11, 2010

juego de manos
hand shake games

-snip-

The two girls speak Spanish prior to starting the handclap game, and speak English while playing the game.

Here are the words to the version found in the video:

Mama,Mama can't you see
[clap clap clap clap clapclap]
What the baby's done to me
[clap clap clap clap clapclap]
Took away my MTV.
[clap clap clap clap clapclap]
Now I’m watching dumb Barney
[clap clap clap clap clapclap]
tic tac toe three in a row
[clap clap clap clap clapclap]
barney got shot got shot by GI Joe
[clap clap clap clap clapclap]
who ever got stop get a bump in the head
[clap clap clap clap clapclap]
and that is how the game will end
[clap clap clap clap clapclap]
-vdsmdac98mcs on Jun 11, 2010 (my transcription from video)

-snip-

I placed this version first because it's more similar to the examples of this rhyme that I've collected than the second featured example. The examples that I collected - African American girls & boys (ages 6-12 years old) in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania from 1999-2009 - usually say "what the army done to me" (instead of what the baby done to me, although I have also heard that version. And somewhere around 2004, instead of "Barney got shot by GI Joe", I started hearing children chant "your mama got shot by GI Joe". I consider this to quite a disturbing change in wording.

GI Joe is the small American army figurine toy that may not be as popular now as it was in the 1960s or so.

I should also mention that in most of the versions that I've seen online and in person, the tempo is faster in the beginning of the rhyme and MUCH faster at the end. The end lines that I've heard (and the end lines found in a number of online examples) are:
don't stop until your hands get hot/don't stop until your hands get red".

The palms of the hands get hot & red because of the fast paced slapping that is done in this competitive portion of this game. Those slaps can sting! The person who misses a hand slap because she or he moves her or his hands out the way (so the hands won't get slapped) is out. The last person remaining in the game is the winner.

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Video #2: Mama Mama Can't You See?



daledot4kids | August 22, 2007

Silly Megan with the boys...

-snip-

Here's the words to this version:

Mama mama can't you see,
What the army done to me.
They took away my favorite toys,
Now I'm playin' with boys.
They took away my MP3,
Now I'm watching Barney.
They took away my favorite jeans,
Now I'm wearin' army greens.
I saw a lady chewin' gum,
I asked her if i could have some.
She looked at me like I was dumb,
That's when I said
See my pinky
See my thumb
See my fist
You betta run!
- daledot4kids | August 22, 2007 [transcription by Azizi Powell given without the boys' sound effects]

-snip-
All of the playground rhyme videos of "Mama Mama Can't You See" that I have seen and all of the performances of that rhyme that I have observed use the same tune. Notice that the tune used for the playground rhyme is different from the tune used for the "Mama Mama Can't You See" military cadences. The tempo that is used for those military cadences is also slower than the tempo for the "Mama Mama Can't You See" children's rhymes.

Also, notice the reference to Mp3s. To date, versions of "Mama Mama Can't You See" are the only examples of playground rhymes that I've collected that mention "Mp3s" (or any other Ipod type music player).

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UPDATE: March 21, 2017*:
Here's another example of the children's rhyme "Mama Mama Can't You See"

"Mama mama can’t you see
What the army’s done to me
made me watch Barney
Tick Tock toe
three in a row
Michael got shot by GI Joe

this is Michael Jackson, some people say your mama but they don’t because you’re not supposed to talk about somebody’s mother"
-Conraya, (11 year old African American girl, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, collected by Azizi Powell), 2008
-snip-
I find this example and its comment significant for sociological/cultural reasons.

The earliest "Mama Mama Can't You See" rhymes that I've heard (in 1999) mentioned that Barney got shot by GI Joe ("Barney" being the purple dinasaur television character, and "GI Joe" being the small action soldier toy). I later observed some children -mostly girls- saying "Your mama got shot by GI Joe" (around 2002). This example substituted the name of Pop singer "Michael Jackson"
for "Mama" because "you're not supposed to talk about someone's mother".
-snip-
* I inadvertently added this example of "Mama Mama Can't You See" to a pancocojams post about parodies of the R&B song "I Believe I Can Fly". Here's the link for that post: http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2013/10/childrens-parodies-of-i-believe-i-can_2.html.

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ADDENDUM - HISTORICALLY BLACK GREEK LETTER FRATERNITY "MAMA MAMA CAN'T YOU SEE CHANTS

Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc.

Added Nov. 25, 2022: Alpha Phi Alpha song "Mama Mama Can't You See"

Craig Henry, Mar 15, 2013

15,616 views S• Mar 15, 2013

Anthem for the Phrat!! -snip- Lyrics:

[lead] Mama Can’t You See
[group]- What them Alphas done to me [repeat this lead/group format throughout] Standing strong standing bold
For the mighty black and gold
[This verse is repeated a number of times and end with that verse again and repeating these lines ]

For the mighty black and gold

For the mighty black and gold
For the mighty black and gold
For the mighty black and gold
[end with humming that verse]. -snip- The tune is the same as the military cadence but the tempo is much slower.

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Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc.
 
Added August 5, 2016 [video no longer available] 

"We Are The Men Of Que Psi Phi" is a historically Black fraternity song that has a similar two call & response verse structure and similar or the same verses as the military cadence "Mama Mama Can't You See".

Here's an example of that song which was sung at a Omega Psi Phi (also known as "Que") probate (a show where new members are introduced to the public):

Lincoln University Beta Chapter 2016 probate

Caasi Brim, Published on Apr 10, 2016

Lincoln University Omega Psi Phi Beta Chapter Spring 2016 "Apollo" leads bruhs in song.
-snip-
This YouTube video is no longer available for public viewing.  

This example has the verse "I told my mother not to cry" verse. And the verse "they shaved my hair...they even took my jeans/now I'm wearing kelly green".

That verse is very similar to the "they shaved my hair...now I'm wearing army green" verse in that Army military cadence.. However, the tempo of "We Are The Men Of Que Psi Phi" is much slower than the military cadence and the children's rhyme versions of "Mama Mama Can't You See"

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Added Feb. 29, 2024:

Mama Mama Can’t You See (Tau Mu Nu Macomb County Ques) #12 RQCK Steady - Omega Psi Phi Cadence

Team Stay Motivated, Nov. 17, 2023
-snip-
This song has the same tune and structural format as the children's rhyme "Mama Mama Can't You See", but its tempo is slower than those rhymes.

I can't understand all of the words that are sung in this call and respond format, but the song starts with the words "Mama Mama can't you see/What the Ques have done to me". Another verse that is sung is "Mama Mama don't you cry/I'll be a Que before I die".  

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Added Feb. 29, 2024

Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc.

Kappa Alpha Psi Alpha Omicron FA2K17 - Mama, Mama, Can't You See?

Keith Love, Nov. 12, 2017
Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc. Alpha Omicron FA2K17 Probate Show - Mama, Mama, Can't You See? -snip-The first two lines of this song are "Mama Mama can't you see/What the Kappas done to me". i can't transcribe the rest of this song besides some random lines such as "I didn't want that black and gold"*/???.bold".-snip-
"Black and old gold" are the colors for Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. so that verse undoubtedly disses (puts down) that fraternity.

