Bahamian oral tradition through folk music and storytelling What determines a true Bahamian? Our oral tradition by way of folk music and storytelling helps us to find our identity; it helps us create a link with the next generation in an attempt to keep our native culture alive. Moreover, oral tradition is more than history, because it creates bonds with the past. Oral tradition is simple, but, it is very rich because of the information it contains. Its roots lie in the oral traditions of the Bahamian people which bear not only their histories but their ways of understanding the world and their place in it.
What is shocking to me is when I hear that the “Bahamian people don’t know where they come from’. Young people are occasionally criticized for mimicking the cultures of other nations, especially America. People say we have lost our culture. However, it is clear that our culture still holds true and it originated from storytelling and Bahamian songs. The most important tradition was storytelling. Later myths and Bahamian folktales came along, and invited the readers to tap into a network of stories that connect human lives. As we look at folktales there are many different types that still hold true today.
The beast tales of the under water world with myths and ledges like Mermaids in Pinder’s Point, then the porquoi tales that teach lessons and the trickster tales like “Anansie and the spider or Baboki and Barabbi. These stories or myths intertwine multiple stories, by authors who believe in their stories and eloquently read or tell each one like poetry. When we look at children stories and adult novels, I would say the more things change the more they stay the same. Nevertheless, these tales are mostly for entertainment or to teach a real life lesson, but, they play a major role in our Bahamian oral tradition.
Therefore, all through Bahamian history, one can find stories that either tell of our ancestor’s hardships or exaggerated stories that would capture the attention of the person, which they were telling the story to. These stories, along with our folk music make “we Bahamian”. I remember growing up, my grand mother would always sit her tribe of grand children down and teach us about the importance of oral Bahamian tradition. She would say “our oral tradition may be simple, but, it helps us to find our identity”.
The lesson of manners was taught to us through a rhyme time game that goes like this. “Ma chillin ma chillin yes mama. Ya hear me calin ya yes mama, well why ya aint cum? ” we were always taught to respect our elders and those in authority. Then along came our famous ring play time, which was another form of story and song combined. Ring play time was another well enjoyed phase of growing up. We would join hands as we dance and chant old time tales. Some of the songs that were chanted were; “there’s a brown girl in the ring”, “this a way a bella be’ and of course the famous “sausage unh hunh”.
Although ring play time was greatly enjoyed, we enjoyed sitting under the tree in our quiet little town, listening to cultural stories through rhyming Bahamian songs. Bahamian folk music, what can you say? some can’t live with it and others can’t live with out it. Some of our favorite Bahamian lyrics are from the Ancient man, with songs like “call the fire engine”, and” the booger man”. Then K. B , with “civil servants” and ‘the tooters” along with Stevie S with “you gone to jail” and “laying low in Bimini”. My father and uncles would dance the quadrille all night while listening to rake and scrape or our faster past soca music.
Some may say that Bahamian music is boring and not appealing, but, to me Bahamian music is a home for the heart, mind and soul. Therefore, for one to have a true appreciation for Bahamian folk music one must value their roots and their cultural heritage in which our ancestors fought and in some cases lost their lives for. However, the effects of storytelling and folk music on social development is that there is a good bit of literature that supports the notion that storytelling and folk music can strongly contribute to both young and older children social and psychosocial development.
For example, research has shown that stories inform children about their lives, their dreams, their hopes, their problems, their tensions, and their conflicts of diverse social and ethnic groups. In this way, storytelling helps familiarize children with how groups of people, may be different from the group of children that they were raised with, and the way they perceive life and its events. It also helps them to understand where they came from and how they arrived where they are today.
This was all made possible by the determined, talented, and aggressive people whom we know as our ancestors. Therefore, storytelling and folk music serves the function of maintaining a sense of the human community, by telling the story or song using universal themes common to all. In other words storytelling and folk music operates to broaden children and adults views of the world and their society while emphasizing the social ties that bind communities and groups of people together.
Moreover, as a nation so greatly influenced by other cultures, our lifestyle is changing everyday. However, it is important that we remember what uniquely distinguishes us from the rest of the world. Our ancestors have definitely contributed to our way of life through folk music and storytelling. It leaves me no choice to think that our Bahamian oral tradition be it stories , songs, or poetry they are to some extent idealize as perfect beyond the reach of any human
