tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5893219718076521675.post744510648600392205..comments2024-03-29T08:48:14.872-04:00Comments on pancocojams: What "John Crow" Means In JamaicaAzizi Powellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14963772326145910073noreply@blogger.comBlogger21125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5893219718076521675.post-37634186312269308862023-03-30T09:40:26.791-04:002023-03-30T09:40:26.791-04:00Anonymous, you're welcome and thank you for yo...Anonymous, you're welcome and thank you for your comments.<br /><br />I'm glad that the internet enables people throughout the world to research, share information and comments about various topics.<br /><br />Best wishes!Azizi Powellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14963772326145910073noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5893219718076521675.post-18472120763001808242023-03-29T22:27:33.150-04:002023-03-29T22:27:33.150-04:00Your entire investigation around this subject is o...Your entire investigation around this subject is outstanding, just wanted to thank you for all the work you have been doing so far. I am from another culture, from another country, but since I heard the words "John Crow" years ago, something clicked on me. Your whole work is helping me understand it better. I do not see a bad connotation to that word though, call it intuition or gut feeling, but it seems to have a deeper meaning, a good one.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5893219718076521675.post-42699713223069711362023-03-29T22:23:32.175-04:002023-03-29T22:23:32.175-04:00the word Yankoro sounds similar to "John Crow...the word Yankoro sounds similar to "John Crow", just saying, it's an interesting coincidenceAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5893219718076521675.post-64328440216457549202021-10-22T18:31:07.862-04:002021-10-22T18:31:07.862-04:00Thanks for your comments fletchiski.
Would you pl...Thanks for your comments fletchiski.<br /><br />Would you please share your source or sources for connecting the drongo species of birds with the bird called John Crow in Jamaica?Azizi Powellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14963772326145910073noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5893219718076521675.post-44374466883138390032021-10-22T13:23:38.534-04:002021-10-22T13:23:38.534-04:00Sorry the name of the African bird drongoSorry the name of the African bird drongofletchskihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16763699320098926931noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5893219718076521675.post-25426194328548026372021-10-22T13:21:35.905-04:002021-10-22T13:21:35.905-04:00The alternate pronunciation used by many Jamaicans...The alternate pronunciation used by many Jamaicans of old is dranco<br />This is similar to a group of African birds large and black called the Drango<br />I suspect that this is the origin of the name corrected by the English masters as John Crowfletchskihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16763699320098926931noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5893219718076521675.post-43601833094433401522021-07-19T12:22:36.668-04:002021-07-19T12:22:36.668-04:00Thanks Elaine Milner for your comment.
I'm no...Thanks Elaine Milner for your comment.<br /><br />I'm not familiar with Nadia Cattous but found a number of YouTube videos of her singing "Long Time Boy". Here's one of those videos whose summary includes biographical information about that singer: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9yLCU3l93MQ&ab_channel=RememberOurMusic" rel="nofollow">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9yLCU3l93MQ&ab_channel=RememberOurMusic</a>.Azizi Powellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14963772326145910073noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5893219718076521675.post-51179789712040020622021-07-19T11:26:35.300-04:002021-07-19T11:26:35.300-04:00Nadia Cattous singing `Longtime Boy` is a treasure...Nadia Cattous singing `Longtime Boy` is a treasure in my memory. Her haunting and sweet voice takes me back to some beautiful years of my younger self. She and the song are timeless. Elaine Milner from UK.Elaine Milner, Hailsham, UKhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10663072868860658195noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5893219718076521675.post-79408676989790702372018-09-01T00:35:07.136-04:002018-09-01T00:35:07.136-04:00Greetings, Melody Forbes.