For the cultural record, please share the words to this song and other historically Black fraternity and sorority songs and chants that are based on the military cadence "Mama Mama Can't You See". Thanks! 
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Viewer comments are welcome.

Seven Of My Favorite African American Gospel Choir Videos

Edited by Azizi Powell

This post showcases seven of my favorite Gospel videos. This selection differs somewhat from a listing of seven of my favorite Gospel songs. In large part that is because I'm focusing not only on the song's lyrics & arrangement but also how the video captures the performance of the song and the congregation or audience's responses to the song while it is being sung.

As clarification, in this post I'm focusing on mass (large) choirs or on church choirs and not on smaller Gospel groups like the Edwin Hawkins Singers or Walter Hawkins Love Center Choir (both of whom I love). Such groups will be the focus of another post.

Without any further introductory comments, presented in no real ranking order (meaning my favorites vary depending on my mood), here are this post's featured videos:

Video #1: Detroit Mass Choir - "The Storm Is Passing Over"



Marcell77 | February 16, 2009

Detroit Mass Choir sings the Donald Vails classic The Storm Is Passing Over
-snip-
This song is often given the title "Encourage My Soul".

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Video #2: Mississippi Mass Choir-"When I Rose This Morning"



malacomg,Uploaded on Feb 2, 2011
-snip-
This song features Mother Moise Burke.

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Video #3: Rev. James Cleveland & Albertina Walker - (If I Perish) "I'm Going To Meet The King"
dpdaniel2 | March 27, 2008

Classic footage of the gospel legend Rev James Cleveland featuring Albertina Walker. Taken from 'The Brothers and Sisters Live in concert' which was a benefit concert for 'Save the Children' in 1972.
-snip-
A choir member who sung during the Gospel Break is Loretta Oliver. That singing was unplanned but, in my opinion, greatly enhances this rendition of that song.

[Note: Unfortunately, this video is no longer available on YouTube.]

Here's a sound file of that same song, but without the added energy of the rendition noted above:

If I Perish (Vinyl LP) - Albertina Walker,"Please Be Patient With Me"



pannellctp ; Published on Dec 25, 2012

Albertina Walker (August 29, 1929 -- October 8, 2010) was an American gospel singer.

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Video #4: "God is trying to tell you something." - (The Color Purple)



Uploaded by KAKAU99 on Apr 28, 2008

Cena perfeita de um filme perfeito com uma música perfeita.

A cor púrpura
-snip-
I included this video even though this is a Gospel choir from a movie and not an actual church or community choir. However, the song's words & the choir's performance still moves me and is interesting to watch which are my two criteria for this list.

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Video #5: Georgia Mass Choir "Bye and Bye"



Uploaded by chj333 on Nov 3, 2010

The Georgia Mass Choir sings "Bye and Bye" led by Punch Baldwin.

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Video #6: Florida Mass Choir "All Night All Day"



Uploaded by chj333 on Apr 7, 2009

Florida Mass Choir "All Night All Day" directed by V. Michael McKay

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Video #7: Beverly Crawford- "Just As Soon (I'll Be Shouting)"



Uploaded by matthew5and9 on Dec 3, 2008

Beverly Crawford singing at the National Baptist World Center [filmed in 1997]

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My thanks to the vocalists and musicians who are featured on these videos, and to the composers of those songs. My thanks also to the video uploaders.

Thanks for visiting this page.

Viewer comments are welcome.

Sesame Street's Love My Hair & Willow Smith's Whip My Hair Videos

Edited by Azizi Powell

This pancocojams post showcases the Sesame Street "I Really Love My Hair" video, the Willow Smith "I Whip My Hair" video, and a mash-up video entitled "Sesame Street - Whip My Hair "(A mash-up video is one that combines clips from two or more other videos). It's important to note that this mash up video and other YouTube videos that are made from the Sesame Street video and the Willow Smith video are not affiliated in any way with those two videos.

The Sesame Street "I Love My Hair" video aired in 2010 shortly before the Willow Smith video. That video was inspired and produced by Sesame Street's head writer and puppeteer Joey Mazzarino to encourage his adopted daughter from Ethiopia and other girls (particularly Black girls) to love their hair.

Click http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jenee-darden/sesame-street-writer-pens_b_767353.html for more of the backstory about Sesame Street's "I Really Love My Hair".

Willow Smith's "Whip My Hair" song isn't necessarily about Black females loving their hair. However, because that song aired shortly after the Sesame Street video that implicitly had that goal, and because both of those songs featured a young Black girl talking positively about her hair, a number of people connect these songs together. This unintended, publicly conferred connection between these two videos is evidenced by several mash-up videos. Those videos use the visuals from the original Sesame Street video and the audio from the Willow Smith song.

Without further introductory comments, here are those three videos.

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Video #1: Sesame Street: Song -- I Love My Hair



Uploaded by SesameStreet on Oct 12, 2010

Sing along and make the world aware that YOU love your hair!...
-snip-
Here's a commeeeent from this video's viewer comment thread:
"Fantastic video. I really needed something like this when I was a little girl and non-black people would tease me about my hair. Luckily, I grew up to eventually appreciate what I have. :) Sadly, a lot of black people, young and old, haven't yet.
-AlohaDucky; http://www.youtube.com/all_comments?v=enpFde5rgmw, February 23, 2012

Here are the lyrics for that song:

I REALLY LOVE MY HAIR
(Joey Mazzarino)

Don’t need a trip to the beauty shop,
’cause I love what I got on top.
It’s curly and it’s brown and it’s right up there!
You know what I love? That’s right, my hair!
I really love my hair.
I love my hair. I love my hair.
There’s nothing else that can compare with my hair.
I love my hair, so I must declare:
I really, really, really love my hair.
Wear a clippy or in a bow
Or let it sit in an afro
My hair looks good in a cornrow
It does so many things you know, that’s why I let it grow
I love my hair, I love my hair
I love it and I have to share
I love my hair, I love my hair!
I want to make the world aware I love my hair.
I wear it up. I wear down. I wear it twisted all around.
I wear braids and pigtails too.
I love all the things my hair can do.
In barrettes or flying free, ever perfect tresses you’ll see
My hair is part of me, an awesome part of me
I really love my hair!

Source: http://www.cocoandcreme.com/2010/10/sesame-street-show-natural-hair-love/
-snip-
I've read that a number of people think that the vocalist for this song is Willow Smith. However, the actual vocalist is Chantylla "Chauncey" Johnson, a young African American actress who has worked with The Lion King production. https://muppet.fandom.com/wiki/Chantylla_Johnson

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Video #2: Willow Smith - Whip My Hair


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bmaErg4FUAc&ab_channel=WillowSmithOnlineUK

WillowSmithOnlineUK,  Dec. 10, 2010
-snip-

Click http://www.metrolyrics.com/whip-my-hair-lyrics-willow-smith.html for the lyrics to this song.
-snip-
The video that was originally embedded in this post is no longer available.

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Video #3: Sesame Street - Whip My Hair

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=owImAh-GUTs&ab_channel=filmmakorltd.

filmmakor ltd., Mar 18, 2013

winter, 2013. mec jagger edited a sesame street character dancing to willow smith's song. i took her original concept and added more muppets to the mix, cleaned up some edits, and matched the muppets to the music. enjoy! [gg]

-snip-
This video replaces the original video that was embedded in this pancocojams post. 

