Strange christian rituals

With the recent events surrounding the life and death of the late Kevin Smith, discussions regarding strange religious practices, cults and cultism have taken center stage.

For those who have been living on Mars, Kevin Smith, a self-described doctor, prophet, healer, pastor and even king, who was addressed as His Excellency, was the founder of Pathways International Kingdom Restoration Ministers, in Montego Bay, Jamaica.

Kevin Smith with former prime minster Portia Simpson-Miller

He came to national attention after the police raided his church because of reports that they had conducted human sacrifices there. Two sacrificed persons were found dead in his church, so Smith and several of his congregants were arrested for murder.

Within a week of his arrest, as Smith was being transferred to a court hearing in Kingston, the car in which he was travelling crashed and he and one of his police escorts were killed.

While it took reports of human sacrifices to wake up the nation to outrageous religious practices, I have for years been personally repulsed by the fixation on blood in many of the Christian religions.

A human who was sacrifice3d at Kevin Smith's church

I still remember my shock when first being exposed to this strange attraction. It was decades ago at a funeral in a Roman Catholic church, when during the communion, the congregants were invited to drink wine and eat bread which the parson said symbolized Jesus’ blood and flesh.

Thoughts that this must indicate a penchant towards cannibalism, immediately arose in my mind and have stayed with me since then, as far as that religion is concerned.

For why else would the consumption of flesh and blood arise!

While the suggestion of the intake of human blood remains weird to me, blood sacrifice seems to be quite common in a number of denominations in the Christian religion, and not only in Jamaica.

I remember being invited to a feast in Trinidad while on a visit to our sister island some years ago. It was the annual convention of the Spiritual Baptists there. What I wasn’t told beforehand however was that several of the animals that had been donated by some congregants, would have had their throats cut in sacrifice during the church service!

That one stayed with me too.

Then there was the time when I visited a Kumina ceremony in St. Thomas where one lady got into the spirit. Immediately, a “Bishop” from Bull Bay, bit off  the head of a live white chicken and scattered the blood all over her.

Lawd ha massi, it was gross.

But back to Kevin Smith.

This is a report from the Daily Gleaner  about a chilling incident;"Twenty-six-year-old Kevin 'Big Dog' Grant, who was recently captured on tape drinking blood from the head of a freshly slaughtered goat, was shot dead at a rented apartment in Discovery Bay, blood-drinking ritual is common among scammers, who believe that it offers them protection from harm, help them to elude the police, and make them more successful in fleecing money from unsuspecting victims.Investigators also believe that Grant had paid a huge sum in seeking spiritual protection from the late Kevin O. Smith...."

The king with some of his subjects

Since it was revealed that the sacrifices at his church extended from animals to humans, he is being described in some church circles as a devilish cult leader.

I won’t argue with that description, however, the fact is he had quite a large and dedicated congregation and, it is not unusual for people to be attracted to cults, no matter how evil some others say they are.

One precise definition of cultism is; a misplaced or excessive admiration for a particular person or thing. That being so, both religion and its evil twin brother, politics, is full of cultists!

I combine them, as those two vocations have been responsible for the most murder and mayhem in the world throughout history.

It therefore neither unusual nor strange, that Jamaica, the country which is reported to have the most churches per square mile, is among the top five most murderous countries in the world. (47 per hundred thousand). We are in lock step with Honduras and El Salvador, two other countries that also have religion coming out of their pores.

On the other hand, countries like Japan ( murder rate .26 per hundred thousand) and Estonia (murder rate 3.5 per hundred thousand) are listed in the World Population Review as being among the least religious places in the world.

Coincidence or a direct link?

I cringe every time I hear people trying to spread religion, for though I am by no means an atheist, the most impressive doctrine I have ever heard being promoted was by the Dalai Lama.

Unambiguously stated, it is; “My religion is very simple. My religion is kindness.”

No weird rituals nor drama.

https://youtu.be/t896a9UQxtc

TALLAWAH- Keeping mento music alive

Mento is one of Jamaica’s oldest music genres and it still remains popular, thanks to small bands like the Florida based Tallawah Mento Band.

Some members of Tallawah Mento Band jamming in leader Smith's backyard

Tallawah leader, Colin Smith, is a successful businessman, accomplished artist and musician, who plays the guitar, banjo, piano and keyboard.

However, the band he now leads, started quite by accident almost 20 years ago.

According to him, he and two friends, Vincent Allen guitarist and Errol Smith on drums, were jamming, 

Errol with the rumba box

playing some popular Mento tunes in a music room at a church in Miami, when Vincent advised that he had brought a rumba box from Jamaican but had no idea how to play it. This instrument is shaped like a box and provides the bass sound. The player sits on it while playing.

