Catalog Record:
The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in the Library's online catalog. They are grouped by name of person or organization, by subject or location, and by occupation and listed alphabetically therein.
For a glossary of Maroon terms used in the Kenneth M. Bilby Jamaican Maroon Collection, see Appendix A .
The sound recordings were loaned to the Library for duplication in
1983. The videocassettes were duplicated in 1994 for the Archive of Folk
Culture collection from the original video tapes housed in the
Collection processed by Michelle Forner. Collection guide was encoded by Kate Culkin in May 1995 as part of the Dance Heritage Coalition Access to Dance Research Resources Project, funded in part by the National Endowment for the Humanities. In March 2002, the guide was revised by Nora Yeh under the guidance of Mary Lacy; and updated in September 2009.
The American Folklife Center is the custodian for this collection; the preservation tapes, RWA 6073-6101, are housed in the Motion Picture, Broadcasting and Recorded Sound Division (M/B/RS). See the Collection Concordance by Format for more information.
Listening and viewing access to the collection is unrestricted. Listening copies of the recordings are available at the Folklife Reading Room.
Restrictions may apply concerning the use, duplication, or publication
of items in this collection. Consult a reference librarian in the Folklife
Reading Room for specific information. See
Researchers wishing to cite this collection should include the following information: Kenneth M. Bilby Jamaican Maroon Collection (AFC 1983/008), Archive of Folk Culture, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.
The Kenneth M. Bilby Jamaican Maroon Collection consists of manuscript
materials, audio recordings, and video recordings. The materials span the years
1977-1979 and 1991. Bilby conducted fieldwork in Jamaica from 1977 to 1978 as
part of his research for a master's thesis in anthropology from Wesleyan
University. His focus was on the traditional religion and music of the
The collection documents the traditional music and dance forms that the Jamaican Maroons have maintained as part of their unique cultural identity. The materials focus on the ritual complex known as Kromanti Dance or Kromanti Play, a ceremony that incorporates a variety of music and dance styles. The ritual involves the possession of participants by spirits of Maroon ancestors, most often to heal spirit-caused ailments. The audio and video recordings include examples of various "pleasure" (yanga) and "business" (nyaba) styles of dance and music, such as Jawbone, Sa Leone, Mandinga, Tambu, Prapa, and Ibo. Also included are audio recordings of drumming demonstrations, processional music, grave digging songs, and related music of the Kumina and Convince religions practiced by non-Maroons in neighboring areas. The video provides visual documentation of the annual Nanny Day celebrations during which various styles of music and dance belonging to Kromanti Dance are displayed. Also included on the video are scenes of dance performance at the Symposium on Maroon Heritage held in Kingston, Jamaica; demonstrations of the uses of natural materials found at Nanny Falls; and demonstrations of Maroon music, dance, and crafts at Accompong, Jamaica.
Manuscript materials include an audiotape inventory created by Bilby, duplication concordance, background notes on the videotape and on an interview with Bilby at the American Folklife Center, a copy of his master's thesis based on fieldwork research, and Bilby's liner notes from published recordings that draw from these materials.
Archive of Folk Culture administrative materials. The collection guide [this document], original audiotape inventory, duplication concordance, notes on Bilby interview and videotape content, and copies of liner notes from published recordings taken from this collection.
Recorded by Kenneth Bilby in Moore Town, Scott's Hall, Accompong, and Charles Town, Jamaica, 1977-1978. Documents song and drumming genres that are part of the Kromanti Dance ritual complex. Includes music of the Kumina and Convince cults, drumming demonstrations, processional music, and grave digging songs.
Filmed by Diana Baird N'Diaye and Kenneth Bilby. Documents music and dance performance at the Symposium on Maroon Heritage, Kingston, Jamaica, and music and dance at the Nanny Day celebration in Moore Town, Jamaica. Duplicate of hi-8 video from the Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives and Collections, Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage, Smithsonian Institution, FP-1992-SUPER8-0090.
Filmed by Kenneth Bilby. Continuation of AFC 1983/008:V1 documenting music and dance at the Nanny Day celebration in Moore Town, Jamaica. Also documents demonstration by Major Charles Aarons of the many uses Maroons derived for natural materials found at Nanny Falls. Duplicate of hi-8 video from the Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives and Collections, Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage, Smithsonian Institution, FP-1992-SUPER8-0091.
Filmed by Kenneth Bilby. Documents demonstrations of music, dance, storytelling, drum-making, and crafts at Accompong, Jamaica. Duplicate of hi-8 video from the Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives and Collections, Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage, Smithsonian Institution, FP-1992-SUPER8-0092.
Excerpted from APPENDIX D: GLOSSARY OF MAROON TERMS in Kenneth M.
Bilby's Master's Thesis,