Edited by Azizi Powell
This pancocojams post presents a complete reprint of the November 1, 2011 blog post by soyluv (Soyini Ayanna) entitled "In the Castle of Our Skins: Darkies, Brownings and Red Woman".
Three comment (responses) from that blog posts' readers are also included in this pancocojams post.
This pancocojams posts also presents a complete reprint of the November 30, 2018 post entitled "Being Brown Skin in The Caribbean Facing the Issue of Colourism" by Krystal Penny Bowen.
The content of this post is presented for socio-cultural purposes.
All copyrights remain with their owners.
Thanks to soyluv (Soyini Ayanna) and thanks to Krystal Penny Bowen. Thanks also to all those who are quoted in this post.
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Click http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2013/08/what-redbone-yellowbone-and-browning.html for a closely related 2013 pancocojams post entitled "What "Redbone", "Yellowbone", and "Browning" Mean".
Also, click https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2019/07/orlando-octave-darkie-2008-hit.html for a pancocojams post about the Trinidadian/Tobagan song "Darkie" by Orlando Octave which is mentioned in the post reprint that is given below as Excerpt #1.
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PANCOCOJAMS EDITOR'S NOTE
These reprinted posts explore the socio-cultural implications of the Caribbean racial descriptors "darkie" (also written as "darky), "browning", "red", "dougla", "yellow" etc. These descriptors predate by a century, if not by more than one century, the currently popular use (among some Black Americans and by extension probably by Black people outside of the United States) of the term "melanin" and "melanated". However, it's important to note that the Caribbean terms "darky", "red", "yellow" don't have the same meanings and the same socio-cultural (positive, negative, or neutral) implications that the similar terms "blacky", "redbone", and "high yellow" have for African Americans.
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WHY I FEATURE REPRINTED ARTICLES IN THIS BLOG
I re-print complete internet articles/blog posts or lengthy excerpts of those articles/blog posts (and particularly those that are five years or older) as a means of increasing awareness of those articles and their subjects.
Hyperlinks to these articles'/posts' internet addresses are given as a means to encourage pancocojams readers to visit the original internet sources of those articles and read/watch the entire content or view (in the case of photos/videos).
Article writers/editors and editors of these featured blogs are asked to contact me if they have concerns about my showcasing their article/blog post.
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BLOG POSTS REPRINTS
Reprint #1:
From https://soyluv.wordpress.com/2011/11/01/darkies-brownings-and-red-woman/
"In the Castle of Our Skins: Darkies, Brownings and Red Woman" by soyluv (Soyini Ayanna)
"The proliferation of “darkie” to describe women of a dark skin tone in Trinidad and Tobago is a fascinating and complicated space within which to explore. Though “darkie” and its popular conflation with “sweet” may exist as catcalls alongside a sout [1], frequently proclaimed by men to dark-skinned women out in the street or elsewhere, this term is not solely reserved for females. Men can and are categorically defined as “sweet darkies” too. Most importantly, darkie is understood to be reserved for those of a specific skin shade and ethnic group simultaneously.
In Trinidad, where “darkie” takes root and flourishes in the local parlance with t-shirts available by a local designer proclaiming, “I love my Trini darkie,” (as well as “my Trini reds” and “my Trini browning”), the term functions as an important reaffirmation of Afro-descendant beauty, by calling attention to a certain skin tone in all its chocolate splendor. Its contemporary usage in Trinbagonian society is also markedly different from the American term “darky” (or other cultural uses, with or without a “y”) which is an old termed racial slur, rooted in the era of blackface, epitomizing the negative stereotypes of all dark-skinned people.
This is a country where “madras” refers to a dark-skinned East Indian person and a “dougla” (any person of mixed African and East Indian descent), may fall within a range of skin tones from fair to dark. Darkie functions in a slightly different way, where it serves to singularly encompass an Afro-Trinidadian aesthetic of perceived attractiveness. It certainly can be used as purely descriptive, along the lines of a general physical trait, but darkie is usually understood to be nuanced in a way that makes it different from the terms mentioned above. Darkie is flexible, in that it may solely be attributed to implied attractiveness or one’s skin tone and usually, the context involves an understood interconnection of the two. Far from simply objectifying the individual, darkie is a celebratory, verbal sound-kiss against ebony skin and represents a reimagining of who can be declared attractive.
Against a backdrop of slavery and colonialisation, religious doctrines, heterocentric and patriarchal norms: prescribed gender roles and perceived female desirability become informed by a variety of these institutions. Skin shade, socioeconomic class and perceived attractiveness often become interconnected. One term that comes to mind in correlation to darkie is “browning” and the two terms function differently in distinct ways. Patricia Mohammed describes the usage of “browning” in Jamaica and the rest of the region as connected to “a preference for ‘brown’ as opposed to black women or unmixed women” (22).
On the other hand, in the Caribbean, like many regions within the diaspora, where gradations of color and their categories sometimes abound, there is no such confusion as to who constitutes a darkie in Trinidad. In Jamaica, stereotypes of an economic frame, such as the so-called “brown tax”[2] are directly linked to the assumed socioeconomic status of persons of a particular shade. Browning then, operates in Jamaica as a kind of attributed socioeconomic marker as well. It is class, color and status (and for women especially: desirability) all rolled into one, in a way that darkie is not. Comparatively, the term “darkie” does not confer any particular social or economic status for the ascribed individual, other than, being a dark-skinned person. For women in and of the Caribbean region, brownness is usually directly linked to perceptions of beauty and desirability.
Much like the infamous paper-bag test in America, “browning” embodies the notion that browner is better and lighter is better. Concurrently, the “redbone”[3] in American culture, especially in hip-hop pop culture, is almost always a desirable female of a particular shade. She is the counterpart of the desirable brown-skinned woman and the similarly lauded mixed raced woman. One of the things that colorism enables is the separation of some people from their trace blackness, as well as systematically serving the role of helping people to distance themselves from blackness as a whole and the legacy of that association. It also allows some people to safely attribute some non-specific racial heritage with just the right amount of select African heritage and/or physical traits.
In Trinidad, Aisha Khan notes that the term “Spanish” functions in that way where “ ‘Spanish’ is used in part to affirm an ethnic hierarchy where ‘softened’ or ambiguous ‘African’ or ‘black’ convey and confer a higher status that modifies stronger more clear-cut expressions of ‘African’ or ‘black’ attributes” (185). And what of the desirable dark-skinned, phenotypically black looking, African descendant woman one might wonder? The counterpart to the “browning”, “redbone”, “spanish”, “dougs”[4] and the “red woman”[5]—except for “darkie,” it’s like she doesn’t exist anywhere in the lexicon.
Darkie then is more than just a kind of vocabulary to describe dark-skinned Trinbagonians; rather, it allows a site for asserting unambiguous black beauty that rarely takes place in some spaces. When female desirability becomes stacked inside culturally prevailing Eurocentric ideals, dark-skinned black women are usually relegated to the bottom rung, esteemed occasionally for a redeeming factor like quality or length of hair, or watered down, strategically placed African derived attributes.
In 2008, Orlando Octave Jr.’s hugely popular reggae love song “Darkie,” rode a wave of popularity on the airwaves in Trinidad and Tobago and throughout the region with its sweet melody, verbal play and recognizable hook of “darkie, whey yuh from?—a long time me a call you but yuh never wah come.” Paying homage to the lovely dark-skinned female who is “a helluva girl” with “de face and de figure,” Octave’s darkie is desirable, beautiful and elusive. Her elusiveness is embodied by Octave’s constant quest to know “whey yuh from” and Octave is careful to distinguish exactly what kind of dark-skinned beauty this is, lest listeners make presumptions. Similarly, he is personally invested in unpacking some of his darkie’s attributes, both internal and external, while being acutely aware of the responsibility behind the creation of this anthem for darkies.
Thus, his darkie “went tuh school and she came out a scholar,” is a “leader of de pack, rest ah girls have tuh follow.” She is “from down South” though she is liming/espied or visiting “on de Beetham”[6]. Similarly, she is fittingly “nuh gold digger / When yuh come to she / Yuh better come to she proper / ‘Cause, say, she got all she need in life / And, she doh need a boyfriend fi survive.” Most significantly, he asserts that “most of all gyul / I’m in love with yuh color.” In an interview in Abstract magazine, Octave explained his intention behind the song noting, “I sang about darkies because darkies don’t have a song,” added to the fact that “red woman always get the ‘rate-up’ ” (“Orlando Octave”). Somewhat ironically, when asked in the same interview about his own preference for women, Octave admits with a “blush” that “actually I go for red-skinned girls but complexion does not really matter” (“Orlando Octave”).