Mento music typically features acoustic instruments, such as acoustic guitar, banjo, congo drums, rumba box and a wind instrument (fife/clarinet/flute).

 Fortunately, Colin had built a rumba box while living in Jamaica so he was able to teach his friend Errol how to play it. He has been playing it with them ever since.

While they jammed, playing the mento music, some ladies who were listening nearby commented on how good they sounded and asked them to play at an event for them. That event turned out to be a Jamaican Independence Dinner which was scheduled to be held the following week!

Although they demurred as they had not considered playing formally as a group and did not even have a name for their group, the ladies insisted.

The legendary Keith Studdard with other guitarists Eugene and Phillip

Quickly they recruited a drummer/percussionist Val Darby. At the event, the MC was so impressed with their performance that when he asked the name of the band and they told him, 'just call us the little Mento Band,' he commented “oono likkle but oono tallawah.”

They played as The Little Mento Band for a while, but as they grew in popularity and the band expanded, Mrs Norma Darby then director of “The Jamaican Folk Revue” suggested the band be named Tallawah Mento Band, and so it was. 

They have been joined by other guitarists, saxophonist and such greats as Keith Stoddard, and have grown from strength to strength.

Flutist Tresha

While most mento bands in and outside of Jamaica tend to have mainly men, the band was  fortunate to have briefly, Jennifer Grant on the accordion and Angela Campbell, percussionist, dancer and archivist. However, some sixteen years ago they were lucky enough to find an outstanding flutist, Tresha Powell, who is a nurse by profession. 

She is now an integral and irreplaceable member of this Tallawah band.

For the benefit of the young, Mento Music is the first recorded folk music in Jamaica. It has greatly influenced the emergence of Ska and Reggae. 

Mento itself is mainly based on African rhythms and was extremely popular from the 1920’s up to its hey day during the 1940`s and 1950’s.

While it has been overrun somewhat by reggae and dancehall, it is still popular at cultural events. It is therefore a staple with groups like Jamaica Folk Singers, University Singers, Carifolk Singers and hotels on the north coast of Jamaica.

“Mento is Jamaica`s indigenous dance, song ,and instrumental style. The music is relatively slow in quadruple time, and its most characteristic feature is the accent in or on the last beat of each bar”, says  Dr Olive Lewin from her book Rock It Come Over”.  

Tallawah at North Beach

Dr Lewin went on to explain the rudiments of a Mento band as follows:

1)Melody: Fife, piccolo, harmonica, saxophone, clarinet, piano or electronic keyboard;

Available at Amazon.com

2)Harmony: guitar and banjo, which also play melodically, rhumba box or double bass on the bass line;

3)Rhythm: drums, maracas, grater and nail, sticks, and variety of improvised instruments and body sounds.

It is also impossible to find events honoring icons like Miss Lou, Olive Lewin or Rex Nettleford which do not feature the best of our mento music. Our Independence and Emancipation celebrations at home and abroad also give Mento Music pride of place.

In action at the launch of "Looking 
Back"

At school of Music at the Edna Manley College of Visual and performing Arts, there has been such renewed interest in this music genre, that in 2017, leader Smith was invited there to be a guest presenter to the master class students. He also gave similar lecture demonstrations  at the Norton Museum in Boca Raton Florida and The Auburn Research Library in association with the National Black arts festival 2012 in recognition of  Caribbean American Culture Heritage Month. At this festival Tallawah performed & presented “Jah Music: A Celebration of Traditional Jamaican Music”,

 

I was honored to have Tallawah at the launch of my autobiography “Looking Back, the struggle to preserve our freedoms” at the Pembroke Pines Library in Florida in 2017.

OTHER PICS FROM THE BACKYARD JAM

169) Joan Williams, author - YouTube

https://youtu.be/kBuMICI-gBE

Excitement at Scott hall

Roddy blows the Abeng to alert all maroons
that there are visitors in the area. The vine around his neck
is the 5 bredda.

Both women whose bodies were taken over by spirits, are being held.

One thing we can say about "Fun and Thrills" outings, that is, there is never a dull moment.

  The outing to Scotts Hall maroon settlement in St. Mary was full of even more  excitement. 

For while we were there, two women had their bodies taken over by their ancestors and created quite a scene.

 I have seen similar scenes three times before, once at a kumina ceremony in St. Thomas, once with the "raising of the table" at Devon house and yesterday and to tell the truth, no matter how convincing they look, I can't believe it is no allt an act. 

Yesterday, when we got back from Bowling water falls, we saw quite a crowd as a group of maroons who were claiming that one faction was putting on all the events and making all the  money off their culture and traditions, was not including everyone.

This policeman was a credit to the force

Even the police was there when we arrived as there seems to be real fear of a violent outbreak. 