Thank you for sharing y...Greetings, Melody Forbes.<br /><br />Thank you for sharing your comments about Jancrows in Jamaica. Your memories and observations enrich this post.<br /><br />One love!Azizi Powellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14963772326145910073noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5893219718076521675.post-24606426462391311282018-08-31T20:50:38.289-04:002018-08-31T20:50:38.289-04:00Growing up as a child in Jamaica, I wondered why V...Growing up as a child in Jamaica, I wondered why Vultures were called Jancrows. I think the Anglicised (white) version being "John Crow." It makes so much sense to me now to read the African word "Yankoro." Accent is probably on the first syllable & almost no sound on the middle vowel; & hearing my grandmother's voice in my head with her heavy Jamaican accent, what sounded like "Jangcro," accent also on the first syllable. Also the connection to the fact that white colonists would have written what they heard as "JohnCrow." Amazing when the pieces come together. Thank you!<br /><br />I have seen vultures in Jamaica trying to take off from the ground. It is a lumbering, awkward gait. That is probably what the "buzzard lope" looks like. A big bird with a limping, lumbering run, wings flapping as it tries to lift its heavy body off the ground.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11426485920248379783noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5893219718076521675.post-72126729149454411842016-03-17T12:10:25.206-04:002016-03-17T12:10:25.206-04:00Here's a link to Part I of a pancocojams serie...Here's a link to Part I of a pancocojams series about some spiritual/positive connotations of vultures/crows in Africa: <a href="http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2016/03/crow-totems-in-akan-culture-excerpt.html" rel="nofollow">http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2016/03/crow-totems-in-akan-culture-excerpt.html</a>.<br /><br />That series focuses on the crow & vulture in traditional Akan religion of Ghana and The Ivory Coast, the vulture in traditional Yoruba religion & in traditional Edo religion in Nigeria, and the vulture in Egyptian mythology. The links to the other posts in that series are included in that post. <br /><br />Also, click <a href="http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2016/03/positive-connotations-of-crows-vultures.html" rel="nofollow">http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2016/03/positive-connotations-of-crows-vultures.html</a> for a related post. I believe that it's likely that 18th century and 19th century representations of buzzards or crows in Jamaica and among Black Americans (in the United States) were greatly influenced by the West African positive/spiritual connotations of vultures & crows.<br />Azizi Powellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14963772326145910073noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5893219718076521675.post-76057605623476802262016-03-16T10:45:33.878-04:002016-03-16T10:45:33.878-04:00Thanks for submitting a request to OED for more in...Thanks for submitting a request to OED for more information about the word "yankoro"<br /><br />With regard to info about the vulture in Egyptian mythology, here's a quote that I'm going to include in that upcoming post that I mentioned in my last comment:<br />From <a href="http://indigointernational.org/sacred-symbolism-of-birds/" rel="nofollow">http://indigointernational.org/sacred-symbolism-of-birds/</a><br />"The sacred symbolism of birds is interwoven into the mythology and spirituality of early African tribes. Early Egyptian gods were zoomorphic; they had animal characteristics. The Egyptian god Horus was known as the Sky God. He is usually shown with hawk\’s head. The pronunciation of his name in the Egyptian hieroglyphs was Haru, meaning falcon, brother to the hawk. The Egyptian goddess Nekhbet was the protectress of the king and goddess of heaven. She is depicted as a woman with the head of a white vulture. Early African tribes worshiped these birdlike gods and honored their feathers as a means of sacred ritual."Azizi Powellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14963772326145910073noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5893219718076521675.post-60322509276962989912016-03-16T04:30:42.973-04:002016-03-16T04:30:42.973-04:00Well I filled in the submission form on the OED we...Well I filled in the submission form on the OED website, quoting the Herskovits source, so it's over to them now. <br /><br />I also had a look at vulture pictures on Wikipedia, and though the African vulture is a species distinct from the New World variety, they look pretty similar. Well, they do to me :) They look more like each other than either does to a crow I'd say. Wikipedia said about the American variety:<br /><br />'The turkey vulture is awkward on the ground with an ungainly, hopping walk. It requires a great deal of effort to take flight, flapping its wings while pushing off the ground and hopping with its feet.'