Still, for many dark-skinned women and most significantly, the young girls who tune into new popular music in droves and are especially susceptible to the images within, the message in song was widely appreciated. In a continuously media driven world, where pop cultural images in music and media assault us from every angle, West Indian women of every shade may grapple with self-identity and beauty issues. It is imperative that we all continue to contextualize, challenge and deconstruct these long-held notions of beauty and desirability with regard to skin shade. “Darkie” then, by its mere existence as a construct within the lexicon, as well as through its semantic power of implied endearing meaning, helps us to do so. It does so through its direct simplicity, its self-affirming implication of beauty and desirability and its locale, deep within a dark skin tone.
Artwork, “Forgive and Forget” by Tanya Marie Williams.
Notes
[1] A distinct, non-verbal catcall that is well known in TnT. It is sort of like a suck-teeth sound crossed with a hiss that can be sent across a distance to get someone’s attention that you may or may not know. It can be made and employed by both men and women to one another; may include a verbal accompaniment such as “darkie!” or “family!” for two examples.
[2] I learnt about this phenomenon through reading “The Browning Complex I,”a hilarious and revelatory blog entry that decried and explained the “BMS” or “Brown People have Money Syndrome” in Jamaica, which the writer has unfairly suffered and is manifested by the “brown skin tax” (BST) that he invariably has to pay higglers, fridge repair men and other assorted individuals.
[3] From my understanding, a light-skinned, black female (usually) on par with the red-skinned woman in Trinidad, who of course, may or may not self-identify as racially mixed. Some variegation can be found in its usage, as well as regional and cultural disagreements over where this skin shade starts and ‘stops’ so to speak. In hip-hop, the redbone is always linked to sexual desirability, being a prize and a “dime piece” (that is to say, the kind of female a man will covet, treasure and be proud to show off) and overall, is cast as the desired.
[4] A colloquial shortening of “dougla.”
[5] A light-skinned female: black or “mixed-up.”
[6] Refers to Beetham Gardens, also called Beetham Estate Gardens. A low-income, purportedly primarily Afro-Trinidadian community outside of Port-Of-Spain. Because of the perceived socio-cultural stigma of being “from” the Beetham (however ill-placed and ill-founded such things are), I interpreted Octave’s line as symbolic and significant of a couple of things. Firstly, of esteeming Beetham: because this gorgeous, highly educated, dark skinned girl, who is not from there but is comfortable with going there for whatever reason. Problematically too, this darkie is “on” the Beetham but not from that place, so this allows her the distinction of not actually being envisioned as one of them, in case anybody dared to place her there inside the song, simply by virtue of being a dark skinned female.
References
ETNT, “Orlando Octave.” eAbstractMag. Abstract Magazine, n.d. Web.
Khan, Aisha. “What is ‘a Spanish’?: Ambiguity and ‘Mixed’ Ethnicity in Trinidad.” Trinidad Ethnicity. Ed. Kevin Yelvington. Knoxville: University of Tennessee Press, 1993. Print.
Mohammed, Patricia. “ ‘But Most of All mi Love me browning’: The Emergence in Eighteenth and Nineteenth-Century Jamaica of the Mulatto woman as the Desired.” Feminist Review. 65 (2000): 22-48. Print.
Octave, Orlando. “Darkie.” Trinidad and Tobago. MP3 file.
Stunner, “The Browning Complex: I call it Discrimination!” Stunner’s Afflictions: My amazing Adventures and Perspective on Life, 09 Mar. 2006. Web.
A version of this essay first appeared on Trinidad Junction."
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Selected comment responses (3 out of 9 responses, including internet notices about that post)
These numbers differ from the numbers that were assigned on that blog. I've assigned these numbers for referencing purposes only.
1. derevolushunwidin Says:
November 5, 2011 at 10:05 pm
"It was certainly difficult for me to wrap my mind around the use of the word darkie in Trinidad. I was initially suspicious b/c of the connotations of browning, red, clear, Spanish etc. but I realised with time the darkie was actually simply a descriptor that appeared to have no negative or privileged connotation attached to it. It was a positive and I would argue affirming reference in the diaspora that so often privileges that which is not African.
Thanks for fleshing it out. Excellent piece!"
2. soyluv Says:
November 6, 2011 at 11:09 pm
"Thanks! The manifestation of this piece came through an older blog piece where I spoke about loving being “a sweet darkie” myself, really liking hearing it tossed my way in the street at home because I missed hearing it, and I knew it warmed me on the inside because it was powerful and did something that other similar terms didn’t (couldn’t) do but I hadn’t begun to unpack why, until I started writing about it. I knew my color was being objectified in a sense–I didn’t feel I was, though I was too, in a way. As a feminist, writing about it was awkward at first, to begin to acknowledge the implications behind all this. But I stand by its positive affirmation more than anything else.
That “darkie” is anywhere in the realm of complimentary, given that our society is still rife with color-complexes and everything connected–is very amazing. And we still know about calling people “blue-black” or “so black dey blue”–which is just a degree of skin tone description that’s not at all celebratory. It’s no different from how the “red woman” is always presumed to be appealing and attractive–unless said otherwise. Color helps carries the notion. This is evidenced by those instances when people might say of a certain person, “they only have color” but they’re not attractive. As if color is currency by itself–and we know to some people–it is. If color is currency, then what is the worth of “darkie” in the landscape of brown and light skinned notions of prettiness for women?
Knowing too that language is alive and ever evolving; I really hope that doesn’t change. But I see generational shifts already. When I was a younger, darkie was always implied with attractiveness embedded in there. It was almost implicit. A sweet darkie was sexy, attractive and dark-skinned simultaneously–male or female. And that’s some powerful assertions. Otherwise you could just describe someone otherwise. Teenagers now, I’ve noticed, sometimes use darkie to be more skin-tone descriptive in a way–so the pendulum swings a bit. Though for girls, you can still see it used as a barometer for good looks and skin tone at the same time. And that distinction is so damn necessary."
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3. Dave Says:
January 4, 2012 at 6:44 am
"If y’all want the “final solution” to this dark skin “problem” I suggest a visit to the new Republic of South Sudan and bring back some pics of the most gorgeous, tall, sexy and VERY DARK women who never need any condescension from Orlando or anyone else that “Black is beautiful” or any such patronizing comment. These women can stand toe-to-toe with any “lighter-coloured” women anywhere in the world. While you’re at it, check out the women of Kenya, East Africa, and South India, all very dark-skinned and all (or most) exceptionally classy and gorgeous. The truth of all of this will eventually come out and this tendency to make a spectacle of the very dark-skinned will die out, the sooner the better. Btw, how come no one in the Bible (except for the Queen of Sheba) was dark-skinned or ever depicted as such? Could that be where the problem for the dark-skinned started?"
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Reprint #2
From https://medium.com/@krystalpennybowen/mystic-to-misery-df158eb587b "Mystic to Misery
Being Brown Skin in The Caribbean Facing the Issue of Colourism" By Krystal Penny Bowen, Nov 30, 2018
"It is ironic that people who despite their many shades are categorised by other races as Black while within the group of Black people there is an persistent issue of colourism.
So how Black are you?
In colonial Caribbean, particularly in Barbados, the tone of your skin determined what friends you had, the places you could live, what job you had and desirability by a potential mate. Controversial? Yes, but true. Today, this interracial discrimination still exists as everyday someone who comes from your same “race” judges you on your status and worth in society (ever so subtly) based on nothing more than the tone of your skin.
From childhood, if you are caramel, bronze colour, you are brown skin, if you are colour is lighter, you are known as Reds or Yellow. Confusing….there is also classifications within these tones, the lighter you are, you may be thought of as “pretty”, great”, “special” or even “sometimish” or “unmannerly/unmarley”. If you are have deep brown or dark skin, you are now “darkie” and your attractiveness may diminish.