As a reminder, in spite of its name and its content, this video and similarly produced videos aren't affiliated in any way with Sesame Street or with Willow Smith. I believe that it was just coincidental that two songs featuring a Black girl speaking positively about her hair were aired almost simultaneously. I think that this particular mash-up video "works" as it helps to promote the Sesame Street "I Really Love My Hair" video. And in so doing, the mash-up video also helps to promote the positive message of loving your natural, tightly curled hair, a message that isn't as explicitly given in the Willow Smith video as it is in the Sesame Street video.

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My thanks to the artists, performers, producers, and uploaders of these featured videos.

Thank you for visiting this page.

Viewer comments are welcome.

Scat Singing: Louis Armstrong, Cab Calloway, & Ella Fitzgerald

Edited by Azizi Powell

Heebie Jeebies / Louis Armstrong and His Hot Five



Uploaded by MINICQQPER on May 11, 2010

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This post features information and video examples of scat singing as performed by.

My thanks to these iconic performers for this rich legacy. My thanks also to these videos' uploaders for making these film clips accessible.
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INFORMATION ABOUT SCATTING
From http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scat_singing
"In vocal jazz, scat singing is vocal improvisation with wordless vocables, nonsense syllables or without words at all. Scat singing gives singers the ability to sing improvised melodies and rhythms, to create the equivalent of an instrumental solo using their voice...

Jelly Roll Morton credited Joe Sims of Vicksburg, Mississippi as the creator of scat around the turn of the 20th century...

It was Armstrong's 1926 performance, however, that was the turning point for the medium.[15] According to Armstrong, when he was recording the song "Heebie Jeebies", soon to be a national bestseller, with his band The Hot Five, his music fell to the ground. Not knowing the lyrics to the song, he invented a gibberish melody to fill time, expecting the cut to be thrown out in the end, but that take of the song was the one released.[11] The story is widely believed to be apocryphal,[16] but the influence of the recording was nonetheless enormous.

Jelly Roll Morton credited Joe Sims of Vicksburg, Mississippi as the creator of scat around the turn of the 20th century. Louis Armstrong served as a model for Cab Calloway, whose 1930s scat solos inspired Gershwin's use of the medium in his Porgy and Bess; it was from the 1926 recording of "Heebie Jeebies" arose the techniques that would form the foundation of modern scat."

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Video #1: Heebie Jeebies / Louis Armstrong and His Hot Five

This video is posted at the top of this page. Here is information about the band members as posted by that video's uploader:
Louis Armstrong And His Hot Five

Louis Armstrong (c,vo)
Kid Ory (tb)
Johnny Dodds (cl)
Lil Armstrong (p)
Johnny St. Cyr (bj)

February 26, 1926, Chicago, Illinois

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1932 version: Cab Calloway - The Scat Song (Cab Calloway, vocal)



MusicProf78, Published on Dec 22, 2016

Original 78rpm courtesy of the Rick Colom Collection. The songs on both this and the also-posted flip side “There’s A Cabin In The Cotton” (listen here: https://youtu.be/4Gw10vy9Qyg) would be re-recorded by Calloway in November 1933 and released on the Victor label.

Transferred from 78rpm: Brunswick 6272 - The Skat Song (Parish-Perkins) by Cab Calloway & his Orchestra, vocal by Cab Calloway, recorded in Chicago February 29,, 1932
-snip-
Here's information from a summary for another sound file of this song that was embedded in this post but is no longer available:
"Cabell "Cab" Calloway III (Dec.25,1907 - Nov.18,1994) was a famous American jazz singer and bandleader.
Calloway was a master of energetic scat singing and led one of the United States' most popular African American big bands from the start of the 1930s through the late 1940s.

Calloway's Orchestra featured performers that included trumpeters Dizzy Gillespie and Adolphus "Doc" Cheatham, saxophonists Ben Webster and Leon "Chu" Berry, New Orleans guitar ace Danny Barker, and bassist Milt Hinton. Calloway continued to perform until his death in 1994 at the age of 86."

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Video #3: Cab Calloway - Minnie the Moocher [1958]



Uploaded by moontreal on Mar 18, 2008

Minnie the Moocher

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Video #4: Ella Fitzgerald : One note Samba (scat singing) 1969



Uploaded by diegodobini2 on Jan 26, 2007

June 22, 1969 jazz vocalist Ella Fitzgerald with accompaniment by Ed Thigpen on drums, Frank de la Rosa on bass, and Tommy Flanagan on piano.

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Video #5: Jazz - Conversation in Scat - Ella Fitzgerald (1974)



Uploaded by internet100 on May 10, 2010

7 minutes of scat singin'

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Thanks for visiting pancocojams.

Visitor comments are welcome.

The Blackface Tradition Of The Mardi Gras Zulu Social Aid & Pleasure Club

Uploaded by vparlant on Mar 8, 2011

Scenes from the 2011 Zulu Parade on Mardi Gras Day in New Orleans, La. Includes clip of St. Augustine's Marching 100, McDonogh 35 marching band,dance troupes and Zulus in black face. Video by Nordette Adams

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Edited by Azizi Powell

Latest Update- 2019

This pancocojams post provides information about and critique of the Zulu Social Aid & Pleasure Club (Mardi Gras krewe).

The content of this post is presented for socio-cultural and historical purposes.

All copyrights remain with their owners.

Thanks to all those who are quoted in this post and thanks to the publishers of these videos that are embedded in this post.

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OVERVIEW OF THE BLACKFACE TRADITION OF THE MADRI GRAS ZULU SOCIAL AID & PLEASURE CLUB
Since 1909 - with the exception of the years 1965 and 1966 - most of the members of the Mardi Gras krewe* Zulus Social Aid & Pleasure Club (Zulus SA&PC) have worn black face paint and grass skirts during their annual Mardi Gras parade. Members of that predominately Black Mardi Gras krewe usually also wear large black afro wigs as part of their Mardi Gras costumes. These portrayals are stereotypical parodies of real South African Zulus and other dark skinned native people throughout the world that are based on black faced minstrelsy.

*"krewe" = an organization; a membership group that parades during New Orleans Mardi Gras and engages in other social functions.

The Zulu Social Aid & Pleasure Club krewe was formed in 1909 after members of the African American social group Tramps witnessed a theatric skit about the Zulus South African ethnic group.

Here's information about the origin of this Mardi Gras krewe:
From http://www.kreweofzulu.com/history/
"Early in 1909, a group of laborers who had organized a club named “The Tramps,” went to the Pythian Theater to see a musical comedy performed by the Smart Set. The comedy included a skit entitled, “There Never Was and Never Will Be a King Like Me,” about the Zulu Tribe...

After seeing the skit, they retired to their meeting place (a room in the rear of a restaurant/bar in the 1100 block of Perdido Street), and emerged as Zulus. This group was probably made up of members from the Tramps, the Benevolent Aid Society [of that ward] and other ward-based groups.

While the “Group” marched in Mardi Gras as early as 1901, their first appearance as Zulus came in 1909, with William Story as King.