<br /><br />But I suppose a bird that comes down from the high heavens and deals with the dead would naturally be seen as pretty awesome. Wasn't there a vulture goddess on Tutankhamun's regalia?slam2011https://www.blogger.com/profile/03112153426493772446noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5893219718076521675.post-54550302285251244262016-03-15T19:01:59.042-04:002016-03-15T19:01:59.042-04:00It would be great if OED researchers could suss ou...It would be great if OED researchers could suss out which West African language the word "yankoro" comes from. Any information would be very much appreciated.<br /><br />Here's another quote I found regarding positive symbolism for the vulture in West Africa -in<br />this case, the language is Yoruba and the nation is Nigeria:<br />"Symbolizing the Past: Reading Sankofa, Daughters of the Dust, & Eve's Bayou" by Sandra M. Grayson<br />Page 23<br />..."In Ifa, the vulture [Igun] is associated with prospects of living to an old age and Igun plays a significant role in Ifa divination sacrifices. Igun helps in making sacrifices acceptable by eating them. In fact, according to ese Ifa, “ without igun, nobody performs sacrifice.” (Abimbola. Sixteen Great Poems of Ifa, pp 28-29. This variant between the vulture symbolism in “The King Buzzard” and in the Ifa literary corpus reflects the multiple African influences in the tale.”<br />-snip-<br />These quotes have got me thinking about writing a post that includes these and other excerpts about positive symbolism of vultures in African cultures. References that I've found online for positive West African spiritual meanings of the vulture probably influenced the USA "The Buzzard Lope" dance and the early symbolism of John Canoe and perhaps even John Crow.<br /><br />I'll probably publish that post soon.<br />Azizi Powellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14963772326145910073noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5893219718076521675.post-74209504656672977412016-03-15T18:31:57.599-04:002016-03-15T18:31:57.599-04:00Yes, 'Tap Roots' was the book I meant. Nex...Yes, 'Tap Roots' was the book I meant. Next time I'll just list title and author since my links don't work :(<br /><br />I see M J Herkovits suggested the yankoro/john-crow etymology way back in 1948! But OED seem unaware, or at least, haven't addressed the suggestion. If I knew which West African language 'yankoro' comes from, I'd write and ask why not. <br /><br />Maybe I'll submit the suggestion anyway? and let them chase up the language of origin - they have a better chance of finding it than me.slam2011https://www.blogger.com/profile/03112153426493772446noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5893219718076521675.post-87490486730403156922016-03-15T10:38:22.707-04:002016-03-15T10:38:22.707-04:00I added an update to this post that includes more ...I added an update to this post that includes more information about the meaning of the vulture in Asanti (Ashanti) culture. Azizi Powellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14963772326145910073noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5893219718076521675.post-16391987983831265452016-03-15T08:46:30.139-04:002016-03-15T08:46:30.139-04:00Hello, slam2011
For some reason, the link you gav...Hello, slam2011<br /><br />For some reason, the link you gave resulted in the message "does not match any document". That happens a lot with links to google books which is why I usually just put the title, author, page numbers and the identifier "google books" in my posts.<br /><br />Was this the book that you found?<br />"The Creation of Jazz: Music, Race, and Culture in Urban ...<br />https://books.google.com/books?isbn=0252064216<br /><br />Burton W. Peretti - 1994 - Music<br />Possession religion took hold in these regions, as did such African-American rites as ... derived perhaps from the West African yankoro, or buzzard festival."...<br />-snip-<br />That quote is found on page 12 of that book. <br /><br />I also found this entry by searching for "West African word yankoro":<br />Tap Roots: The Early History of Tap Dancing<br />By Mark Knowles<br />Anthropologist Melvin Herkovits suggests that the name of the John Canoe dance is derived from the Ashanti people of Africa and is a reference for the yankoro or buzzard. In the United States the climax of the John Canoe included a buck dance known as the buzzard lope" [page 32]. <br />-snip-<br />"The Ashanti is the major indigenous tribe of the Akans in Ghana" [buzzghana.com]"<br />-snip-<br />Here's a link to a pancocojams post on the buzzard lope: <a href="http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2012/07/throw-me-anywhere-lord-buzzard-lope.html" rel="nofollow">http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2012/07/throw-me-anywhere-lord-buzzard-lope.html</a><br /><br />I'll add that above quote about the Asanti people to that post if it's not already included.