This is not a Caribbean issue or African issue but a global issue which was further complicated by slavery, colonialism, education, its histories, media and fashion industry as to what is considered accepted notions of beauty. Soyini Ayanna in “In the Castle of Our Skins: Darkies, Brownings and Red Woman” summed up a reality Black people specifically women face in society. She stated that “One of the things that colorism [sic] enables is the separation of some people from their trace blackness, as well as systematically serving the role of helping people to distance themselves from blackness as a whole and the legacy of that association”.
Writer, Mary C. Waters in her book, “Black Identities: West Indian Immigrant Dreams And American Realities” wrote that the “social construction of race in the Caribbean has historically been different than in the United States”. Also she highlighted the similarities of Hispanic Caribbean to English Caribbean where both sets of societies recognised shades of colour between black and white.
Since independence of most Caribbean nations from colonisers and the civil rights movement in United States, some Black people have seen an improvement in their lives through education and work opportunities. However, many continue to be victims of poverty, leading a life of crime and drug abuse. Psychologically, the legacy of the plantation and European caste system still affects our society with many people particularly women opting to wear European weaves and bleaching their skin. As many people of colour continue to face discrimination and racism at a national level, dealing with the issue of colourism with the race is rarely addressed as this further divides this group of people. Presently, there are two camps of thought, those who embrace African styled natural hair and those who use hair extensions and bleaching creams to identify with European aesthetic. In Black. music, news reporting, fashion magazines, there is the whitening or lightening of the Black person. It is even more evident in Spanish speaking or South American countries. E.g. replacement of 2016 Brazil Carnaval Queen Nayara Justino who has a dark skin tone.
Noting this, there is a need to improve race esteem since the rules about colour which determined a person’s worth and position in society are systematically erroneous and without merit."
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Showing posts with label redbone. Show all posts
Showing posts with label redbone. Show all posts
Tuesday, July 23, 2019
Friday, May 11, 2018
Two Excerpts About Bajan (Barbados) "Redlegs" And Common Last Names Among Bajan "Redlegs"
Edited by Azizi Powell
This pancocojams post provides some information from a Wikipedia article about Bajans of Irish or Scots/Irish descent. This population is commonly referred to as "Redlegs"*.
This post also presents an excerpt of the 2015 article "The Irish Of Barbados" by Sheena Jolley http://irishamerica.com/2015/10/the-irish-of-barbados-photos/
This post also includes lists of common last names for this population that were gleaned from that online article and from that article's discussion thread.
Click http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2016/07/lists-of-most-common-bajan-barbados.html for a closely related 2016 pancocojams post entitled "Lists Of Most Common Bajan (Barbados) Last Names."
The content of this post is presented for socio-cultural and omnastic purposes.
All copyrights remain with their owners.
Thanks to all those who are quoted in this post.
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* I apologize for using a referent for this population that I've read is derogatory. I considered using the term "Bajans Of Irish or Scot/Irish descent", but I think that referent may include more people than the more commonly used "Redlegs" referent.
What referent for this population would you suggest I use in place of that offensive term?
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INFORMATION ABOUT BAJAN "REDLEGS"
Example #1:
From https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Redleg
"Redleg is a term used to refer to poor whites that live on Barbados, St. Vincent, Grenada and a few other Caribbean islands. Their forebears came from Ireland, Scotland and the West of England.[1]
Etymology
According to folk etymology, the name is derived from the effects of the tropical sun on their fair-skinned legs (AKA sunburn). However, the term "Redlegs" and its variants were also in use for Irish soldiers of the same sort as those later transported to Barbados by the English. The variant "Red-shankes" is recorded as early as the 16th century by Edmund Spenser in his dialogue on the current condition of Ireland.
In addition to "Redlegs", the term underwent extensive progression in Barbados and the following terms were also used: "Redshanks", "Poor whites", "Poor Backra", "Backra Johnny", "Ecky-Becky", "Poor Backward Johnnie", "Poor whites from below the hill", "Edey white mice" or "Beck-e Neck" (Baked-neck). Historically everything besides "poor whites" was used as derogatory insults.
History
Many of the Redlegs' ancestors were forcibly transported by Oliver Cromwell consequent to his Conquest of Ireland.[3] Others had originally arrived on Barbados in the early to mid-17th century as indentured servants.[citation needed] Small groups of Germans and Portuguese were also imported as plantation labourers.[citation needed]
By the 18th century, indentured servants became less common. African slaves were trained in all necessary trades, so there was no demand for paid white labour. The Redlegs,[which?] in turn, were unwilling to work alongside the freed slave population on the plantations.[citation needed] Therefore, most tried to emigrate to other British colonies whenever the opportunity arose, which reduced the white population to a small minority; and most of the white population that chose to stay eked out, at best, a subsistence living. The Redleg descendants of indentured servants today are extremely poor, almost all living in shacks in the countryside. Many Redlegs reside in St. John's Parish.[which?]
Because of the deplorable conditions under which the Redlegs lived, a campaign was initiated in the mid-19th century to move portions of the population to other islands which would be more economically hospitable. The relocation process succeeded, and a distinct community of Redleg descendants live in the Dorsetshire Hill district on St. Vincent as well as on the islands of Grenada around Mt. Moritz and Bequia.
For the small Redleg community still living on Barbados, most live a poorer standard of life than the blacks, relying on farming or running small shops and brothels that serve the wealthier blacks.[4]"
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Pancocojams Editor's Note:
The referent "Redlegs" is similar to the term "rednecks" which was and still is colloquially used in the United States. Indeed, it has been stated that at least some of the Americans referred to as "rednecks" come from the Bajan and other Caribbean Redleg population. (For instance, read the comment given as #10 in Excerpt #2 below).
However, neither "Redleg" nor "redneck" has the same meaning as "redbone". "Redbone" is a generally neutral (not necessarily positive or negative) African American Vernacular English term that refers to Black Americans who have a reddish tinge to their skin color. That said, some Black Americans (such as Rihanna) who are partly descended from people of Caribbean Redlegs might have a reddish tinge to their skin and therefore may be called "redbones".
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Example #2:
Pancocojams Editor's Note: The following article refers to "Irish slaves" (i.e. White slaves). There's considerable (often contentious) debate as to whether the Irish (or Scots/Irish or any other White Europeans) were considered slaves in the Caribbean.
My position is that even though the experiences that some or many of that White populations faced were the same as or very similar to the conditions experienced by enslaved Africans; even if there was White slavery and not just White indentured servitude in the Caribbean, that "White slavery" wasn't the same as the chattel slavery that Africans and descendants of Africans experienced.
http://abolition.e2bn.org/slavery_40.html
"A chattel slave is an enslaved person who is owned for ever and whose children and children's children are automatically enslaved. Chattel slaves are individuals treated as complete property, to be bought and sold."
-end of Editor's note-
From http://irishamerica.com/2015/10/the-irish-of-barbados-photos/
The Irish Of Barbados: Photos and Article by Sheena Jolley, Contributor; October / November 2015
"The descendants of Irish people sold into slavery in the 1600s live in a close-knit community beset by poverty and ill health.
During the winter of 1636, a ship bearing a consignment of 61 men and women destined to be slaves on the plantations of Barbados slipped quietly out of Kinsale Harbor on Ireland’s rugged southern coast. By the time Captain Joseph West’s ship arrived in the Caribbean in January 1637, eight of the 61 had died. The remainder were sold, including ten to the governor of Barbados, for 450 pounds of sugar apiece. Captain West was instructed to return to London to sell the sugar and then proceed to Kinsale to procure another cargo of Irish slaves. That first small trickle soon became a human flood.
It was a lucrative business. An Irish white slave could be sold in Barbados for between £10 and £35.
In all, more than 50,000 Irish were transported from Ireland to Barbados (more were sent to other islands in the West Indies), many of them prisoners captured by Oliver Cromwell during the wars in Ireland and Scotland and following the Monmouth Rebellion. The slaves became known as Redlegs, almost certainly a reference to the sunburn they picked up in the hot tropical sun.
By the mid-1700s most were free, their places taken by Africans. However, minute books from the island show that no more than a fifth of those who were freed became farmers, owners, or artisans. The remainder formed a wretched, poor and isolated community. In 1689, the governor of Barbados, Colonel James Kendall, described the Redlegs as being “dominated over and used like dogs.” He suggested to the local assembly that the emancipated slaves be given two acres (0.8 hectares) of land, as was their due, but the assembly contemptuously turned down the request.
