FOCUS QUESTION 2: WHAT IS CULTURAL RETENTION?

Objective 1: Definition of the term cultural retention Cultural retention refers to the practices that have survived even when most other forms and symbols of a culture are no longer evident. Cultural retention may occur as a result of a deliberate desire to keep traditions alive and help some groups to preserve their sense of identity. Small groups may feel alienated within a larger community and try to vigorously preserve their traditions. The Maroon community of Jamaica, for example, Accompong Maroons is a distinctive group because of its long history of rebuffing or refusing European values and norms, and robustly retaining their West African cultural practices.

Objective 2: Ritual activities common to the Caribbean and identification of aspects which may be regarded as cultural retention

Social practices, rituals and festive events are habitual activities that structure the lives of communities and groups and that are shared by and relevant to many of their members. They are significant because they reaffirm the identity of those who practise them as a group or a society and, whether performed in public or private, are closely linked to important events. Social, ritual and festive practices may help to mark the passing of the seasons, events in the agricultural calendar or the stages of a person’s life. They are closely linked to a community’s worldview and perception of its own history and memory. They vary from small gatherings to large-scale social celebrations and commemorations. Caribbean rituals that have aspects of cultural retention include: Wedding ceremony traditions such as jumping of the broom or throwing of rice. Funerals or burial traditions like nine-night celebrations before the funeral service. Carnival with its various historical character New Years celebrations

Objective 3: Cultural retention

Everyday activities which demonstrate examples of cultural retention for Jamaica are evidenced in the following areas: Dance Food Music Art and craft activities Dress Social practices shape everyday life and are familiar to all members of the community, even if not everybody participates in them. Distinctive social practices that are specially relevant to a community and help reinforce a sense of identity and continuity with the past are given priority. For example, in many communities greeting ceremonies are informal while in others they are more elaborate and ritualistic, acting as a marker of identity for the society. Similarly, practices of giving and receiving gifts may range from casual events to formal arrangements with significant political, economic or social meanings. Social practices, rituals and festive events involve a dazzling variety of forms: worship rites; rites of passage; birth, wedding and funeral rituals; oaths of allegiance; traditional legal systems; traditional games and sports; kinship and ritual kinship ceremonies; settlement patterns; culinary traditions; seasonal ceremonies; practices specific to men or women only; hunting, fishing and gathering practices and many more. They also include a wide variety of expressions and physical elements: special gestures and words, recitations, songs or dances, special clothing, processions, animal sacrifice,special food.

Areas of evidence

The areas of evidence for the cultural retention within the Jamaican society include:  Music and dance have always been integral elements of a people’s culture; in Jamaica this is no different. Jamaica’s musical and dance forms are rich, powerful and vibrant and reflect both the high and low points in the society. They are aspects of Jamaican life which represent the general sentiments of the working class and generate feelings of joy and national pride.  Jamaica’s musical and dance heritage has gone through various stages of transformation over a relatively short period. Evolving from the deeply Afrocentric Kumina and Revival through Mento and Ska, Jamaican music and dance has always had its own distinctive sound and rhythm.  With heavy influences from jazz, rhythm and blues and the Rastafari movement, Reggae and Dancehall music have become internationally known as musical expressions indigenous to this small island in the Caribbean. (JIS, Web)  The language of the Jamaican people which is commonly referred to as the Jamaican dialect patois or creole is another example of our cultural retention. Standard English and Creole have many words in common. However, the pronunciation and spelling are different for some words for example “wud” is word in patois. Jamaican Creole is influenced by the the Twi or Kwa languages. These were the languages of most of the slaves who came to Jamaica from Ghana in West Africa. In Jamaica, creole tenses are formed as they are in Twi and Kwa languages and not as they are in English.

Objective 4: Jamaican proverbs as oral expressions of cultural retention

Proverbs surround us every day. Whether at school, work, church or during a conversation with a friend, the likelihood of hearing a proverb is probable. A proverb is a short, well-known saying, stating a general truth or piece of advice. (Dictionary. com,web). Proverbs are an essential form of oral expressions that help with cultural retention. Storytelling is another Jamaican custom which is an oral expression. Anansi Stories featuring the tricky spider Anansi originated from West Africa is a local folk hero. Manyjamaican stories end with a proverb or a riddle. Examples of Jamaican proverbs are as follows: “Donkey sey di worl no level”, “when trouble ketch yuh pickney shut fit yuh” “Duppy know who fi frighten”. “Chicken merry, hawk deh near” “Patient man ride donkey” Many of the patois words which we call broken English are not English at all. Slaves deliberately held on to various African words as a form of resistance and mixed them with the English. For example, “Nyam” which means to eat, is a West African word.

Objective 5: Ways in which individuals contribute to cultural retention

There are several ways in which individuals can contribute to cultural retention these include: Practising and teaching cultural dances to ensure that it is learned by upcoming generations Participating in traditional and cultural events and activities Continuing the practice of storytelling and folklore like Anansi stories Preserving the culture through education as a part of the curriculum Preparing cultural and family dishes/ cuisine The appreciation of cultural heritage should be communicated through an integrated educational approach in this global society. The role of media in preserving culture and heritage Digital storage has played a large role in the preservation of cultural heritage. It has enabled the sharing of cultural and historical heritage around the world. Digital storage is not only the most popular method of preservation, but it is the trend for the future. People pursue artistic and creative expression through a variety of outlets: formal theatrical performances, sculptures, paintings, and buildings; as well as the less formal arts, music and food festivals, celebrations and informal cultural gatherings, pickup bands, and crafts groups. Together, these formal and informal, and cultural activities constitute a community’s cultural assets. These activities are essential to a community’s well-being, economic and cultural vitality, sense of identity, and heritage.

Objective

Objective 6: Continuation of practices

Protecting culture and heritage is a deliberate process. To be kept alive, and relevant tangible cultural heritage which refers to things that we can store or physically touch. Examples of tangible cultural heritage include traditional clothing, tools, buildings, artwork, monuments, and modes of transportation. Intangible cultural heritage refers to things that are not physical items but exist intellectually like music and dance. They must remain relevant to a culture and be regularly practised and learned within communities and between generations. Safeguarding measures to ensure that intangible cultural heritage can be transmitted from one generation to another are considerably different from those required for protecting tangible heritage.