Culture

Jamaica represents a rich blend of cultures that have inhabited the island. Spanish and British settlers and West African slaves brought cultural elements, as did East Asian and Indian immigrants who came to the island as indentured servants.

Tainos Influence

The biggest areas of influence that the Taino Indians had on Jamaican culture was in language and foods. In fact, Jamaica's name comes from the Taino name for the island, Xaymaca: the "land of wood and water". Other words include:

• Cohiba - the Taino word for tobacco.
• Tabaco - the Taino word for the pipe from which they smoked.
• Hamaca - the Taino word for hammocks, which they used as beds.

Foods included cassava, maize, waterfowl, and, of course, seafood. The Tainos' diet later became became the diet of the early Spanish settlers.

Rastafari

The best known side of Jamaican culture is reggae music, and the Rastafari movement, who are recognised all over the world for playing what is a distinctively syncopated style that arose from another Jamaican sound, ska. Bob Marley, from Kingston, is doubtless the best known performer of this style. Marley, a convert to the faith, spread the message of Rastafari to the world. There are now estimated to be more than a million Rastafarians throughout the world.

Rastafari is a religion based on the Christian King James Bible that accepts Haile Selassie I, the former Emperor of Ethiopia, as God incarnate, whom they call Jah. He is also seen as part of the Holy Trinity as the messiah promised in the Bible to return.

Many Rastas eat limited types of meat in accordance with the dietary Laws of the Old Testament; they do not eat shelled sea food (such as: shrimp, lobster, crab) or pork. Many Rastafari maintain a vegan diet all of the time, with the exception of the use of honey.

The wearing of dreadlocks is very closely associated with the movement, though not universal among (or exclusive to) its adherents. For many Rastas, smoking cannabis is a spiritual act, often accompanied by Bible study; they consider it a sacrament that cleans the body and mind, exalts the consciousness, facilitates peacefulness and brings them closer to Jah.

Dance

Dance has always been important on Jamaica - from colonial times until the present. Early folk dances often served religious purposes, or were associated with religious holidays. More recently, dances have become associated with the music of Jamaica, particularly dancehall styles.

More than 30 distinctive Jamaican dances have been identified. According to the National Library of Jamaica, traditional Jamaican dances fall roughly under three categories:

• African derived
• Creole
• European derived

The Africa derived dance tradition is divided into two types: religious dances and social dances. Religious African dances, such as the ritualistic Kumina, Myal and Pocomania, are integral parts of worship ceremonies. The aim is to bring the dancers into the realm of the spiritual and heighten their readiness for possession. This part of Jamaica's African heritage has mainly been preserved by the Maroon Communities. Social African derived dances include Etu, Quadrille and Maypole (originally religious but now mainly social).

The Jamaican Creole dances integrate elements from both European and African cultures. Examples are Jonkonnu, Bruckin's, Revival, Pukkumina (possibly the best-known Revival (religious) style which still exists today) and Dinkie mini, a dance in the Wake Complex of traditional dances.

Social dances that are European derived include those that accompanied work songs and ring games.

Dance is also represented during the Jamaican Hosay, a Caribbean East Indian festival. Jonkonnu and Hosay are considered secular dances, despite the performance of Jonkonnu around Christmas time.

Theatre

Jamaica's earliest theatre was built in 1682. Several more theatres opened in the 1700s and 1800s, attracting performances by both professional touring companies and amateur groups. However, performances weren't limited to official venues; many took place in houses, stores, court houses, and any other space large enough to hold them. During this period, classic plays such as Shakespeare were most often produced. However, the Jewish and French communities became large enough to merit productions aimed at them, too.

After the abolition of slavery, black Jamaicans began exploring their roots, fusing music and dance into theatrical performances. Although it took many years for true Jamaican styles to develop, eventually they became more prevalent than Western works. Today's most popular theatrical form in Jamaica, pantomimes, began in the 1940s as a fusion of English pantomimes with Jamaican folklore. Another popular style, "roots" theatre, evolved in the 1960s and 1970s. These bawdy tales full of sexual innuendo remain crowd favourites. Contemporary playwrights write in Jamaican patois, catering to all Jamaicans rather than an elite audience.

Literature

Derek Walcott, a Nobel Prize for Literature winner in 1992, attended college in Jamaica. Other significant writers from the island include Claude McKay (Home to Harlem - 1928) and Louis Simpson ('At the End of the Open Road' won the 1964 Pulitzer Prize for Poetry). Plays and works in Jamaican English, or patois, attract special attention. Louise Bennett, Andrew Salkey and Michael Smith have contributed to this phenomenon by writing works in patois. Jean Rhys is also well-known for her novel Wide Sargasso Sea, which was set in Jamaica.

Ian Fleming, who lived in Jamaica, repeatedly used the island as a setting in the James Bond novels, including Live and Let Die, Doctor No, For Your Eyes Only, The Man with the Golden Gun and Octopussy. In addition, James Bond uses a Jamaica-based cover in Casino Royale.

Film

Jamaica's film industry is not widely known, but it is growing. The Harder They Come (a look at delinquent youth in Jamaica) and Dancehall Queen are two of the best-known Jamaican films. However, many popular Hollywood films have also been filmed in Jamaica, including The Blue Lagoon, Cocktail, Cool Runnings and the Bond-films Doctor No and Live and Let Die.

National Symbols

• National Bird: Doctor Bird (Green-and-black Streamertail, Trochilus polytmus)
• National Flower: Blue Mahoe (Hibiscus elatus)
• National Tree: Lignum Vitae (Guaiacum officinale)
• National Dish: Ackee and Saltfish (dried salted cod)
• National Motto: "Out of Many, One People" (Unity among many cultures and races)