Today, the few hundred remaining Redlegs in Barbados, also known as the Baccra, a name they were given as they were only allowed to sit in the back row at church, stand out as anomalies in a predominantly black population, struggling for survival in a society that has no niche for them, looked down upon by both blacks and better-off whites.
[photo caption]
Ann Banfield proudly shows me the photograph of her grand daughter’s graduation. She is shown with her husband Herbert and their grand daughter who is currently studying for a Masters in law. Their grand daughter is the first to have gone to university from that community in Martins Bay on the wild east coast of Barbados where the Atlantic pounds the shore. Ann worked in Bridgetown for many years including 13 years for Cave Sheppard, a large department store in town.
Making Contact
There is a strong sense of community among the Redlegs. “If I need to eat, I go next door, and if they need to eat, they come to me,” 86-year-old Eustace Norris, who spent 30 years working in a factory in England before returning to Barbados, told me. And they are an insular community.
[...]
The Redlegs have retained a racial pride and a degree of aloofness from their black neighbors, mostly marrying within their own community. They do not know much about Ireland except that some of their ancestors came from there. Though one man I met, Wilson Norris, is passionate about Irish music and has a collection of CDs, these people are poor and their main concentration is on survival, not the past.
Ill health, inadequate housing, little ownership of land to produce their own food, and a lack of job opportunities have locked the community into a poverty trap that has hardly improved in the last century. Poor diet and a lack of dental care have left most of the older generation with either bad teeth or no teeth at all, and young people who don’t realize that this is preventable. Illnesses and premature deaths caused by blood diseases such as haemophilia (probably as a result of inbreeding) and diabetes have had a devastating effect on the community.
[...]
Photo caption:
Danny is Mona Bailey’s brother and he lives in the house next to her and her large family. He is related to the singer Rianna whose immediate family originated from the same district.
[...]
Photo caption:
Erlene Downie and Betty Fenty, who is the great aunt of singer Rihanna."...
-snip-
Here are some comments from this article's discussion thread (numbers are assigned for referencing purposes only)
1. MICHAEL DELANEY says: October 5, 2015 at 5:34 pm
"Oliver Cromwell rounded up the children of Irish landowners when he removed the Irish to Connaught and settled his followers and soldiers on the vacated lands around the middle of the 17th C. He wanted to remove the gentry class who would have future claims on the land. I did research on the “Mong Mong Bajans” of Grenada who were “red legs” from Barbados. They have lived in an area called Mount Mortiz since the middle of the 1800s. They did not intermarry until the 1950’s. Many went to Australia when that country opened the doors in the 80’s (I believe). Only unmixed whites were accepted. I have not found very many Irish names among that group. Some say that they were involved in the Monmouth Rebellion. That would account for the English and Scottish names. I will get out my notes and add more information later. The book Story of an Irish Slave Girl gives some insights into the circumstances of these slaves and indentures from the British Isles."
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2. MARY BEHARRY says: October 7, 2015 at 7:26 am
"Proud of my IRISH HISTORY but world should know thst Irish Slaves were in Barbados before the arrivals from Africa.They were deliberately bred with African Slaves to achieve fairer new Slaves for house duties etc."
**
3. GRAINNE KEARNS says: October 7, 2015 at 6:54 pm
"The book, to Hell or Barbados by Sean O Callaghan, researched at the Barbados Museum, gives a thorough insight in to the Redlegs. The book The Stolen Village, of Baltimore, West Cork, tells the true story of a whole village taken by the Barbary Pirates in the 1600 hundreds. Many people were taken as slaves from Ireland and Britain."
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Reply
4. LEE FARNUM-BADLEY says: October 7, 2015 at 9:21 pm
I would refer those persons who are interested in this subject to read
“To Hell or Barbados: The ethnic cleansing of Ireland” by Sean O’Callaghan. England achieved its dominance in the Caribbean and North America by a process of deliberate “planting” of people. The word “plantation” described this social engineering strategy, and only later to actual agricultural activity.
The Irish Catholic (usually supporters of the monarchy and so against Cromwell’s Republic) Irish were used as enslaved prisoners of the Monmouth Rebellion. Later in history whites were “invited” to the Caribbean by a system of apprenticeship known as indenture. No one teaches this dark aspect of history in schools."
**
Reply
5. ANNE says: February 27, 2016 at 11:08 am
"I’ve read that book, have it in my every growing library on this subject. My Dad is from the Greaves, Medford, Searles, Chandlers of St. Andrew, Barbados, also called the Scotland District. We’ve always been told that our ancestors were from Scotland, not Ireland but who knows. I’ve found it interesting that the Mt. Moritz group has many of those same names."
**
Reply
6. MIKE DELANEYsays: March 1, 2016 at 10:33 am
"Anne: From my research with the Folks at Mt. Moritz in Grenada I would say the most if not all have Scottish background. Bowden, Greaves, Medford, Harris, Carr. I think Searles. I can get a better list for you if you like."
**
Reply
7. PAUL says: March 23, 2016 at 2:12 am
"The Scots Irish come from Ulster (northern Ireland) so such names do not necessarily mean they came from Scotland to the Caribbean . In any event, the Scots themselves came from Ireland."
"
**
Reply
8. LEE FARNUM-BADLEY says: April 1, 2016 at 1:20 pm
"Anne, there are numerous Searles and Chandlers in Barbados. Today the majority will not resemble a person of Irish ethnicity. A much larger West African slave community will have been absorbed or simply adopted the names of the planter who “owned” them. Irish and Scotsmen that were transplanted also eventually became part of the slave owning planter class. A Searles was one of the first governors of the island – hardly therefore shipped out in chains as a victim of Cromwell’s extermination !!"
**
Reply
9. LEE FARNUM-BADLEY says: November 14, 2017 at 7:47 am
"Mr Gormley needs to refresh his take on Scottish history. Scottish families migrated to Ireland in large numbers both as a result of the government-sanctioned Plantation of Ulster, a planned process of colonization which took place under the auspices of James VI of Scotland and I of England on land confiscated from members of the Gaelic nobility of Ireland who fled Ulster and as part of a larger migration or unplanned wave of settlement.
Ulster Scots emigrated onward from Ireland in significant numbers to all corners of the then-worldwide British Empire—what are now Canada, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, as well as the West Indies,and even South America. Scotch-Irish (or Scots-Irish) is a traditional term for Ulster Scots who emigrated to North America."
**
10. LOUIS KING says: December 10, 2016 at 11:50 am
"I taught it as a part of West Indian History for years at 3 different secondary schools in Barbados. I’d be very disappointed to learn that an island wide change in recommended texts resulted in this aspect of our history being neglected. As my friend @Lee Farnum-Badley suggested, by far the greatest proportion of this exiled community has integrated into the wider Afro-ethnic Bajan community. Another higher IQ proportion moved easily into the ranks of the White planter-merchant class which have held on to their wealth and privilege over the years. This explains why the remnants of this community are so impoverished, since they have lost the more adventurous, intelligent, and resourceful members over the years. I could identify individuals with these names (redmen we used to call them,) living all over the island, not just in St Joseph: Allamby, Goddard, Fenty, Bailey, even Kings, are all VERY COMMON names throughout the island. 13 years of teaching, put me in intimate contact with literally THOUSANDS of names to which I can still place faces and ethnic features.
The integration of this isolated group gathered pace during the 50s when it was widely publicized that inbreeding had resulted in a very high death rate from various genetic disorders. Before the hospital began routinely amputating spurious digits and correcting cleft palates, I myself had noted that these congenital deformities were much more prevalent among people of fairer skin.
It is not widely known that many of the Appalachian “Mountain men” of the Carolinas arrived in the US from Barbados, to the extent that many of them have similar names to their Barbadian counterparts. Even the name ‘Red-neck” bares an ironic similarity to the term “Red-leg” which was once more current in Barbados."