The group wore raggedy pants, and had a Jubilee-singing quartet in front of and behind King Story. His costume of “lard can” crown and “banana stalk” scepter has been well documented. The Kings following William Story, (William Crawford – 1910, Peter Williams – 1912, and Henry Harris – 1914), were similarly attired.

1915 heralded the first use of floats, constructed on a spring wagon, using dry good boxes. The float was decorated with palmetto leaves and moss and carried four Dukes along with the King. That humble beginning gave rise to the lavish floats we see in the Zulu parade today."
Editor: "Ward" here means "city neighborhood". To quote that article "Benevolent Societies were the first forms of insurance in the Black community where, for a small amount of dues, members received financial help when sick or financial aid when burying deceased members."

**
From http://www.facebook.com/pages/Zulu-Social-Aid-Pleasure-Club/111689455522994
"In 1908, John L. Metoyer and members of a New Orleans Mutual aid society called “The Tramps”, attended a vaudevillian comedy show called, “There Never Was and Never Will Be a King Like Me”. The musical comedy performed by the “Smart Set” at the Pythian Temple Theater on the corner of Gravier and Saratoga in New Orleans, included a skit where the characters wore grass skirts and dressed in blackface. Metoyer became inspired by the skit and reorganized his marching troupe from baggy-pant-wearing tramps to a new group called the “Zulus”. In 1909, Metoyer and the first Zulu king, William Story, wore a lard-can crown and carried a banana stalk as a scepter. Six years later in 1915, the first decorated platform was constructed with dry goods boxes on a spring wagon. The King’s float was decorated with tree moss and palmetto leaves.

In 1916, Zulu Social Aid and Pleasure Club became incorporated where the organization’s bylaws were established as well as its social mission and dedication to benevolence and goodwill.

In 1933, the Lady Zulu Auxiliary was formed by the wives of Zulu members, and in 1948, Edwina Robertson became the first Queen of Zulu making the club the first to feature a queen in a parade."

**
From http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/neworleans/sfeature/zulu.html provides additional information about the origins of the Zulu S&PC is found in this article:
"King Zulu has reigned in the streets of New Orleans nearly every Fat Tuesday since 1909. The first kings of Zulu wore lard cans for crowns and carried banana stalks as scepters. Jubilee-singers flanked the king, with Mr. Big Stuff and the Witch Doctor in grass-skirts and black face in attendance. By 2005 the Zulu parades were premiere Mardi Gras events with lavish floats. Gone was the raggedy pants parody of the original parade; the king and queen of Zulu reigned in elegant tuxedo and gown."

Another quote from that same article indicates that at least for a small period of time there was public pressure on the members of that Mardi Gras Krewe to cease wearing blackface:
“Zulus were not without their controversies, either. In the 1960’s during the height of Black awareness, it was unpopular to be a Zulu. Dressing in a grass skirt and donning a black face were seen as being demeaning. Large numbers of black organizations protested against the Zulu organization, and its membership dwindled to approximately 16 men. James Russell, a long-time member, served as president in this period, and is credited with holding the organization together and slowly bringing Zulu back to the forefront."

From http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zulu_Social_Aid_%26_Pleasure_Club:
"In the 1960s, [Zulu SA&PC] membership dwindled as a result of social pressures from civil rights activists. The protesters advertised in the local black community's newspaper The Louisiana Weekly stating:

"We, the Negroes of New Orleans, are in the midst of a fight for our rights and for a recognition of our human dignity which underlies those rights. Therefore, we resent and repudiate the Zulu Parade, in which Negroes are paid by white merchants to wander through the city drinking to excess, dressed as uncivilized savages and throwing cocoanuts like monkeys. This caricature does not represent Us. Rather, it represents a warped picture against us. Therefore, we petition all citizens of New Orleans to boycott the Zulu Parade. If we want respect from others, we must first demand it from ourselves"."

According to that Wikipedia article, in response to those pressures, from 1965 to 1966 the Zulu SA&PC continued to parade wearing grass skirts but during those years stopped wearing blackface. However, from 1967 on that krewe returned to the custom of blackening their skin.

From http://www.eastjeffersonparish.com/culture/MARDIGRA/HISTORY/history.htm:
"Zulu came under pressure from portions of the black community who thought the krewe presented an undignified image. The king resigned and the parade was almost cancelled, but Zulu survived and was a main attraction by 1969".
-snip-
Furthermore, in 1973 the Zulu SA&PC began recruiting members regardless of race. And regardless of race, members of the Zulu S&PC wear black facial paint during their annual Mardi Gras Parade.

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WHY DO MEMBERS OF THE ZULU SOCIAL AID & PLEASURE CLUB WEAR BLACKFACE? 
From my online research, the reasons most often given (together or separately) are

1. The Zulus SA&PC and their costuming is -or at least started out as - a parody of White Mardi Gras krewes, it is tradition, and the parade (and therefore the method of parading) is done just for fun (and therefore shouldn’t be judged).

2. The "Zulu Mardi Gras parade" is a fun tradition that is part of the overarching contemporary (if not traditional) approach to Mardi Gras parades.

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QUOTES ABOUT ZULU KWEWE WEARING BLACKFACE AS A PARODY OF WHITE MARDI GRAS KWEWES
From http://www.nola.com/mardigras/index.ssf/2011/02/zulu_mardi_gras_krewe_files_su.html
"Zulu is a predominantly black group that, during the Carnival season, wears grass skirts and blackface makeup in parody of stereotypes from the early 1900s."

**
From http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/neworleans/sfeature/zulu.html "The Zulu Parade of Mardi Gras" [two comments by Ari Kelman]
"The Zulu parade emerged around the turn of the twentieth century and grew out of New Orleans's powerful African American community. Members of benevolent organizations, groups that engaged in community organizing, decided that if Mardi Gras was going to be segregated, they would begin a Krewe (a Mardi Gras club) of their own. They crowned a king, who wore a lard can atop his head and held a banana stalk as a scepter, mocking the class privilege of most white Carnival Krewes...

I don't think Zulu is just about fun, just as all of the Mardi Gras parades have multiple meanings. In this case, Zulu is about the city's African-American community asserting its right to parade in public spaces, to subvert racist images, and to participate in civic culture. Given New Orleans's extraordinarily complicated racial dynamics, these are important and powerful impulses. And so Zulu isn't just about fun; it's also about people asserting their citizenship."

**
From http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/neworleans/sfeature/zulu.html "The Zulu Parade of Mardi Gras" [comment by Lawrence Powell]
"That Zulu was founded just as segregation was hardening and racial violence was on the upswing helps answer the question. New Orleans's bloodiest race riot -- the Robert Charles riot -- had occurred nine years earlier. Dissent from racial orthodoxy had become dangerous. By embracing and amplifying white stereotypes of black character, Zulu was a safe way to mock the mockers. Its clownish royalty punctured the pretensions of the ermine-bedecked white elite. As Thomas Brothers explains in Louis Armstrong's New Orleans, Zulu's deployment of double-edged racial symbolism was "a classic example of carnivalesque release of class tensions with the special twist of African American signifying." The strategy made the black bourgeoise uncomfortable, however."