<br /><br />Thanks again!!Azizi Powellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14963772326145910073noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5893219718076521675.post-14656610863024623972016-03-15T06:00:25.219-04:002016-03-15T06:00:25.219-04:00Azizi, a book on dance (link below) suggests the J...Azizi, a book on dance (link below) suggests the John Canoe dance might take its name from a West African word 'yankoro', meaning 'buzzard'. It doesn't say which language 'yankoro' comes from, unfortunately, and I haven't found it in the online Twi Dictionary.<br /><br /> But I'd guess that if 'yankoro' means 'buzzard' might have been used by Africans to refer to a similar bird, the Jamaican vulture, and whites might mishear it as 'john-crow'. Since whites did the writing-down, they would spell it as they heard it.<br /><br />https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=g7vtBsF5OH0C&pg=PA31&dq=Yankoro&hl=en&sa=X&redir_esc=y#v=onepage&q=Yankoro&f=falseslam2011https://www.blogger.com/profile/03112153426493772446noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5893219718076521675.post-6906158798628497732015-03-07T13:49:06.834-05:002015-03-07T13:49:06.834-05:00Lyrics for one of two versions of the children'...Lyrics for one of two versions of the children's game "Little Sally Water" that is part of a collection of Jamaican children's folk games published in 1922 mentions doing "the John Crow step". Martha Warren Beckwith, collector, Jamaican Folk Games, <a href="http://archive.org/stream/Folk-gamesOfJamaica/FolkGamesJamaica_Beckwith_84pgs51310747_djvu.txt" rel="nofollow">http://archive.org/stream/Folk-gamesOfJamaica/FolkGamesJamaica_Beckwith_84pgs51310747_djvu.txt</a> , [location] "Bethleham" #66, page 78.<br /><br />Here's that example:<br />Little Sally Water, sprinkle in the saucer, <br /><br />Rise, Sally, rise and wipe your eyes, <br /><br />Turn to the east, Sally, turn to the west, <br /><br />Turn to the very one you love the best. <br /><br />Then you step them John-crow step, <br /><br />Jump up on the wall, <br /><br />Then you broaden, make them see you, <br /><br />Then you laugh "Ha ! ha ! ha !" <br /><br />You turn to the very one you love the best, <br /><br />Then you hug her up, then you kiss her up, <br /><br />Put her in a young girl's style. <br /><br />Johnny was a-rogue-in' Johnny was a-rogue-in', <br /><br />Johnny was a-rogue-in' by from morning, <br /><br />Johnny was a-rogue-in', Johnny was a-rogue-in, <br /><br />Johhny was a-rogue-in' man<br /><br />-end of quote-<br />No explanation is given about how this movement was done, but presumably the John Crow step meant moving like a turkey vulture, perhaps with your arms outstretched. <br /><br />Those who have actually seen a turkey vulture would have a better idea than me how something called a "John Crow step" could have been done. <br /><br />I haven't found any other mention of a John Crow step. <br /><br />Have you ever heard about the John Crow step in relation to folk games or dancing? If so, please share that information. Thanks.Azizi Powellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14963772326145910073noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5893219718076521675.post-47538521933251513162014-01-07T12:25:33.474-05:002014-01-07T12:25:33.474-05:00Greetings, slam2011!
Here's the hyperlink to ...Greetings, slam2011!<br /><br />Here's the hyperlink to that video of actress, singer, songwriter Nadia Cattouse (from British Honduras (now Belize): actress who is best known for her acting roles in many British television programs:<br /><br /><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PX4vEpW0XvA" rel="nofollow">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PX4vEpW0XvA</a> Azizi Powellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14963772326145910073noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5893219718076521675.post-25708953195510455892014-01-07T10:49:26.144-05:002014-01-07T10:49:26.144-05:00I remember the lovely song 'Long Time Boy'...I remember the lovely song 'Long Time Boy' had a reference to John Crow in the chorus. The Nadia Cattouse version is at:<br /><br />http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PX4vEpW0XvA<br /><br />Nothing whatever to do with Rice's Jim Crow I think.slam2011https://www.blogger.com/profile/03112153426493772446noreply@blogger.com