Field Research: Afro-Jamaican Traditions 🕯️ In 2018, House of Aama traveled to Jamaica to conduct field research in Portland and St. Thomas Jamaica as an anchor point of inspiration for projects to come exploring migration partners and familial identity. In this audio, you hear The voice of Whitmore Simpson, a practitioner of the Afro-Jamaican Kumina faith and descendant of the Maroon community. Footage on the grounds of a Revival Church community in Yallahs St. Thomas. Kumina Practice: Landing in the 1850’s post emancipation period, Kumina has managed to survive the influences of Western culture. The language and the dances of Kumina can be traced back to tribes in the Congo in Africa. The Kumina drumming battery includes includes a wide variety of drums such kbandus, as well as scrapers, shakers and “catta sticks,” which beat out the rhythm. Kumina took root in St. Thomas where a large number of the immigrants settled. However, the religious spread to the parishes of Portland...