Palo de Mayo

Last updated • 3 min readFrom Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia

Palo de Mayo (English: Maypole; or ¡M ayo Ya!) is a type of Afro-Caribbean dance with sensual movements that forms part of the culture of several communities in the RAAS region in Nicaragua, as well as Belize, the Bay Islands of Honduras and Bocas del Toro in Panama. It is also the name given to the month-long May Day festival celebrated on the Caribbean coast. Both the festival and dance are an Afro-Nicaraguan tradition which originated in Bluefields, Nicaragua in the 17th century. [1]

Contents

History

Palo de Mayo, or Maypole, is a celebration welcoming rain, production, and new life [2] that includes a maypole, which is a tall wooden pole, decorated with several long, colored ribbons suspended from the top. There is no definite answer as to how it got to Nicaragua. Historians continue to debate its origins. Bluefields people pretty much all agree, "May Pole is not what it used to be." An elegant polka in which smartly dressed women held hands and two-slapped around a fruit laden tree. [3]

It was probably brought to Nicaragua in the early 1830s by British settlers and the ribbon pole dance common to England was modified, according to speculations, incorporating elements of Shango, a West African religion, featuring spirit possession. Certainly already in 1874, Moravian missionary J.E. Lundberg wrote: "It is now generally conducted at night, by moonlight, amidst a heathenish noise and it has become connected with great impropriety of conduct." Professor Hugo Sujo says the rituals varied. Children would adorn branches with mangoes, pineapples and breadfruit; dance in a circle and then plunder the tree. [4]

Many historians point out that there are many differences in the celebration and that it came from the Nicaraguan Creoles that inhabited Nicaragua's Caribbean coast, other historians believe it came indirectly from Jamaica. [5] Wherever it came from it has long been a part of Nicaragua's Afro-Caribbean culture. In Belize, plaiting of the maypole along with coconut tree climbing and greasy pole competitions. This is because most of the Creole population of the RAAS region in Nicaragua, moved to British Honduras (later to become Belize) after British secession of the region in 1787.

The Sandinisitas promoted the event as a tourist attraction supporting local bands and dance groups, under Miss Lizzie's leadership. Miss Lizzie involved 70-year-old women to dance the old style, to teach the youth the real thing. But by 1993 she'd lost ground to the new style of May Pole which was seen by older traditional dancers as "a dirty display of dirty dancing"

Palo de Mayo music and dance

The only difference in the Palo de Mayo of RAAS region in Nicaragua from Belize, and the Bay Islands of Honduras, is the dance originated during a festival in which the women danced around the maypole and then had 2 men approach them in hopes of accompanying them but the women rejected them with their hands telling them no. [5] The music is sensual with intense rhythms and originated during the same time as the dance. As the years have progressed, the dance accompanying Palo de Mayo music has become more and more sensual. [6]

During the dance, custom made music was being played and that type of music is now referred to as a genre called Palo de Mayo. Palo de Mayo music is an electric reworking of Creole acoustic folk music called a mento. Palo de Mayo music retains a lot of the mento style including lyrics, melodies, and choral patterns, but speeds up the tempo and replaces different instruments. [7]

Palo de Mayo Instruments

Historically, Combos played bongo drums made of tree trunks, washboard bass and even the jawbone of a donkey for percussion. Later calypso, soa or soul calypso and other influences were incorporated into the music. [8] Instruments in a Palo de Mayo Ensemble include tap drums, horn sections, electric guitar, electric bass, and portable electric organ . [7]

Palo de Mayo musicians

Tanto (Silvester Hodgson), a Beholden barrio character who never wore shoes and started making up a new May Pole song every year. [9]

The most famous spot for the May Pole Celebration was a place called Long Field. [10]

Dimension Costena is a famous Palo de Mayo band that was very popular throughout Western Nicaragua in the 1980s. [7]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mosquito Coast</span> Coastline in Central America

The Mosquito Coast is an area along the eastern coast of present-day Nicaragua and Honduras. It was named after the local Miskito Nation and was long dominated by British interests and known as the Mosquito Kingdom. From 1860 suzerainty of the area was transferred to Nicaragua with the name Mosquito Reserve, and in November 1894 the Mosquito Coast was militarily incorporated into Nicaragua. However, in 1960, the northern part was granted to Honduras by the International Court of Justice.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Music of Belize</span>

The music of Belize has a mix of Creole, Mestizo, Garìfuna, Mayan and European influences.