**
Reply
11. LEE FARNUM-BADLEY says: December 15, 2016 at 12:07 pm
"Hey Louis. Having read about the conditions and treatment that transplanted Irish Catholics and Scottish rebels were subjected to in the early years of settlement, I have come to doubt that any of them left any trace of their origin – including their names. They were after all less valuable nominally and productivity-wise that African slaves and were sent here as punishment to die. An escapee would not even have survived long in a community that was hostile from all sides. The few “extant vintage Bajan redmen” are more likely to be the descendants not of Celtic origin but of Anglo-Saxon indentured servants and lesser adventurer-farmers that might have owned a few acres land but were eventually dispossessed by creditors and the more powerful estate-owner class. If they couldn’t transition into any artisan profession, they would have become very poor very quickly. Many went of to live in marginal lands like St.John and in less used neighbouring islands like St.Vincent. Farnum is one such, I’m pretty sure. People did what they could, and if it matters at all to have had their names survive – not like the names of of any my African blood relatives whose ancestry was ruthlessly obliterated by the Englishman’s economic designs on the colony. We shall all have the same name and aim someday."
**
Reply
12. DOUGAL BASCOMBE says: September 17, 2017 at 9:06 pm
"Lee, your comment here is pure speculation. It is not worthy of your previous comments.
Sad."
-snip-
This is the latest comment to date that has been added to that discussion.
****
LIST OF COMMON "REDLEG" NAMES FROM THE ARTICLE GIVEN ABOVE AS EXCERPT #2
http://irishamerica.com/2015/10/the-irish-of-barbados-photos/
Photos and Article by Sheena Jolley, Contributor; October / November 2015
Brent
Banfield
Bailey
Downie
Farnum
Fenty
Hickson
Norris
Watson
Yearwood
-snip-
Additions and corrections are welcome.
****
ADDITIONAL COMMON "REDLEG" NAMES FROM THE DISCUSSION THREAD FOR THE ARTICLE GIVEN ABOVE AS EXCERPT #2
http://irishamerica.com/2015/10/the-irish-of-barbados-photos/
Photos and Article by Sheena Jolley, Contributor; October / November 2015
Allamby
Bowden
Carr
Chandlers
Goddard
Greaves
Harris
Kings
Medford
Redman
Shepherd
Searles
-snip-
Additions and corrections are welcome.
****
Thanks for visiting pancocojams.
Visitor comments are welcome.
This pancocojams post provides some information from a Wikipedia article about Bajans of Irish or Scots/Irish descent. This population is commonly referred to as "Redlegs"*.
This post also presents an excerpt of the 2015 article "The Irish Of Barbados" by Sheena Jolley http://irishamerica.com/2015/10/the-irish-of-barbados-photos/
This post also includes lists of common last names for this population that were gleaned from that online article and from that article's discussion thread.
Click http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2016/07/lists-of-most-common-bajan-barbados.html for a closely related 2016 pancocojams post entitled "Lists Of Most Common Bajan (Barbados) Last Names."
The content of this post is presented for socio-cultural and omnastic purposes.
All copyrights remain with their owners.
Thanks to all those who are quoted in this post.
-snip-
* I apologize for using a referent for this population that I've read is derogatory. I considered using the term "Bajans Of Irish or Scot/Irish descent", but I think that referent may include more people than the more commonly used "Redlegs" referent.
What referent for this population would you suggest I use in place of that offensive term?
****
INFORMATION ABOUT BAJAN "REDLEGS"
Example #1:
From https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Redleg
"Redleg is a term used to refer to poor whites that live on Barbados, St. Vincent, Grenada and a few other Caribbean islands. Their forebears came from Ireland, Scotland and the West of England.[1]
Etymology
According to folk etymology, the name is derived from the effects of the tropical sun on their fair-skinned legs (AKA sunburn). However, the term "Redlegs" and its variants were also in use for Irish soldiers of the same sort as those later transported to Barbados by the English. The variant "Red-shankes" is recorded as early as the 16th century by Edmund Spenser in his dialogue on the current condition of Ireland.
In addition to "Redlegs", the term underwent extensive progression in Barbados and the following terms were also used: "Redshanks", "Poor whites", "Poor Backra", "Backra Johnny", "Ecky-Becky", "Poor Backward Johnnie", "Poor whites from below the hill", "Edey white mice" or "Beck-e Neck" (Baked-neck). Historically everything besides "poor whites" was used as derogatory insults.
History
Many of the Redlegs' ancestors were forcibly transported by Oliver Cromwell consequent to his Conquest of Ireland.[3] Others had originally arrived on Barbados in the early to mid-17th century as indentured servants.[citation needed] Small groups of Germans and Portuguese were also imported as plantation labourers.[citation needed]
By the 18th century, indentured servants became less common. African slaves were trained in all necessary trades, so there was no demand for paid white labour. The Redlegs,[which?] in turn, were unwilling to work alongside the freed slave population on the plantations.[citation needed] Therefore, most tried to emigrate to other British colonies whenever the opportunity arose, which reduced the white population to a small minority; and most of the white population that chose to stay eked out, at best, a subsistence living. The Redleg descendants of indentured servants today are extremely poor, almost all living in shacks in the countryside. Many Redlegs reside in St. John's Parish.[which?]
Because of the deplorable conditions under which the Redlegs lived, a campaign was initiated in the mid-19th century to move portions of the population to other islands which would be more economically hospitable. The relocation process succeeded, and a distinct community of Redleg descendants live in the Dorsetshire Hill district on St. Vincent as well as on the islands of Grenada around Mt. Moritz and Bequia.
For the small Redleg community still living on Barbados, most live a poorer standard of life than the blacks, relying on farming or running small shops and brothels that serve the wealthier blacks.[4]"
-snip-
Pancocojams Editor's Note:
The referent "Redlegs" is similar to the term "rednecks" which was and still is colloquially used in the United States. Indeed, it has been stated that at least some of the Americans referred to as "rednecks" come from the Bajan and other Caribbean Redleg population. (For instance, read the comment given as #10 in Excerpt #2 below).
However, neither "Redleg" nor "redneck" has the same meaning as "redbone". "Redbone" is a generally neutral (not necessarily positive or negative) African American Vernacular English term that refers to Black Americans who have a reddish tinge to their skin color. That said, some Black Americans (such as Rihanna) who are partly descended from people of Caribbean Redlegs might have a reddish tinge to their skin and therefore may be called "redbones".
****
Example #2:
Pancocojams Editor's Note: The following article refers to "Irish slaves" (i.e. White slaves). There's considerable (often contentious) debate as to whether the Irish (or Scots/Irish or any other White Europeans) were considered slaves in the Caribbean.
My position is that even though the experiences that some or many of that White populations faced were the same as or very similar to the conditions experienced by enslaved Africans; even if there was White slavery and not just White indentured servitude in the Caribbean, that "White slavery" wasn't the same as the chattel slavery that Africans and descendants of Africans experienced.
http://abolition.e2bn.org/slavery_40.html
"A chattel slave is an enslaved person who is owned for ever and whose children and children's children are automatically enslaved. Chattel slaves are individuals treated as complete property, to be bought and sold."
-end of Editor's note-
From http://irishamerica.com/2015/10/the-irish-of-barbados-photos/
The Irish Of Barbados: Photos and Article by Sheena Jolley, Contributor; October / November 2015
"The descendants of Irish people sold into slavery in the 1600s live in a close-knit community beset by poverty and ill health.
During the winter of 1636, a ship bearing a consignment of 61 men and women destined to be slaves on the plantations of Barbados slipped quietly out of Kinsale Harbor on Ireland’s rugged southern coast. By the time Captain Joseph West’s ship arrived in the Caribbean in January 1637, eight of the 61 had died. The remainder were sold, including ten to the governor of Barbados, for 450 pounds of sugar apiece. Captain West was instructed to return to London to sell the sugar and then proceed to Kinsale to procure another cargo of Irish slaves. That first small trickle soon became a human flood.
It was a lucrative business. An Irish white slave could be sold in Barbados for between £10 and £35.
In all, more than 50,000 Irish were transported from Ireland to Barbados (more were sent to other islands in the West Indies), many of them prisoners captured by Oliver Cromwell during the wars in Ireland and Scotland and following the Monmouth Rebellion. The slaves became known as Redlegs, almost certainly a reference to the sunburn they picked up in the hot tropical sun.
By the mid-1700s most were free, their places taken by Africans. However, minute books from the island show that no more than a fifth of those who were freed became farmers, owners, or artisans. The remainder formed a wretched, poor and isolated community. In 1689, the governor of Barbados, Colonel James Kendall, described the Redlegs as being “dominated over and used like dogs.” He suggested to the local assembly that the emancipated slaves be given two acres (0.8 hectares) of land, as was their due, but the assembly contemptuously turned down the request.