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QUOTES ABOUT ZULU KWEWE WEARING BLACKFACE AS A FUN TRADITION
From http://discoverblackheritage.com/zulu-social-aid-pleasure-club
"Established in the early 1900′s, the Zulu Krewe, initially known as the “Tramps,” developed first as a marching group. According to legend, its members adopted the idea for the group from a popular vaudeville skit from the period, “There Never Was and Will Never Be a King Like Me,” dressing up in grass skirts and wearing blackface, traditions that continue today. Zulu royalty has counted among its kings, Louis Armstrong , who served in 1949 and sport special “float characters of Zululand,” including the Big Shot, the Witch Doctor and the Soulful Warriors…

The organization was designed to provide blacks with a way to socialize during Jim Crow era and segregation, and later, as a vehicle to provide its members with much needed burial insurance in a time when African Americans were unable to buy such policies. As a side benefit, it was also a way for New Orleans’s black residents to participate in the city’s official Mardi Gras celebrations—which until the 1960′s was mostly a “whites only” affair—by holding their own parades and balls and crowning faux royalty. Of all the throws to rain down from the many floats in the parades during carnival, the Zulu coconut or “Golden Nugget” is the most sought after."

**
From http://heatherleila3.blogspot.com/2010/02/mardi-gras-gender-and-race-and-everyone.html
“Everyone who rides in Zulu wears blackface. Everyone. (Or maybe just the men.) That means when white people ride in Zulu, they wear blackface too. It's tradition. You don't question tradition. Or do you?"

**
With regard to blackface being a tradition, it should also be noted that from the late 19th century until the mid 20th century, it was traditional for Black actors as well as White actors to wear blackface.
From http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blackface#20th_century_examples
"In both the United States and Britain, blackface was most commonly used in the minstrel performance tradition, but it predates that tradition, and it survived long past the heyday of the minstrel show. White blackface performers in the past used burnt cork and later greasepaint or shoe polish to blacken their skin and exaggerate their lips, often wearing woolly wigs, gloves, tailcoats, or ragged clothes to complete the transformation. Later, black artists also performed in blackface...

In the Theater Owners Booking Association (TOBA), an all-black vaudeville circuit organized in 1909, blackface acts were a popular staple....For example, one of the most famous stars of Haverly's European Minstrels was Sam Lucas, who became known as the "Grand Old Man of the Negro Stage". Lucas later played the title role in the 1914 cinematic production of Harriet Beecher Stowe's Uncle Tom's Cabin. From the early 1930s to the late 1940s, New York City's famous Apollo Theater in Harlem featured skits in which almost all black male performers wore the blackface makeup and huge white painted lips, despite protests that it was degrading from the NAACP. The comics said they felt "naked" without it."

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PANCOCOJAMS EDITOR'S COMMENT
Editor's Comment
Customs that occur over time become tradition. Since the Zulu Social Aid & Pleasure Club celebrated their one hundred anniversary of marching in Mardi Gras parades in 2009, there's no doubt that that organization's distinctive costuming is tradition.

With regard to "parody", it seems to me that the population being parodied by the blackface traditions of the Mardi Gras Zulus are Black people and Black African people in general, and KwaZulu people in particular. And it also seems to me that the Zulu S&PC's much sought after coconut “throw” is too close to the “black people as monkey” meme. I’m not one of those folk who think that negative stereotypes and pejorative words - For example, I don't believe that the “n word” should or can be reclaimed.

I believe that it’s important for people to be aware that the depictions of the Zulus by the Zulu SA&PC have nothing whatsoever to do with the KwaZulu people. In my opinion, no matter how much fun this parade is, and regardless of the fact that its members' costumes started as a way to safely mock White Mardi Gras customs, I believe that those costumes and that organization's name disrespect the South African KwaZulu's rich traditions, though no disrespect was intended. Although I have no association with the Zulu Social Aid & Pleasure Club, I am taking the liberty of apologizing to the KwaZulu people for this unintended disrespect.

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UPDATE: FEBRUARY 2019
From https://www.yahoo.com/news/club-mardi-gras-tradition-not-same-blackface-015518893.html Club: Mardi Gras tradition is not the same as blackface
Associated Press February 13, 2019
"FILE - In this March 4, 2014 file photo, members of the Krewe of Zulu hold painted coconuts to give to parade-goers, as they march during Mardi Gras in New Orleans. New Orleans' widely recognized Zulu Social Aid & Pleasure Club says its tradition of using black makeup for its Mardi Gras float riders is not the same as "blackface," a controversy that has embroiled officials nationwide. The club Wednesday, Feb. 13, 2019 distributed a statement in an effort to head off any criticism of its long-standing custom of parade riders blackening their faces. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert, File)
"NEW ORLEANS (AP) — New Orleans' widely recognized Zulu Social Aid & Pleasure Club says its tradition of using black makeup for its Mardi Gras float riders is not the same as "blackface," a controversy that has embroiled officials nationwide.

The club Wednesday distributed a statement in an effort to head off any criticism of its long-standing custom of parade riders blackening their faces. The statement says Zulu parade costumes bear no resemblance to those worn by "blackface" minstrel performers at the turn of the century. It also says Zulu's costumes are designed to honor garments worn by South African Zulu warriors> and notes the tradition hails from poverty in the post-Reconstruction South, when makeup — not masks —was the only option available to them.

The New Orleans Advocate reports the club's statement comes just weeks before it prepares to roll on March 5, Fat Tuesday."
-snip-
*This sentence is given in italics to highlight it.

The statement quoted above doesn't note that the members of the Mardi Gras Zulu Social Aid & Pleasure club are Black Americans and therefore don't need to wear black makeup on their face to depict South African Zulus. While it may be true that in the early 20th century members of this krewe didn't know what the traditional attire of South African Zulu males were, given the age of the internet, that is no longer true. Furthermore, the way that Zulu Social Aid & Pleasure Club members continue to paint their faces and the costumes that they continue to wear conform with stereotypical minstrel tropes of wild dark skinned native men not just in Africa but in Melanesia and elsewhere in the world. One example of these stereotypical costumes is the South Sea Island "wild man" who is portrayed in the 1933 Little Rascal's clip known as "Yum Yum Eat'em Up". https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fnA8NQBjjso. One scene of this video that shows the "wild man" (who is scripted as coming from Borneo and not Africa) is at 4:53. Note that a 5:13/5:14 in this clip the Black boy (Stymie) says "Is that your uncle? He looks like a gorilla ape to me".
Click https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Kid_from_Borneo for more information about this Little Rascals clip.
-snip-
In contrast to the statement from the Mardi Gras Zulu Social Aid & Pleasure Club that "Zulu's costumes are designed to honor garments worn by South African Zulu warriors", here's a video of Zulu Social Aid & Pleasure Club members parading in 2017

Zulu Parade - Mardi Gras 2017

Cosette Richard, Published on Mar 3, 2017

Zulu Social Aid & Pleasure Club
Mardi Gras Parade 2017
New Orleans, La.

-snip-
And here's a video of real Zulu males dressed in their traditional clothing:

INDLONDLO ZULU DANCERS

Indlondlo Zulu Dancers, Published on Sep 25, 2017

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Viewer comments are welcome.

Music & Dance From Zimbabwe, South Africa

Edited by Azizi Powell

Revised October 2, 2016, with a video replacing one that is no longer available and one additional video.

This post features five videos of traditional music and dance from Zimbabwe, South Africa.

