Very Old Reference To John Canoe & Aunt Sally Stuffed Figures In The Caribbean

Edited by Azizi Powell

I recently came across an online copy of an April 11, 1886 New York Times article on 19th century West Indian culture that includes a reference to John Canoe and Aunt Sally stuffed figures. To date, I've not found any other information about John Canoe or Aunt Sally stuffed figures in the Caribbean or elsewhere. Note: I'm not referring to the United Kingdom pub game of "Aunt Sally"* and I'm very unsure if that pub game relates in any way to the customs that are referred to in the brief portion of that above mentioned article.

* http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pub_games#Aunt_Sally

I'm posting the excerpt from that newspaper that I'm referring to as means of increasing awareness of it among individuals in the general public who may be interested in this subject.

I assume that individuals who study 19th century or earlier Caribbean history (and/or African American history) particularly as those histories relate to Jonkanoo already know about this article. And it's possible that those researchers have come across other references to stuffed figures of John Canoe, Aunt Sally, or other stuffed figures among people of African descent in those geographical areas or in any other part of the Americas. I'd love to learn more about this subject.

Here's that portion of that article that I'm referring to:
http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=F70F1FFB355A1A738DDDA80994DC405B8684F0D3
WEST INDIAN WITCHCRAFT; SOME REMARKABLE SUPERSTITIONS OF THE NEGROES.OBEAH MEN, JUMBIES, DUPPIES, JOHN CANOES, AUNT SALLYS, ROOSTERS' HEADS,SPIDERS, GROUND GLASS, AND POISONS.
New York Times April 11, 1886

..."negroes are so constituted that they must have something tangible to worship and believe in-something they can see and feel....

They are wonderfully fond of stuffed figures. Nearly all their ceremonies have a figure worked in in some shape or the other. For instance, look at “John Canoes”. They rarely have a festival without a John Canoe, the stuffed figure of a man, that is treated with great respect. Sometimes they have two of them, which they consider father and son – John Canoe senior and John Canoe junior. If John is by any possibility left out Aunt Sally is substituted. She is the same as John, only, being a woman, she is not treated with the same respect. She is carried to the place of merry making, laid out on a board, like a corpse, amid cries of “Here comes Aunt Sally; poor Aunt Sally! she’s dead. They take" [end of online article]
-snip-
I believe that the name "John Canoe" is a folk etymology form of some African word such as "Egungun", the Yoruba (Nigeria) word for "the collective spirits of the ancestral dead." http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Egungun-oya. I wonder if "Sally" is also a folk etymology form of some African word for a revered female masquerading spirit. I'm aware from my reading that "Aunt" was used as a title of respect for older women, including Black women, i.e. "Aunt Jemima". Also, I'm aware that in antebellum United States -and I presume in 19th century and earlier Caribbean- the title "Aunt" served as a substitute for "Mrs", a title that was reserved just for White women, (The title "Uncle as it related to Black people served as a substitution for "Mr" for the same reasons, i.e. "Uncle Remus" and "Uncle Ben").

Warning- I'm really guessing here, but I also just came across this February 2009 article "The Owu-Aru-Sun Festival Of The Kalabari Kingdom In Rivers State [Updated With More Pictures]"
http://www.nigeriavillagesquare.com/articles/guest-articles/the-owu-aru-sun-festival-of-the-kalabari-kingdom-in-rivers-state-updated-with-more-pictures.html

I wpnder could "Sally" be a folk etymology form of "Sekiapu", although that article indicates that "Sekiapu" means "dancers" and those two words spelled or pronounced the same.

I won't speculate any further. I know that I know too little about this subject. However, I'm hoping that some people who do know about this subject will some information with me and others via this blog or otherwise.

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RELATED LINKS
Here's another very interesting online reference that I found about early Jonkanoo practices in the Caribbean: http://books.google.com/books?id=_lmFzFgsTZYC&pg=PA249&lpg=PA249&dq=john+canoes+figures&source=bl&ots=N7OyxmVupb&sig=rzcT8u2Z5Yg2jBJVb9PWvYm1c0U&hl=en&sa=X&ei=EvrJUurTHK3JsQTVzoCgDQ&ved=0CGsQ6AEwCg#v=onepage&q=john%20canoes%20figures&f=false Dictionary of Jamaican English edited by Frederic Gomes Cassidy, Robert Brock Le Page, page

That page of that book also refers to "John Crayfish" who is a rival of John Canoe. Also, on page 4 of that book there's an entry for "Actor Boy" (also called "Koo Koo") who is one kind of John Canoe figure.