In fact a friend told me today that there was a notice in the Saturday papers saying that (someone, she could not remember the name) was not authorized to conduct business on behalf of the 
Scotts Hall maroons.  

I subsequently found the paper and it says; 
NOTICE, "The public is hereby notified that Mr. Noel Prehay Colonel, Uri Prehay Deputy, Natalee Burton Secretary &  Dana Henry Treasurer of the Scotts Hall maroons are no longer authorized to conduct any business on behalf of the Scotts Hall maroons."

A photo opportunity at entrance of   Maroon Town road

 But if they intended that notice to impress outsiders, it couldn't , as it was unsigned!

When we went there on the scouting mission, we were directed to Roddy who is their Public Relations Officer and he put Charles on to Sweetie who seems to be on the executive too.

On Sunday when we got there, we were met by three guides who all seem to have official positions as they all had badges.

Colonel Prehay poses with Raquel, Betty and the craft vendor

The problem seems to be that the faction that is making the accusations does not support Mr. Noel Prehay who we were told was the longest serving Maroon colonel in Jamaica....35 years. 

But his detractors say no general meetings are being held to allow them to elect new members of the executive and they have lost confidence in those who now hold the positions. 

While cockroach nuh business inna fowl fight, I must say the policeman who was there is the most efficient policeman I have ever seen in operation in Jamaica during my long life. For he was calm as he tried to moderate between the both factions and talk some sense into them. Not the usual aggressive and intimidating police we are accustomed to seeing operation. I am sorry I never got his name.

The large seeds of the cacoon vine

Anyway the excitement and taking over of the bodies by the ancestors occurred when the conflict arose and we were told that is what happens when bad vibes are around. 

Apparently the two ladies who were taken over by spirits were mother and daughter. Miss Sweetie, our great cook was the mother and when she saw her daughter's body being taken over, having to be held firmly and having white rum sprayed over her, she took a dive too.

People who were near to the daughter said after it was over, her eyes were glazed, she wanted water and asked what had happened and it was too convincing to have been an act. But I guess not until I am personally taken over by a spirit will I believe such things happen.

Thrillers pose at the healing ground during the scouting mission

Apart from that extra excitement, it was a wonderful day. There were close to forty of us who made the trek, some riding and some hiking from Grandy Hole brdge which is as far as you travel on the Junction road before bearing west to the Scotts hall settlement. 

Although this group of maroons have a lot of land in Gibbs hill, Scott hall and Castleton, all designated as communal land, we were told they can now get individual titles for pieces of land to allow them to benefit from  their being National Housing Trust contributions.

Pot a boil

 When we arrived there, we were welcomed by Roddy, who blew the abeng (proper maroon name Jebry) after sprinkling it with white rum, to give it a better sound he said. The blowing of the abeng before entering the sacred areas is to advise all maroons that there are outsiders visiting. 

He then took us to the healing ground where he said persons with all kinds of  ailments are healed. 

This requires a group of maroons to gather around the afflicted person and the ancestors will enter the body of any one  and instruct what has to be done to heal the person.

The river sometimes rises way up to the guango tree during the rainy season

Roddy also introduced us to the 5 bredda bush which is used to work spells against one's enemies.

He had previously introduced us to the seeds of the cacoon vine which he said is the largest seed pod in the world and is native to West Africa. It is used by the maroons for food and the vines for camouflage. 

We  we arrived at  the beautiful valley after crossing a stream from Irie river which forms the Bowling water fall above and headed to the picnic grounds beside the Wag Water river the food was almost ready.

We were told that when it rains, the river comes up so high it sometimes reaches half way up the large guango tree.

The beautiful valley

That area is well organised for picnics, even having a thatch building with a toilet.

 I am not talking about a pit toilet either but flush toilet to boot. 

The food was great and I really liked the fu fu which is an African dish. It is made of ground provisions plus plantains and bananas all ground up. They then prepare coconut milk as if for rundown and cook the fu fu in it. It was so delicious I had to commandeer some to go home with.


The river was not too deep as it is  the drought season but we had enough water to swim in and have a great time. 

Some of us then  walked up the Irie river to the Bowling falls which is to the west of the picnic grounds.

Because of the drought, it  too was not as heavy as it should but good enough to splash around in and have a great time.

Although there were nice craft items there, I doubt if the artist got any patronage because of the conflict between the maroons which diverted so much of our attention.

Boys will be boys!

 As usual, the A team rode back but poor Omar did not leave until long after the rest, but he seemed to have made good time on his own as he flew past us when we stopped for soup by Castleton gardens.

It was another great outing with the team, thanks to the miserable Ayatollah for the excellent organisation and Charles 1st for introducing the area to us in the first place.

Craft items on display

Some photos compliments of Omar Downie.