Afro–Latin Americans or Black Latin Americans are Latin Americans of sub-Saharan African heritage. African heritage is common throughout Latin America.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">South Caribbean Coast Autonomous Region</span> Autonomous region of Nicaragua

The South Caribbean Coast Autonomous Region is one of two autonomous regions in Nicaragua. It was created along with the North Caribbean Coast Autonomous Region by the Autonomy Statute of 7 September 1987 through a division of the former Zelaya Department. It covers an area of 27,260 km2 (10,530 sq mi) and has a population of 420,935. The capital is Bluefields. Bordering the Caribbean Sea, it contains part of the region known as Mosquitia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Culture of Nicaragua</span>

Culture of Nicaragua is a fusion of Mesoamerican, Chibcha, and Spanish influence. The western part was colonized by the Spanish and its culture is similar to western El Salvador in that western Nicaragua was dominated by the Nahua people, specifically the Nicarao, a branch of the Pipil people. Nahua heritage can still be seen in Nicaraguan culture especially in its cuisines, the etymologies of many of its place names, and even DNA analysis. While western Nicaragua is mostly Indigenous of Nahua or Oto-manguean origin, eastern Nicaragua is mostly of Chibcha, Miskito, and African origin.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nicaraguans</span> People of Nicaragua

Nicaraguans are people inhabiting in, originating or having significant heritage from Nicaragua. Most Nicaraguans live in Nicaragua, although there is also a significant Nicaraguan diaspora, particularly in Costa Rica and the United States with smaller communities in other countries around the world. There are also people living in Nicaragua who are not Nicaraguans because they were not born or raised in Nicaragua nor have they gained citizenship.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bluefields</span> Municipality in South Caribbean Autonomous Region, Nicaragua

Bluefields is the capital of the South Caribbean Autonomous Region in Nicaragua. It was also the capital of the former Kingdom of Mosquitia, and later the Zelaya Department, which was divided into North and South Caribbean Coast Autonomous Regions. It is located on Bluefields Bay at the mouth of the Bluefields River in the municipality of the same name.

Kukra Hill(Loma de los Kukras) is a municipality in the South Caribbean Coast Autonomous Region in the Republic of Nicaragua. It was granted municipal status in 1989; before then, it was administratively part of the municipality of Bluefields, in the former department of Zelaya.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pearl Lagoon</span> Municipality in South Caribbean Coast Autonomous Region, Nicaragua

Pearl Lagoon is a municipality that is often time called just Lagoon and was historically known as English Bank. It is located in the South Caribbean Coast Autonomous Region of Nicaragua. It is the most important town of the largest coastal lagoon also by the name of Pearl Lagoon in the South Caribbean Coast Autonomous Region of Nicaragua and which the name of the town is derived from. As of 2022, Pearl Lagoon Municipality had a population of 21,360.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Corn Islands</span> Municipality in South Caribbean Coast Autonomous Region, Nicaragua

The Corn Islands are two islands about 70 kilometres (43 mi) east of the Caribbean coast of Nicaragua, constituting one of 12 municipalities of the South Caribbean Coast Autonomous Region of Nicaragua. The official name of the municipality is Corn Island.

Belizean Creoles, also known as Kriols, are a Creole ethnic group native to Belize.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ethnic groups in Central America</span>

Central America is a subregion of the Americas formed by six Latin American countries and one (officially) Anglo-American country, Belize. As an isthmus it connects South America with the remainder of mainland North America, and comprises the following countries : Belize, Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, and Panama.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Index of Central America–related articles</span>

This is an index of Central America-related articles. This index defines Central America as the seven nations of Belize, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, and Panama.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">George Frederic Augustus I</span> King of The Miskito

George Frederic Augustus I served from 1801 to 1824 as a mostly titular king of the mixed-race Miskito, as the Spanish called them, a Native people of Honduras. Although the title and office were hereditary, the "kings" held no real power, with all political power held by British superintendents in the region instead.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Afro-Nicaraguans</span> Nicaraguans of African descent