My thanks to the participants, producers, and uploaders of these videos.

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Video #1: Zambezi Express - The Amazing New African Dance Musical...



Uploaded by gypsiiboy on Oct 6, 2009

Highlights from this amazing new show. The story follows a boy named Zilli, born in the slums of a township in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe who dreams of becoming a top-flight footballer. His adventures on the Zambezi Express - the train that leaves Bulawayo for South Africa once a week - and his struggles in the big city have created this extraordinary, pulsating new show straight from the heart of Africa. Pounding, multi-layered African beats and powerful acapella vocals alongside jumping, jiving, and acrobatic dance numbers by a 30 strong company. A soccer-based musical for the approaching World Cup in South Africa 2010 - This is the beautiful game as its never been seen before!"...

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Video #2: Traditional Song _ Chegutu, Zimbabwe (Africa)



Uploaded by elikkka on Jun 3, 2009

African dance - school project zimbabwe -

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Video #3: Bira Dance at Great Zimbabwe



Matsuhira Yuji, Published on Jan 20, 2013

"Bira" is a traditional dance of Karanga people in Zimbabwe.

They are from KwaNemamwa, the nearest village from Great Zimbabwe ruins.

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Video #4: Great Traditional Dance. Zimbabwe, Africa



africa-zimbabwe.blogspot.com, Uploaded on Nov 12, 2009

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Video #5: Tambudzai Neshamwari / Friends



Zimbabwe HOPE TV Published on Jul 13, 2015

Tambudzai (30) lost her leg in an Car Accident and she is passionate about dancing. She is looking for money to buy an artificial leg. She is at Masvingo Teachers College.


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Viewer comments are welcome.

"Young, Gifted & Black", "Buffalo Soldiers" And Other Songs About Black Pride

Edited by Azizi Powell

In the United States and in numerous other countries in the world most of the attributes for the color "black" are negative.

For centuries the color "black" has been equated with things that are bad or problematic or evil, for example "black clouds", "being in a black mood", and "black humor" (gallows humor, humor that is cynical). In European countries and also in the United States, it was traditional to warn children that if they were bad, they would receive a clump of black coal on Christmas day but if they were good, they would received a lump of white sugar. And throughout Europe, the devil has long been symbolized as being the color "black", and not just the color "red" that is familiar to most people in the United States.

Those negative connotations for the color black easily carried over to negative views about people who have dark skin. And it's significant that, until very recently, God, Jesus, and angels were only portrayed as being White. Although there are statues & paintings of Black Madonnas* in Europe, few people in the United States know of these works of art.

While most of the connotations for the color "black" are negative, there are a few positive connotations for that color - "being in the black" (making a financial profit), "black soil" (soil that is rich and fertile), and wearing a black dress for formal occassions (epitomizing sophistication). But the centuries old negative connotations for the word "black" help create and maintain institutional & personal racism against Black people. Negative connotations for the color "black" and negative attitudes toward and images of dark skinned people also result in colorism** that dark skin people have toward each other.

Songs of Black pride are one way to counteract the negative connotations of the color "black" and the low self-esteem and low group esteem that many Black skin and dark skin people feel. Here are a few songs about Black pride.

The content of this post is presented for its motivational, entertainment, and aesthetic purposes.

All copyrights remain with their owners.

FEATURED VIDEOS
(These videos are presented in no order of preference.)

Video #1: Kofi -- Brown Sugar -"Black Pride"



Uploaded by max1xxx on Jul 21, 2010
Kofi -- Brown Sugar they topped the reggae charts in 1977 three girls with talent from south London. They formed a singing group while in their mid teens and were recommended to Dennis Harris at that time (mid late 1970s) Dennis was the owner operator of the Lover's Rock label straight outta Brockley, London SE4 United Kingdom...

Lyrics to "Black Pride"*
(as sung by Kofi-Brown Sugar)

Verse 1
Yeah Yeah Oooh
Black is the color of my skin
Black is the life that I live.
And I’m so proud to be
the color that God made me
I just got to say

Chorus:
Black is my color, yeah
[Black pride for all to see]
Wouldn’t be any other
[Oh no. I must be me.]
I said Black is my color, yeah
[Black pride for all to see]
Wouldn’t be any other. No No No
[Oh no. I must be me.]

Verse 2
Brown is the color of my eyes.
I’ve got no reason to disguise.
Black is the pride in me.
All of the world to see.
I just got to say

Chorus

Yeah Yeah Woo ooh

Verse 3
Black is the pride in me.
All of the world to see
I just got to say

Chorus [repeat multiple times]
-transcribed from the video by Azizi Powell
Please send in any corrections to this transcription.

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Video #2: james brown,say it loud i'm black and i'm proud



Uploaded by crabby68 on Jan 12, 2007
james brown doin what he does best.
-snip-
Click http://artists.letssingit.com/james-brown-lyrics-say-it-loud-im-black-and-im-proud-pt-1-5w39354 for the lyrics to this song.

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Video #3:Nina Simone - To Be Young Gifted and Black מתורגם



אתיופים מאוחדים בע"מ Published on Feb 13, 2014
-snip-
Google translate of אתיופים מאוחדים בע"מ from Hebrew to English = Ethiopian Consolidated Ltd.
-snip-
Click http://www.lyricsfreak.com/n/nina+simone/to+be+young+gifted+black_20100554.html for lyrics to this song.

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Video #4: Curtis Mayfield & The Impressions - We're a Winner



Uploaded by thepowderedclouds on Jul 26, 2008
Title track from the 1968 Album.

Click http://www.metrolyrics.com/were-a-winner-lyrics-curtis-mayfield.html for lyrics to this song.

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Video #5: Bob Marley - Buffalo soldier



Pgroenberg, Uploaded on Apr 23, 2008

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Video #6: Sesame Street: Song -- I Love My Hair



SesameStreet, Uploaded on Oct 12, 2010
Sing along and make the world aware that YOU love your hair!

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Video #7: Buju Banton - African Pride



VeryPalpableHit, Uploaded on Nov 4, 2007

A mix of clips I put together set to Buju Banton's song, African Pride, off of his 1997 album, Inna Heights.

LYRICS: AFRICAN PRIDE
(Writer(s): Writer(s): MARSDEN, STEVEN / DUNBAR, LOWELL / DENNIS, DONALD / MYRIE, MARK / GERMAIN, DONOVAN

Thou we struggle
Jah is the ruler and protector of I & I life
All man a bawl (Eh!)