Today, the few hundred remaining Redlegs in Barbados, also known as the Baccra, a name they were given as they were only allowed to sit in the back row at church, stand out as anomalies in a predominantly black population, struggling for survival in a society that has no niche for them, looked down upon by both blacks and better-off whites.
[photo caption]
Ann Banfield proudly shows me the photograph of her grand daughter’s graduation. She is shown with her husband Herbert and their grand daughter who is currently studying for a Masters in law. Their grand daughter is the first to have gone to university from that community in Martins Bay on the wild east coast of Barbados where the Atlantic pounds the shore. Ann worked in Bridgetown for many years including 13 years for Cave Sheppard, a large department store in town.
Making Contact
There is a strong sense of community among the Redlegs. “If I need to eat, I go next door, and if they need to eat, they come to me,” 86-year-old Eustace Norris, who spent 30 years working in a factory in England before returning to Barbados, told me. And they are an insular community.
[...]
The Redlegs have retained a racial pride and a degree of aloofness from their black neighbors, mostly marrying within their own community. They do not know much about Ireland except that some of their ancestors came from there. Though one man I met, Wilson Norris, is passionate about Irish music and has a collection of CDs, these people are poor and their main concentration is on survival, not the past.
Ill health, inadequate housing, little ownership of land to produce their own food, and a lack of job opportunities have locked the community into a poverty trap that has hardly improved in the last century. Poor diet and a lack of dental care have left most of the older generation with either bad teeth or no teeth at all, and young people who don’t realize that this is preventable. Illnesses and premature deaths caused by blood diseases such as haemophilia (probably as a result of inbreeding) and diabetes have had a devastating effect on the community.
[...]
Photo caption:
Danny is Mona Bailey’s brother and he lives in the house next to her and her large family. He is related to the singer Rianna whose immediate family originated from the same district.
[...]
Photo caption:
Erlene Downie and Betty Fenty, who is the great aunt of singer Rihanna."...
-snip-
Here are some comments from this article's discussion thread (numbers are assigned for referencing purposes only)
1. MICHAEL DELANEY says: October 5, 2015 at 5:34 pm
"Oliver Cromwell rounded up the children of Irish landowners when he removed the Irish to Connaught and settled his followers and soldiers on the vacated lands around the middle of the 17th C. He wanted to remove the gentry class who would have future claims on the land. I did research on the “Mong Mong Bajans” of Grenada who were “red legs” from Barbados. They have lived in an area called Mount Mortiz since the middle of the 1800s. They did not intermarry until the 1950’s. Many went to Australia when that country opened the doors in the 80’s (I believe). Only unmixed whites were accepted. I have not found very many Irish names among that group. Some say that they were involved in the Monmouth Rebellion. That would account for the English and Scottish names. I will get out my notes and add more information later. The book Story of an Irish Slave Girl gives some insights into the circumstances of these slaves and indentures from the British Isles."
**
2. MARY BEHARRY says: October 7, 2015 at 7:26 am
"Proud of my IRISH HISTORY but world should know thst Irish Slaves were in Barbados before the arrivals from Africa.They were deliberately bred with African Slaves to achieve fairer new Slaves for house duties etc."
**
3. GRAINNE KEARNS says: October 7, 2015 at 6:54 pm
"The book, to Hell or Barbados by Sean O Callaghan, researched at the Barbados Museum, gives a thorough insight in to the Redlegs. The book The Stolen Village, of Baltimore, West Cork, tells the true story of a whole village taken by the Barbary Pirates in the 1600 hundreds. Many people were taken as slaves from Ireland and Britain."
**
Reply
4. LEE FARNUM-BADLEY says: October 7, 2015 at 9:21 pm
I would refer those persons who are interested in this subject to read
“To Hell or Barbados: The ethnic cleansing of Ireland” by Sean O’Callaghan. England achieved its dominance in the Caribbean and North America by a process of deliberate “planting” of people. The word “plantation” described this social engineering strategy, and only later to actual agricultural activity.
The Irish Catholic (usually supporters of the monarchy and so against Cromwell’s Republic) Irish were used as enslaved prisoners of the Monmouth Rebellion. Later in history whites were “invited” to the Caribbean by a system of apprenticeship known as indenture. No one teaches this dark aspect of history in schools."
**
Reply
5. ANNE says: February 27, 2016 at 11:08 am
"I’ve read that book, have it in my every growing library on this subject. My Dad is from the Greaves, Medford, Searles, Chandlers of St. Andrew, Barbados, also called the Scotland District. We’ve always been told that our ancestors were from Scotland, not Ireland but who knows. I’ve found it interesting that the Mt. Moritz group has many of those same names."
**
Reply
6. MIKE DELANEYsays: March 1, 2016 at 10:33 am
"Anne: From my research with the Folks at Mt. Moritz in Grenada I would say the most if not all have Scottish background. Bowden, Greaves, Medford, Harris, Carr. I think Searles. I can get a better list for you if you like."
**
Reply
7. PAUL says: March 23, 2016 at 2:12 am
"The Scots Irish come from Ulster (northern Ireland) so such names do not necessarily mean they came from Scotland to the Caribbean . In any event, the Scots themselves came from Ireland."
"
**
Reply
8. LEE FARNUM-BADLEY says: April 1, 2016 at 1:20 pm
"Anne, there are numerous Searles and Chandlers in Barbados. Today the majority will not resemble a person of Irish ethnicity. A much larger West African slave community will have been absorbed or simply adopted the names of the planter who “owned” them. Irish and Scotsmen that were transplanted also eventually became part of the slave owning planter class. A Searles was one of the first governors of the island – hardly therefore shipped out in chains as a victim of Cromwell’s extermination !!"
**
Reply
9. LEE FARNUM-BADLEY says: November 14, 2017 at 7:47 am
"Mr Gormley needs to refresh his take on Scottish history. Scottish families migrated to Ireland in large numbers both as a result of the government-sanctioned Plantation of Ulster, a planned process of colonization which took place under the auspices of James VI of Scotland and I of England on land confiscated from members of the Gaelic nobility of Ireland who fled Ulster and as part of a larger migration or unplanned wave of settlement.
Ulster Scots emigrated onward from Ireland in significant numbers to all corners of the then-worldwide British Empire—what are now Canada, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, as well as the West Indies,and even South America. Scotch-Irish (or Scots-Irish) is a traditional term for Ulster Scots who emigrated to North America."
**
10. LOUIS KING says: December 10, 2016 at 11:50 am
"I taught it as a part of West Indian History for years at 3 different secondary schools in Barbados. I’d be very disappointed to learn that an island wide change in recommended texts resulted in this aspect of our history being neglected. As my friend @Lee Farnum-Badley suggested, by far the greatest proportion of this exiled community has integrated into the wider Afro-ethnic Bajan community. Another higher IQ proportion moved easily into the ranks of the White planter-merchant class which have held on to their wealth and privilege over the years. This explains why the remnants of this community are so impoverished, since they have lost the more adventurous, intelligent, and resourceful members over the years. I could identify individuals with these names (redmen we used to call them,) living all over the island, not just in St Joseph: Allamby, Goddard, Fenty, Bailey, even Kings, are all VERY COMMON names throughout the island. 13 years of teaching, put me in intimate contact with literally THOUSANDS of names to which I can still place faces and ethnic features.
The integration of this isolated group gathered pace during the 50s when it was widely publicized that inbreeding had resulted in a very high death rate from various genetic disorders. Before the hospital began routinely amputating spurious digits and correcting cleft palates, I myself had noted that these congenital deformities were much more prevalent among people of fairer skin.
It is not widely known that many of the Appalachian “Mountain men” of the Carolinas arrived in the US from Barbados, to the extent that many of them have similar names to their Barbadian counterparts. Even the name ‘Red-neck” bares an ironic similarity to the term “Red-leg” which was once more current in Barbados."