Afro-Nicaraguans are Nicaraguans of Sub-Saharan African descent. Five main distinct ethnic groups exist: The Creoles who descend from Anglo-Caribbean countries and many of whom still speak Nicaragua English Creole, the Miskito Sambus descendants of Spanish slaves and indigenous Central Americans who still speak Miskito and/or Miskito Coast Creole, the Garifunas descendants of Zambos expelled from St. Vincent who speak Garifuna, the Rama Cay zambos a subset of the Miskito who speak Rama Cay Creole, and the descendants of those enslaved by the Spanish.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Afro-Hondurans</span> Ethnic group

Afro-Hondurans or Black Hondurans are Hondurans of Sub-Saharan African descent. Research by Henry Louis Gates and other sources regards their population to be around 1-2%. They descended from: enslaved Africans by the Spanish, as well as those who were enslaved from the West Indies and identify as Creole peoples, and the Garifuna who descend from exiled zambo Maroons from Saint Vincent. The Creole people were originally from Jamaica and other Caribbean islands, while the Garifuna people were originally from Saint Vincent and the Grenadines. Garifunas arrived in the late seventeen hundreds and the Creole peoples arrived during the eighteen hundreds. About 600,000 Hondurans are of Garífuna descent that are a mix of African and indigenous as of Afro Latin Americans. Honduras has one of the largest African community in Latin America.

This is a compilation of traditional dances from Nicaragua.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">June Beer</span> Afro-Nicaraguan artist and poet

June Beer (1935–1986) was a Nicaraguan naïve artist, who gained national and international acclaim for her works depicting African and feminist themes. She was also the first woman poet of Nicaragua's Atlantic coast and produced works in Miskito Coast Creole, English and Spanish. The Nicaraguan government protected four of her paintings—Fruit Seller, In Memory of Efie Irene, They Dance and Woman Working—by declaring them as part of the national patrimony. Removing them from the country is illegal.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Leela Vernon</span> Belizean musician and cultural preservationist (1950–2017)

Leela VernonMBE was a Belizean cultural icon noted for her contributions to preserving Creole culture in the country. She was awarded the title "Queen of Brukdown", received the Order of the British Empire for promoting Creole culture and music, and was named the Brukdown Artist of the Year in 2004. She was honored as National Hero in 2016 by the National Institute of Culture and History.

References

  1. ↑ Rivas Sotelo, Adelayde (2007). "Al rescate del Palo de mayo". La Prensa (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 2007-09-14. Retrieved 2007-07-26.
  2. ↑ NicaTour.http://www.nicatour.net/en/nicaragua/palo-de-mayo.cfm
  3. ↑ John Otis report to The Washington Times, 1993. Pg 319 Taylor, Deborah Robb. The Times & Life of Bluefields. [1st ed. Managua: Academia de Geografía e Historia de Nicaragua, 2005.
  4. ↑ Taylor, Deborah Robb. The Times & Life of Bluefields. [1st ed. Managua: Academia de Geografía e Historia de Nicaragua, 2005. Pg. 320
  5. 1 2 Flores, Yadira (2004). "Palo de Mayo: Bailando alrededor de un árbol". El Nuevo Diario (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 2007-07-04. Retrieved 2007-07-26.
  6. ↑ Berman, Joshua. Wood, Randall. "Moon Nicaragua." Avalon Travel. ed 3. 2008.
  7. 1 2 3 T M Scruggs. ""Let's enjoy as Nicaraguans": The use of music in the construction of a Nicaraguan national consciousness. " Ethnomusicology 43.2 (1999): 297-321. Research Library, ProQuest. Web. 11 May. 2010.
  8. ↑ Otis in Taylor, Deborah Robb. The Times & Life of Bluefields. [1st ed. Managua: Academia de Geografía e Historia de Nicaragua, 2005. Pg. 320
  9. ↑ "Bluefield's Pulse". May Pole History - Rescuing Our Culture. Retrieved 14 July 2020.
  10. ↑ Mr. Percy Spence in Taylor, Deborah Robb. The Times & Life of Bluefields. [1st ed. Managua: Academia de Geografía e Historia de Nicaragua, 2005.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.