(Ethiopia) Africans with African pride
(Somalia) Fighting to attain our rights
Want no more shedding of blood
For our nation to move forward
(Mozambique) Africans with African pride
(Zambia) Fighting to attain our rights
Want no more shedding of blood
For dis nation to move forward

What make we can't all unite
Put each man difference aside
Why can't we just come together
Cease from tribal wars and fight
Who knows better must do better
A source of collective insight
May not be exposed to education
But surely knows wrong from right

(Nigeria) Africans with African pride
(Ghana) Fighting to attain our rights
Want no more shedding of blood
For dis nation to move forward
(Zimbabwe) Africans with African pride
(Zaire) Fighting to attain our rights
Want no more shedding of blood
For dis nation to move forward

Self help with inner motivation
Teach I to be self sufficient
don't want to depend on no one
For attainment of my bread
Oh these words
Oh my calling
Children crying white squall tears
Hunger rampant harvest plenty (ooohwe, whoa)

(Senegal) Africans with African pride
(South Africa) Fighting to attain our rights
Want no more shedding of blood
For any nation to move forward
(Ethiopia) Africans with African pride
(Somalia) Fighting to attain our rights
(oh oh oh oh oh oh oh)
(oh oh oh oh oh oh)

(Unde-lay, Unde-lay, Unde-lay, uh lay lay woi)
(Unde-lay, Unde-lay, Unde-lay, uh lay lay woi)
(Woi)

(Freedom) free Africa
A free free Africa
(Freedom) free Africa
A free indi-Africa
(Freedom) free Africa
Di whole entire Africa
(Freedom) free Africa (Whoa, woy-yo)

(Botswana) Africans with African pride
(Cameroon) Fighting to attain our rights
Want no more shedding of blood
For dis nation to move forward
(Angola) Africans with African pride
(Namibia) Fighting to attain our rights
Want no more shedding of blood
For dis nation to move forward

What make we can't all unite
Put each man difference aside
Why can't we just come together
Cease dis tribal war and fight
Who knows better must do better
A source of collective insight
May not be exposed to education
But surely knows wrong from right

(Algeria) Africans with African pride
(Mali) Fighting to attain our rights
Want no more shedding of blood
For dis nation to move forward
(Benin) Africans with African pride
(Burundi) Fighting to attain our rights
Want no more shedding of blood
For dis nation to move forward

Want no more shedding of blood
For dis nation to move forward
Want no more shedding of blood
For dis nation to move forward
Want no more shedding of blood
For dis nation to move forward
Want no more shedding of blood
For dis nation to move forward

http://www.lyrics007.com/Buju%20Banton%20Lyrics/African%20Pride%20Lyrics.html

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RELATED LINKS
Click http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Madonna for an article about Black Madonnas

Click http://civilliberty.about.com/od/raceequalopportunity/g/inst_racism.htm for a definition of "institutional racism".

Click http://racerelations.about.com/od/understandingrac1/g/definitionofcolorism.htm for a definition of "colorism".

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENT AND THANKS
Thanks to the composers, performers, and uploaders of these videos.

Thanks for visiting pancocojams.

Viewer comments are welcome.

Jonkanoo, Gombey, New Orleans Indians, & The Philadelphia Mummers Costume Traditions (videos)

Edited by Azizi Powell

Updated to remove inactive links - August 24, 2020

The purpose of this pancocojams post is to present videos that showcase the similarities between the costume traditions of the Jonkanoo & Gombey paraders in the Caribbean and the costume traditions of the New Orleans Mardi Gras Indians, and Philadelphia Mummers in the United States.

The Caribbean videos are presented first because my research suggests that the Mardi Gras Indians developed their costume traditions from the Caribbean costume traditions and the Mummers developed their feathered fancy dress costume traditions from the Mardi Gras Indians costume traditions and/or the Caribbean costume traditions.


FEATURED VIDEOS

Video #1: Roots New Years Day Junkanoo 2010 [The Bahamas]



Junkanoo or Nuttin, Uploaded on Jan 6, 2010

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Video #2: Bermuda Gombey Documentary - "Behind The Mask" Official Trailer (2008) [Bermuda]



Uploaded by aklathan on Sep 28, 2011

This feature length film captures and documents the ongoing history of the Bermuda Gombeys, one of Bermuda's oldest Folklife traditions. Running 88 minutes in total it was designed to supplement Bermuda's education system; its narrative chapters split into detailed sections covering every aspect of the Gombey culture, instruments, dance, costumes, training, history and traditions.

A Special Edition version was released in 2010 with subtitle options included and Bonus Features accessible from the DVD menu.

Synopsis: Historically, the Gombeys were not viewed as a respectable art form by the island's ruling class. Slaves were allowed to dance only once a year and did so in masks in order to protest, without fear of retribution, the injustices done them by their slave masters. Incorporating elements of African, Native American, Caribbean and British cultures the Gombeys have evolved into the colorful, uniquely Bermudian art form beloved by locals and tourists alike. From archival texts and insights of our foremost historians to the memories of the oldest living Gombey Masters, from the hearts and minds of today's Captains to the youngest Gombeys carrying the tradition into the future...

Behind the Mask explores the past, the present and the future of this proud and resilient heritage, and is a celebration of all these exceptional Bermudian tradition-bearers.

For more information on Bermuda culture, heritage and the Bermuda Gombeys, and to purchase the film visit the website of The Department of Community and Cultural Affairs Bermuda.
http://www.communityandculture.bm/behind_the_masks [link no longer active- August 24, 2020]

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Video #3: 7th Ward Creole Hunters, Mardi Gras Indians, 2009 [New Orleans, Louisiana, USA]



Uploaded by anotherapple on Mar 8, 2009

Big Chief Jermaine Cooper Bossier and his 7th Ward Creole Hunters on Mardi Gras 2009 in New Orleans.

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Video #4: Ferko String Band 1989- At The Strutters Ball [Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA]



Uploaded by 69mets86 on May 22, 2008

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Viewer comments are welcome.

Vintage Gospel Songs By Albertina Walker & The Caravans

Edited by Azizi Powell

The Caravans - Lord Keep Me Day by Day



Posted by DaSourcespr06; May 07, 2008

The Original version of The Caravans flagship song "Lord Keep Me Day by Day; feat. Eddie Williams. ca.1958

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This post is presented without editorial comments for their religious, historical, and aesthetic value, and is dedicated to my mother Leotta Banfield Manning on her 91st birthday. Happy Birthday, mommy!

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My thanks to The Caravans and to the composers of these songs for the wonderful musical heritage they have gifted to the world. My thanks also to the uploaders of these videos for sharing them with others. These videos are posted in no chronological or ranking order.
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OVERVIEW OF THE CARAVANS

From http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Caravans

The Caravans is a Jubilee Gospel group that was started by Albertina Walker (queen of gospel). The group reached its peak popularity during the 1950s and 1960s, launching the careers of a number of artists, including: Delores Washington, Albertina Walker, Bessie Griffin, Cassietta George, Dorothy Norwood, Inez Andrews, Shirley Caesar, Josephine Howard, Rev. James Cleveland, and more. The group underwent numerous personnel changes between 1951 and 1961. 1962 to 1966 provided the Caravans with its most stable group member lineup, consisting of Washington, Walker, Caesar, George, James Herndon and Josephine Howard. The group also made frequent TV appearances during this time on shows such as TV's Gospel Time and Jubilee Showcase....

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VIDEOS
Video #1: The Caravans - Lord Keep Me Day by Day
This video is found at the top of this page.

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Video #2: Albertina Walker & The Caravans The Angels Keep Watching Over Me (Rare)



Uploaded by steven2312 on Apr 7, 2011

Live 1955

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Video #3: He's Sweet I know by Albertina Walker with The Caravans



Uploaded by MTCfan on Oct 20, 2009

This is a very old, but powerful arrangement of the hymn 'He's Sweet I Know' performed by "Lady Albertina Walker" as the radio announcer called her. This single is no longer published. I'm sorry for the poor sound quality but it was the best that could be done. I decided to post this version anyway, and prayerfully despite the scratchy background, the reverence is what will shine through and be a blessing to someone else as well.