The important distinction I'm making between the 1886 New York Times article and this dictionary entry is that the former refers to stuffed figures while the latter refers to people acting out certain roles in their observations and/or celebrations.

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There are several YouTube videos of the Owu Arusun Festival. Among those videos is this one: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=upxBu8p_oYo
KALABARI OWU ARUSUN FESTIVAL PART ONE

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The Devil, Jumbies, And The "Shut De Door"(Keep Out The Devil) Song

Edited by Azizi Powell

This post serves as a companion to "A Cultural Critique Of The Song "Shut De Door" (Keep Out De Debil) http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2014/01/a-cultural-crtique-of-song-shut-de-door.html

In this post I've included excerpts from several online articles that provide explanations of the Caribbean/African and Western European folk beliefs that make up the "Shut De Door" song, i.e. that

Oh, Satan is an evil charmer
(Shut de do, keep out the debil)
He's hungry for a soul to hurt
(Shut de do, keep the debil in de ni-eet)
And without your holy armor
(Shut de do, keep out the debil)
He will eat you for dessert

(Shut de do, keep the debil in de ni-eet)
Shut de do, keep out de debil
You shut de do, keep de debil in de ni-eet
Shut de do, keep out de debil
Light de candle everything's alright
Light de candle everything's alright

http://www.metrolyrics.com/shut-de-do-lyrics-randy-stonehill.html

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

All copyrights remain with their owners.

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SELECTED EXCERPTS
(These excerpts are presented in no particular order. They are numbered for referencing purposes.)

Excerpt #1
From http://www.life123.com/holidays/halloween/superstitions/elizabethan-superstitions.shtml "Elizabethan Era Superstitions" By Jennifer Maughan
"Elizabethan superstitions reflect the fears and beliefs of British citizens in the 1500s and early 1600s. The era is distinguished by a long period of peace, as well as a stable and successful overall population. Exploration, art, literature and expansion brought new ideas-both interesting and scary-to the common person. These superstitions blend pagan traditions and international folk tales with seemingly supernatural explanations of events...

Witchcraft And The Devil
People in the Elizabethan era were deeply religious and felt a real fear of the devil and witchcraft. Because there were no scientific explanations for events such as sick animals or bad luck, they blamed witches. Elizabethan witches were believed to cast spells and to keep certain magical animals, such as cats (especially black ones), bats and frogs. The color black was linked to evil, as were the numbers 7 and 13. The devil was thought to roam freely, and saying "Bless you" when someone sneezed was thought to keep the devil from entering their body."

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Excerpt #2
From http://classroom.synonym.com/beliefs-devil-during-elizabethan-times-5371.html
"A Force for Evil
To Elizabethans, the influence of the Devil on human affairs was almost as prevalent as that of God. While God was a force for good, the Devil was a force for evil. The Devil was believed to be able to take on whatever form he chose, human or animal, to tempt his victims to do wicked things. Many people believed that ghosts, too, were the Devil in disguise. One of the most famous Elizabethans, William Shakespeare, refers to this belief in his play ''Hamlet.''…
Demonic Possession

Alongside the idea that certain people might make pacts with the Devil, the Elizabethans believed the Devil could forcefully take possession of an innocent victim. In Shakespeare's ''King Lear,'' one character claims to have been possessed in this way by no fewer than five demonic entities. It was commonly believed that the Devil could enter a victim through his mouth as he sneezed, and that this could be prevented if another person said "Bless you." This is one superstition that has survived from Elizabethan times to the present day."

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Excerpt #3
From http://www.kaieteurnewsonline.com/2008/06/08/a-study-into-jumbies/ "A study into jumbies" June 8, 2008 By Rustom Seegopaul

[Regarding Guyanese folklore]

..."THE OLE HIGUE
O le Higues are also known as “Fire Rass” or Angeli. The ole higue is always a woman. It is said that she sucks the blood of unsuspecting victims as they sleep. Her favourite victims are young children and babies.

The ole higue’s distinguishing feature is the fact that, during the day, she lives among other Guyanese as a somewhat introverted and quiet old lady. At night, this seemingly harmless old woman removes her skin, places it gently in a calabash, and travels across the sky as a ball of fire heading to the home of her intended victim.

