Meaning
An Afro-Jamaican religious tradition of Central African (Kongo) origin, marked by intense drumming, dancing, singing, and spirit possession, in which the ancestral spirits are called down and honoured. Strongest in the parish of St. Thomas, kumina keeps alive African religious practice and language, and its drums and rites are among the deepest survivals of African spirituality on the island. It belongs with Revival, Pukumina, and myal in the rich world of Afro-Jamaican folk religion, a living link to ancestral Africa.
Examples
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Di Kumina drums call di ancestors.
The Kumina drums call the ancestors.
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St. Thomas famous fi Kumina.
St. Thomas is famous for Kumina.
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Di dancer get possess inna di Kumina.
The dancer became possessed during the Kumina ceremony.
Origin
From the Kongo language of Central Africa; the tradition was carried and kept alive especially by post-Emancipation Central African arrivals in eastern Jamaica.
How it’s used
A sacred ancestral practice, distinct from Revival and from obeah. Its drumming and language preserve deep African roots.