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Video #4: "Standing In The Need of Prayer" (1956)- The Caravans



Uploaded by JayEm86 on May 21, 2008

From 1956, Dorothy Norwood on lead vocals.

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Video #5: Caravans - Mary Don't You Weep



Uploaded by AIKAN74 on Nov 3, 2008

Dorothy Norwood, Inez Andrews, Delores Washington, Albertina Walker

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Video #6: The Caravans - We Are Soldiers



Uploaded by OlSkoolSaint on Jun 22, 2008

Another recording with Imogene Green on lead

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Video #7: The Caravans.mpg



Uploaded by chj333 on Oct 16, 2008

This is The Caravans reunion with James Cleveland at the 1988 Stellar Awards.

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Shared Aesthetics: Ivory Coast Mask Dances & Chicago Footwork

Edited by Azizi Powell

Revision: August 29, 2018

Zaouli de Manfla



Uploaded by KONAN947 on Feb 26, 2010
Zaouli of Manfla, center-west of Ivory Coast, filmed by Konan Kouakou David

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This post focuses on the similarities between the fast footwork of the Djoanigbe & Zaouli masking tradition dances and the African American dance called "Chicago footwork".

The information and videos in this post are presented for their historical, folkloric, and aesthetic values.

I want to clearly state that I'm not suggesting that Ivory Coast traditional dance is the only African dance tradition which features fast footwork. Furthermore, I'm not suggesting that Chicago footwork is the only style of fast footwork dancing among African Americans or among other people in the African Diaspora.

By showcasing these two dance forms I'm pointing out the similarities in those performances and I'm suggesting that these two dance forms obviously share a common aesthetic appreciation for dances with fast footwork. However, the meanings and purposes of this Ivory Coast dance and Chicago footwork (or Detroit footwork etc.) are the same. One significant differences between these two dances is that the Chicago footwork dance is a non-religious dance, and the Ivory Coast mask dances may include religious elements. Furthermore, the Chicago footwork dance is highly competitive, but I'm not certain whether these Ivory Coast dances are at all competitive.

With that said, the similarities between how the Djoanigbe & Zaouli masking tradition dances and the African American "Chicago footwork" dance are performed - including the fast footwork and one individual at a time dancing within a circle made up of onlookers & dancers- causes me to wonder if a valid case could be made that African Americans' aesthetic preference for certain forms of dance are genetically influenced by our unconscious rememberances of similar traditional African dances.

My thanks to those featured in the videos, to those who uploaded these videos, and to Juliana Azoubel, the author of a journal paper about these traditions from which I have quoted. It's my hope by sharing these excerpts, I will raise awareness about that paper, and will encourage others to read the entire paper.

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OVERVIEW & VIDEO OF DJOANIGBE & ZAOULI MASKING TRADITION & DANCES (IVORY COAST, WEST AFRICA)
From http://www.clas.ufl.edu/jur/200003/papers/paper_azoubel.html
Journal of Undergraduate Research University Of Florida
Volume 1, Issue 6 - March 2000
Juliana Azoubel
"The Cote d'Ivoire Mask Tradition from the Viewpoint of Dance Ethnology: Dancing the Gap between Spirit and Human Worlds

The Cote d'Ivoire (the Ivory Coast) is the origin of several of the most important and interesting masking traditions in Africa. In the West, these masks have been viewed primarily as art objects. Through their embodiment in dance, however, masks are the way many Ivorians communicate with supernatural forces and bring power to the community...

THE DJOANIGBE MASK
...Djoanigbe is a very important mask among the people from the Cote d'Ivoire and, fortunately, it is one that I had the opportunity to see perform...

The movements of Djoanigbe show speed and power. They are grounded low to the earth and there is a sense of mystery in the performance juxtaposed by moments of surprise that shock and startle. Since most of the steps are designed to imitate the running of a panther-the sacred or totem animal-the performance requires a great deal of space. In his November 18, 1999 performance on the stage of the Center for Performing Arts, the Djoanigbe mask completely covered the space, pacing with quick stops and direction changes.... The movement fully embodies the awe-inspiring power of Djoanigbe, and the black mask decorated with cowrie shells creates an imposing presence...

THE ZAOULI MASK AND HER FLIRTATIOUS SISTER FLALI
According to the Guros, the masks that did not originate from the animal spirits are entertainment masks, and among them are Sauli (Zaouli), Flali and Wali. The essential dance activity for the Zaouli mask is rapid-fire movement of the feet. Dictated by the rhythm of the drums for both the Zaouli figure and the head movements of the forest dancers, this dance is high speed and very dynamic (Poynor). "Saouli masks are topped by multi-figured compositions, the subjects of which often have nothing to do with the dance itself. The purpose of the superstructure seems to be to introduce an element of surprise into the entertainment and to increase its attractiveness"(Poynor 173)...

Zaouli is female yet the Zaouli performer is always male. The cross-gender mask performs on many different occasions to amuse people: during holidays, for entertainment of visitors to the community, to collect food from the community members during the initiation process, and also in some funeral ceremonies. Zaouli has a young sister called Flali. This mask, also performed exclusively by men, shares many characteristics of Zaouli, including the actual mask. It is entirely the dance activity that distinguishes Flali from her sister, Zaouli. Flali shows more charm and flirting in her performance. She uses a high proportion of upper back articulation in her dance, contrasting the forceful footwork-based that characterizes Zaouli. The performance of Flali is a deep play on movement characteristics of a woman and the dance becomes exaggeratedly feminine and more delicate than a female dancer's, and of Zaouli's for that matter."

Video #1: Zaouli de Manfla
This video is presented at the top of this page.

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Video #2: Zahouli fo Manfla 4



Uploaded by goninti on Jan 22, 2010

Rythmique exceptionnelle

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Video #3: Zahouli of Manfla2.avi



Uploaded by goninti on Jan 22, 2010
Le jeune danseur de Manfla, très énergétique, a de l'avenir. Il lui reste à parfaire sa technique et à apprendre les nombreux pas de danse des devanciers !
Très bon !!! Courage jeune frère !

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OVERVIEW & VIDEOS OF CHICAGO FOOT WORK DANCING
From http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Footwork_(Chicago)

Footwork is a style of related music and street dance that originated in the American city of Chicago. The dance involves fast movement of the feet with accompanying twists and turns, and usually takes place as part of a "battle". The music style has evolved from an earlier musical style, juke, a change pioneered by R.P. Boo. The style was popularised outside Chicago by inclusion in the music video for Dude 'n Nem's 2007 single "Watch My Feet".

Video #1: Chicago Footwork



Uploaded by ghettotekz on Apr 24, 2010
no real battle, just some amazin footworkin. This was with MOB, TS, Wolf Pac, Litebulb, Deryon, Stepz, Manny, just a whole bunch of dope cats. ..

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Video #2: Battlegroundz Battle 6: Tae Vs Dipset



uploaded by ghettotekz on Jan 28, 2010
Come to Battle Groundz at 87th/East End every sunday to join, or watch the hottest footworkers in Chicago.

Editor:
WARNING: This YouTube viewer comment thread includes profanity and the "n word".

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