To enter the home she shrinks herself and enters through the keyhole.

There have been countless sightings of these balls of fire all over the country, and many people still have a staunch belief in the reality of the ole higue.

There are three ways to dispose of an ole higue. The first is to turn the key while she is trying to get through the keyhole. Even today many people still lock their doors and then turn their key to a horizontal position to allow an ole higue to make it partway into the hole.

The rustling of the key should wake the tenant, who can then turn the key fully and crush the ole higue. It is said that the next morning a pile of bones should be seen on the doorstep.

The second way is to find its skin in the calabash where it is stored and put hot peppers in the skin. An ole higue who tries to wear this skin will be burned by the pepper. The ole higue is very miserly, and the last way to catch the ole higue is to spill rice grains on the floor in front of the front door to the house. As the ole higue enters your house, she will be forced to count every rice grain before she can pass. It is better to make sure there is a large helping of rice on the floor and no bags in sight.

This is because the ole higue will have to pick up the grains with her right hand and place counted grains in her left hand. Her hands can only hold so many rice grains, and it is only a matter of time before the grains begin to fall back to the ground and the process begins again. When the homeowners awake the next morning, they should find a very tired and incredibly distressed ole higue counting rice. This is when the homeowners will beat the woman to death with a broom."

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Excerpt #5
From http://www.luckymojo.com/devil.html
"Can the Devil be a bringer of good luck? Yes, indeed, according to old European traditions. This devil -- known variously as Old Nick, Old Scratch, Old Split-Foot, and Der Teufel -- did not begin his career as the "Satan" (adversary) of Christianity and Judaism or the "Prince of Darkness" and "fallen angel" popularized by John Milton in his epic poem "Paradise Lost" (1667 - 1674).

The old Devil is a Teutonic woods-spirit, an ogre-like trickster who may desire to eat human flesh, but is often friendly to wood-cutters and footloose soldiers. In Germanic folk-tales like those collected by the Grimm brothers, he is usually described as living out in the woods with his aged grandmother who combs his hair to put him to sleep at night. Among Americans of Anglo-Saxon heritage, he is sometimes said to have a wife who quarrels with him.

In the area of Central and Eastern Europe comprising Germany, Austria, Hungary, and the Czech Republic, the Devil was never fully absorbed into the Christian mythos as Satan but remained as he had always been, a slender, horned, bearded, fur-covered half-man of the woods. Under the regional names Krampus, Schwarze Peter (Black Peter), and Knecht Ruprecht (Ruprecht the Servant), he accompanies Saint Nicholas on his rounds of gift-giving, originally on December 6th, but eventually on Christmas Day, December 25th. In the early part of the 20th century it was the custom during December to send humourous Krampus postcards to friends...

This old Devil was a spirit of untamed nature who loved music and in many ways resembled the half-human Greek god Pan. Like the West African deities Ellegua and Legba, he could be met with at a crossroads, where he would make pacts -- but unlike these deities, he was described in folktales an unpredictable ally, and a rather dim-witted foe who was easily and humourously outwitted. Coincidentally, he also resembled the Guatemalan crossroads deity Maximon, known as San Simon, for he took a special interest in the affairs of drunkards and gamblers...

When Christianity overtook the native Teutonic religions, the Devil acquired some new attributes. In one of the Grimm's tales, "The Devil's Sooty Brother," he actually lives in Hell, where, for a term of work stoking the hellfires, he grants a veteran soldier a comfortable life in the here-and-now."...
-snip-
Interestingly enough, I haven't found any online references yet to any Caribbean custom of lighting a candle to keep out the devil or evil spirits.

Also, as the website given as Example #5 demonstrates, there are long held traditions in the many cultures of lighting certain colored candles to achieve a certain result or results. whether that result is good or evil. However, I think that Randy Stonehill's references to lighting a candle are based on the overarching belief that the devil (or evil spirits) are most active in the dark (and at night). Lighting a candle dispels some of the darkness, thus keeping away those evil spirits. A related belief that light= God/Jesus is the basis of such Christian songs as "The Light Of The World Is Jesus". Unfortunately, the belief that good = light and bad = dark influences the way some people have viewed White people and People of Color, especially Black people and other People of Color who are dark skinned.

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This concludes this sampling of online material on the devil, jumbies, and the "Shut De Door" song.

Thanks to all those who are quoted in this post.

Thank you for visiting pancocojams.

Visitor comments are welcome.