Kumina

Ritual Ceremonies

Kumina ceremonies are held in the form of ecstatic dance, as a way for the participants to gain knowledge from the ancestors. The dancers receive messages from the ancestors through spiritual transcendence known as mayal. The ceremonies take place during the evening hours and may well last until sunrise. The most important elements of Kumina worship involve music, dancing, spirit transcendence, and healing through prophecy.

Like much in the African religious tradition, drumming plays a paramount role. The lead drum is called kbandu and is accompanied by shakas, graters, and catta sticks, as well as singing. Kikongo words are common in Kumina songs. Drumming is a central part of Kumina because it is used to communicate with the spiritual world of the ancestors. The rhythms of the drums call the ancestors to commune with the participants of the Kumina ritual.

The repetitive, circular-patterned dance used during the ceremony brings about energy in the participants that allows the ancestors to have better accessibility to their body and spirit. The dance pattern is relatively simple: It involves dancers moving in a circular fashion anticlockwise around the drummers. At first, the dancers move in a syncopated and slow manner and then gradually accelerate their motion. Over the course of the ceremony, the dancers become increasingly excited and fast-paced, which helps to move them from this Earthly plane and into the realm of the ancestors through transcendence.

In Kumina, transcendence is called mayal, whereby the dancers' personalities change and become unusual. Their voices become distinctly different because of the external supernatural ancestor who inhabits their body. During transcendence, the dancers may be able to perform extraordinary physical acts, such as walking while in a trance and speaking in a different language. Usually the participants use the African language during Kumina religious ceremonies. While in a state of transcendence, the dancers receive messages to help the living achieve health and balance in their lives and relationships. Such messages are known as prophesizing.

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