**
Reply
11. LEE FARNUM-BADLEY says: December 15, 2016 at 12:07 pm
"Hey Louis. Having read about the conditions and treatment that transplanted Irish Catholics and Scottish rebels were subjected to in the early years of settlement, I have come to doubt that any of them left any trace of their origin – including their names. They were after all less valuable nominally and productivity-wise that African slaves and were sent here as punishment to die. An escapee would not even have survived long in a community that was hostile from all sides. The few “extant vintage Bajan redmen” are more likely to be the descendants not of Celtic origin but of Anglo-Saxon indentured servants and lesser adventurer-farmers that might have owned a few acres land but were eventually dispossessed by creditors and the more powerful estate-owner class. If they couldn’t transition into any artisan profession, they would have become very poor very quickly. Many went of to live in marginal lands like St.John and in less used neighbouring islands like St.Vincent. Farnum is one such, I’m pretty sure. People did what they could, and if it matters at all to have had their names survive – not like the names of of any my African blood relatives whose ancestry was ruthlessly obliterated by the Englishman’s economic designs on the colony. We shall all have the same name and aim someday."
**
Reply
12. DOUGAL BASCOMBE says: September 17, 2017 at 9:06 pm
"Lee, your comment here is pure speculation. It is not worthy of your previous comments.
Sad."
-snip-
This is the latest comment to date that has been added to that discussion.
****
LIST OF COMMON "REDLEG" NAMES FROM THE ARTICLE GIVEN ABOVE AS EXCERPT #2
http://irishamerica.com/2015/10/the-irish-of-barbados-photos/
Photos and Article by Sheena Jolley, Contributor; October / November 2015
Brent
Banfield
Bailey
Downie
Farnum
Fenty
Hickson
Norris
Watson
Yearwood
-snip-
Additions and corrections are welcome.
****
ADDITIONAL COMMON "REDLEG" NAMES FROM THE DISCUSSION THREAD FOR THE ARTICLE GIVEN ABOVE AS EXCERPT #2
http://irishamerica.com/2015/10/the-irish-of-barbados-photos/
Photos and Article by Sheena Jolley, Contributor; October / November 2015
Allamby
Bowden
Carr
Chandlers
Goddard
Greaves
Harris
Kings
Medford
Redman
Shepherd
Searles
-snip-
Additions and corrections are welcome.
****
Thanks for visiting pancocojams.
Visitor comments are welcome.
Wednesday, August 7, 2013
Buju Baton - "Love My Browning" & Nardo Ranks - "Them A Bleach" (Jamaica)
Edited by Azizi Powell
This post showcases the Dancehall Reggae records "I Love My Browning" and "Them A Bleach". This post serves as a companion piece to the pancocojams post http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2013/08/what-redbone-yellowbone-and-browning.html "What Redbone, Yellowbone, and Browning Mean".
The content of this post is presented for sociological, cultural, entertainment, and aesthetic purposes.
All copyrights remain with their owners.
****
SHOWCASE EXAMPLES
Example #1: Buju Banton - Love Me Browning
browningbbw, Uploaded on Nov 8, 2008
It's only right that I upload my signature tune from The Gargamel.
When originally released it sparked controversy over Buju's apparent preference for "Brownings".
Some accused Banton of promoting a colonialist attitude and denigrating the beauty of black women.
In response, he released "Love Black Woman" which spoke of his love for dark-skinned beauties, which just shows that he loves all ah we!
-snip-
"Browning" means a Black person with light skin.
LYRIC EXCERPT
"Me love me car Me love me bike
Me love me money and ting
But most of all, Me love me browning
Love me car Me love me bike
Me love me money and ting
But most of all, Me love me browning...
Pamela and Dawn, Suzette and Karen
I wonder what the whole tribe uh dem thinking
Dem a plan and dem a plan and dem a scheme
'Cause dem waan mash up me and mi browning
But all the rumors dem a spread anna pack up her head
My Lorna not listening
'Cause you know when she alone, ah mi must come back home
Anytime me touch evening
'Cause me ah knowledge very close, how me love her the most
And me not hurt her feelings
But no matter what dem say, but no matter what dem do
My Lorna not leaving..."
-snip-
Click http://www.lyricstime.com/buju-banton-love-me-browning-lyrics.html for the complete lyrics for this song.
****
Example #2: Nardo Ranks - Them A Bleach
Browningbbw Uploaded on Dec 28, 2008
Originally released in 1992 on the 'Murder She Wrote' riddim. Words speak for themselves. Stop that nonsense and be proud of who you are, however you are.
-snip-
The 'Murder She Wrote' riddim is also called "the Bam Bam riddim". Those names refer to the Chaka Demus and Pliers Reggae song “Murder She Wrote”.
-snip-
LYRICS EXCERPT
"Dem ah bleach out dem skin
Dem ah bleach
Dem ah bleach out dem skin
Gal me honour you!
A you nuh bleach out yuh skin
You nuh use no chemical fi look like a brownin.
Gwan black girl
because ah you run de place
Look how you nice
With you beautiful face
Ah true you not brown. That is no disgrace
So tell dem girl
That ah you win de race.
Gal me honour you!
A you nuh bleach out yuh skin
Gal me honour you!
A you nuh bleach out yuh skin
You nuh use no chemical fi look like a brownin."
-snip-
This is my transcription of portions of this song. I've not been able to find the complete lyrics for this song. It would be great if someone would post those lyrics.
****
RELATED LINK
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lCC31oD0rrs
Buju Banton - Love Black Woman
[Here's the summary that was written by browningbbw, the publisher of that soundfile:
"Following the controversy sparked by 'Love Me Browning', Buju comes back with this response that shows that he loves all black women, whatever the complexion!"
****
Thanks to the vocalists/composers who are featured in this post. And thanks to browningbbw for publishing these showcase examples.
Thanks for visiting pancocojams.
Visitor comments are welcome.
This post showcases the Dancehall Reggae records "I Love My Browning" and "Them A Bleach". This post serves as a companion piece to the pancocojams post http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2013/08/what-redbone-yellowbone-and-browning.html "What Redbone, Yellowbone, and Browning Mean".
The content of this post is presented for sociological, cultural, entertainment, and aesthetic purposes.
All copyrights remain with their owners.
****
SHOWCASE EXAMPLES
Example #1: Buju Banton - Love Me Browning
browningbbw, Uploaded on Nov 8, 2008
It's only right that I upload my signature tune from The Gargamel.
When originally released it sparked controversy over Buju's apparent preference for "Brownings".
Some accused Banton of promoting a colonialist attitude and denigrating the beauty of black women.
In response, he released "Love Black Woman" which spoke of his love for dark-skinned beauties, which just shows that he loves all ah we!
-snip-
"Browning" means a Black person with light skin.
LYRIC EXCERPT
"Me love me car Me love me bike
Me love me money and ting
But most of all, Me love me browning
Love me car Me love me bike
Me love me money and ting
But most of all, Me love me browning...
Pamela and Dawn, Suzette and Karen
I wonder what the whole tribe uh dem thinking
Dem a plan and dem a plan and dem a scheme
'Cause dem waan mash up me and mi browning
But all the rumors dem a spread anna pack up her head
My Lorna not listening
'Cause you know when she alone, ah mi must come back home
Anytime me touch evening
'Cause me ah knowledge very close, how me love her the most
And me not hurt her feelings
But no matter what dem say, but no matter what dem do
My Lorna not leaving..."
-snip-
Click http://www.lyricstime.com/buju-banton-love-me-browning-lyrics.html for the complete lyrics for this song.
****
Example #2: Nardo Ranks - Them A Bleach
Browningbbw Uploaded on Dec 28, 2008
Originally released in 1992 on the 'Murder She Wrote' riddim. Words speak for themselves. Stop that nonsense and be proud of who you are, however you are.
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The 'Murder She Wrote' riddim is also called "the Bam Bam riddim". Those names refer to the Chaka Demus and Pliers Reggae song “Murder She Wrote”.
-snip-
LYRICS EXCERPT
"Dem ah bleach out dem skin
Dem ah bleach
Dem ah bleach out dem skin
Gal me honour you!
A you nuh bleach out yuh skin
You nuh use no chemical fi look like a brownin.
Gwan black girl
because ah you run de place
Look how you nice
With you beautiful face
Ah true you not brown. That is no disgrace
So tell dem girl
That ah you win de race.
Gal me honour you!
A you nuh bleach out yuh skin
Gal me honour you!
A you nuh bleach out yuh skin
You nuh use no chemical fi look like a brownin."
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This is my transcription of portions of this song. I've not been able to find the complete lyrics for this song. It would be great if someone would post those lyrics.
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RELATED LINK
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lCC31oD0rrs
Buju Banton - Love Black Woman
[Here's the summary that was written by browningbbw, the publisher of that soundfile:
"Following the controversy sparked by 'Love Me Browning', Buju comes back with this response that shows that he loves all black women, whatever the complexion!"
