Origins
This island is home to the Big Drum Dance.
What is Carriacou?
Big Drum ancestors begin with this act of pouring offerings for the ancestors.
What are libations?
Men typically perform this role during the ceremony.
What is playing the drums?
Big Drum also functioned as a social network that strengthened this among enslaved Africans.
What is unity?
This book documents the ritual: The Big Drum Ritual of Carriacou.
Who is Lorna McDaniel?
Big Drum traditions were brought by these ancestors.
Who are African Ancestors?
Family members kneel during this opening ritual to seek forgiveness from ancestors.
What is the "Beg Pardon"?
Women traditionally wear long colorful skirts and this head covering while dance.
What are head wraps/ head scarves?
During slavery, Big Drum served as a spiritual practice to call upon ancestral spirits for protection, healing and this.
What is guidance?
Winston Fleary helped preserve Big Drum by conducting workshops and training this group.
Who are young drummers and dancers?
The Big Drum is also known by this other name.
What is the Nation Dance?
This singing style, led by the chantwell, is commonly used during performances.
What is call-and-response?
The lead singer in a Big Drum performance is known by this Creole term.
What is chantwell?
After emancipation, Big Drum became a way to express identity and this.
What is Independence?
Big Drum became officially recognized as part of Grenada's type of cultural heritage.
What is intangible cultural heritage?
The West African rituals that influenced Big Drum were specifically described as this type of ceremonies.
What are ancestral rituals?
Big Drum ceremonies often last until this time of day during community celebrations.
What is Dawn?
Big Drum music includes Creole and this other type of rhythm described as "playful".
What are playful rhythms?
The tradition shifted from a family-centered rite into this larger type of celebration by the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
What is a community festival?
The festival today features cultural exhibitions highlighting African "nations" along with food, storytelling and this.
What are rituals handed down through generations?
The blending of different African nation dances resulted in a tradition that is described as unified yet this.
What is diverse?
Nation dances are typically accompanied by three hand-played drums and these two additional instruments.
What are shakers and maracas?
The Cutter Drum has this important role in relation to the dancers.
What is guiding their movements?
Migration to Trinidad, the UK, and the USA helped transform Big Drum into a symbol of this abroad.
What is pride and cultural identity?
Big Drum is described as both a historical survival and this type of cultural practice.
What is an active cultural practice?