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Thanks to the vocalists/composers who are featured in this post. And thanks to browningbbw for publishing these showcase examples.
Thanks for visiting pancocojams.
Visitor comments are welcome.
Thursday, March 1, 2012
Racial Descriptors In The USA: "Yellow", "High Yellow", & "Redbones"
Edited by Azizi Powell
This post provides commentary about the descriptor "yellow" and "high yellow" as it was used and may still be used among African Americans & other Americans in the United States. I'm re-posting a comment that I wrote in 2008 on a thread about the Caribbean song Yellow Gals (Doodle Me) on the Folk & Blues forum Mudcat http://www.mudcat.org/thread.cfm?threadid=14506&messages=39
Related Links
Click http://cocojams.com/content/african-american-secular-slave-songs to find the words to a version of the 19th century song "Massa Had A Yeller Girl".
Acknowledgments & Thanks
My thanks to the performers, and video uploaders of these featured videos and sound files.Thanks for visiting this page.
Viewer comments are welcome.
This post provides commentary about the descriptor "yellow" and "high yellow" as it was used and may still be used among African Americans & other Americans in the United States. I'm re-posting a comment that I wrote in 2008 on a thread about the Caribbean song Yellow Gals (Doodle Me) on the Folk & Blues forum Mudcat http://www.mudcat.org/thread.cfm?threadid=14506&messages=39
Subject: RE: Yellow Gal From: Azizi Date: 25 Jan 08 - 08:52 PM
In case folks don't know it-I'm African American :o)
I mention that because when it comes to sharing information about the topic of this thread, I think that my race is relevant. That said, other folks who aren't African American can also share and in my opinion, have shared accurate and interesting information about this subject.
I just wanna add to the mix {to use a word with no pun intended] and share some thoughts about the terms "yellow" and "high yellow" as those terms pertain to African Americans:
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In the phrase "high yellow", "high" means "very" and "yellow" means "light skinned".
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Fwiw, I agree with most of what Roger in Baltimore has wrote in his posts to this thread. However, I have seen and heard the term "high yellow" used much more in contemporary literature/mass media and in every day life than the term "yellow". But maybe that's due to the nature of my reading material and the circles of people with whom I interact.
I don't agree with Roger's statement that "yellow" or "high yellow" ...commonly describe skin that is quite light, but which has a definite yellow hue". Inspite of the use of the color term "yellow", I don't think that a person of Black/non-Black descent who is described as being "yellow" or "high yellow" has to have a yellow hue to their skin.
I agree with the statement that there are a large number of skin colors that could be considered to be "yellow" and/or "high yellow". Some "high yellow" people are very pale and others have a reddish tinge to their skin. Btw, Black people who have a reddish hue to their skin are sometimes called "redbones". This is not a new referent. Comedian "Red Foxx" and activist Malcolm X {Detroit Red} are examples of Black men who were redbones.
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Since at least the Black pride movement which began [again] in the late 1960s, "yellow", "high yellow", and "red bone" are usually not publicly used in everyday conversation unless Black people {or a non-Black person who has a high degree of acceptance among those particular Black people} are engaging in informal, friendly teasing.
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Some high yellow people can "pass for White" and some can't {because of their skin color, hair texture and/or their other physical features} Of course, there are different skin complexions of White people, too. And "passing for White" {meaning a person being considered a member of the "White" race because of his/her physical appearance}implies {or at least used to imply} that the person is mistaken to be White. Actually, almost all Black people who are high yellow have more "European" ancestry than "African" ancestry. Therefore, if the laws and social definitions of the United States [where I'll limit my conversation for now] weren't so racist, those people who were "passing", would be able to claim without any difficulties that they were indeed White or that they were both Black and White [or Black and non-Black]. However,because of the one drop of Black blood rule, and the exclusivity of the definition of who is or isn't White in the United States, it's extremely difficult for a person who has a known [Black] African ancestor, no matter how many generations ago, to claim that ancestor and still be accepted as a White person.
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People who are referred to as "yellow" and "high yellow" may be racially mixed with Black/White or Black and some other non-Black race/ethnicity such as Native American, or Latino/a or Filipino or Japanese etc etc etc. Also, a yellow or high yellow person may have two biological parents who are Black. It should also be noted that-in the case of a high yellow person having two biological Black parents-both of these parents [and/or neither of these parents] need have been "yellow" or "high yellow" themselves. [And neither of these parents need have been first generation racially mixed themselves]. The Cosby Show [which featured a Black family with children who had different skin colors] helped acquaint many non-Black people with the fact that it is possible to have a wide range of skin colors within two parent Black families. Of course, there may be more skin color variations within Latino families than African Americans. I'm not sure if non-Black Latinos* use the terms high yellow, yellow, and red bone. I'd love to know more about the terms that Latino people do use to refer to skin color-besides "moreno" which I think means "brown"[skinned].
*I suppose there are some North and South American Latinos who don't have any African ancestry. But I think there's not many Latinos who don't have any African ancestry. Of course, if you go baaaack far enough, everybody has African ancestry.
I made a minor change in the first sentence of the last paragraph. Otherwise this post is exactly as I wrote it in 2008
SEVERAL SONGS THAT INCLUDE THE RACIAL REFERENT "YELLOW"
Yellow Gal (Doodle Let Me Go)
The focus of the discussion in that Mudcat thread was the sea shanty "Yellow Gal (Doodle Let Me Go)". Here's a link to a YouTube video of a group singing that song http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P9ZhlgWd5IsSome of the commenters in that discussion focused on the meaning of the word "doodle". The camp that I belong to believes that "doodle" means "sweet". Visit that website to read how we reached that conclusion.The Yellow Rose Of Texas
It will undoubtedly surprise some people to learn that the relatively familiar American song "The Yellow Rose Of Texas" is about "yellow gal", meaning a woman of Black/non-Black ancestry. That above mentioned Mudcat thread contains comments about and lyrics of that song. Here's a link to a sound file of that song ://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3O09J2a_izwRikkyhardo, that video's uploader, included informative summary of the history of "The Yellow Rose Of Texas", and that song's lyrics (the lyrics with the racial referents as well as examples of how those racial referents were replaced. Here's an excerpt of those comments and the 1858 "minstrel" version of that song:Legendary account The song is based on a Texas legend from the days of the Texas War of Independence. Accordingly a woman named Emily D. West — a mulatto, and hence, the song's reference to her being "yellow" — who was seized by Mexican forces during the looting of Galveston, seduced General Antonio López de Santa Anna, President of Mexico and commander of the Mexican forces. The legend credits her supposed seduction with lowering the guard of the Mexican army and allowing the Texan victory in the battle of San Jacinto waged in 1836 near present-day Houston. Santa Anna's opponent was General Sam Houston, who won the battle literally in minutes, and with almost no casualties.
Minstrel Version (1858)
There's a yellow rose in Texas that I am going to see, No other darkey knows her, no darkey only me; She cried so when I left her, it like to broke my heart, And if I ever find her we never more will part. (Chorus) She's the sweetest rose of color this darkey ever knew, Her eyes are bright as diamonds, they sparkle like the dew, You may talk about your Dearest May, and sing of Rosa Lee, But the yellow rose of Texas beats the belles of TennesseeYellow Gal - Leadbelly
This song uses the same tune as Walt Disney's Three Little Pigs singing "Whose Afraid Of The Big Bad Wolf". The words that Leadbelly sings are Verse 1: My daddy went home with that yellow gal, Verse 2: She's pretty and fine, that yellow gal, and Verse 3: She has pretty hair, that yellow gal.Here's that video:
>Uploaded by songs1994 on Mar 3, 2009
Leadbelly's line that the yellow girl "has pretty hair" is reflective of the viewpoint that is still found among many Black people & non-Black people that hair like White people's is "good" and hair like most Black people is "bad". Such opinions can result in poor self-esteem among Black people, and particularly among Black females.
Related Links
Click http://cocojams.com/content/african-american-secular-slave-songs to find the words to a version of the 19th century song "Massa Had A Yeller Girl".
Acknowledgments & Thanks
My thanks to the performers, and video uploaders of these featured videos and sound files.Thanks for visiting this page.
Viewer comments are welcome.
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