Duppy
Duppyis a word of African origin commonly used in variousCaribbean Islands,includingThe Bahamas,BarbadosandJamaica,meaningghostor spirit.[1]The word is sometimes spelledduffy.[2]
It is both singular and plural. Much of Caribbeanfolklorerevolves around duppy. Duppy are generally regarded as malevolent spirits who bring misfortune and woe on those they set upon.[1]They are said to mostly come out and haunt people at night, and people from around the islands claim to have seen them. The "Rolling Calf" (a scary creature said to have chains around its body),[3]"Three footed horse", and"Ol' Hige"[4]are examples of the more malicious spirits.
In many of the islands of theLesser Antilles,duppy are known asjumbies.Barbados also uses the word duppy and it holds the same meaning as it does in Jamaica.
Origins[edit]
Originating inCentral Africa,the duppy is part ofBantufolklore. A duppy can be either the manifestation (in human or animal form) of the soul of a dead person, or a malevolent supernatural being.[5]But the word duppy more likely originates from theGa languageas most of the African folklore and culture in Jamaica comes from theAshanti people(a similarKwaspeaking people also from Ghana). In the Ga language ofGhana,Adopeliterally means dwarf, but in Ghanaian folklore spirits are dwarves. It could also originate from the special Akan day calledDapaa,which takes 9 days after the 1st Monday of the Akan monthFwodwo.However, in Jamaica, they celebrate this 9 day tradition after someone dies. It is called "9 nights" in which they believe it takes 9 days for the spirit to return to the ancestral land. On Dapaa, it is believed that the ancestral spirits return to their homeland, a shared belief with Jamaica. The word Dapaa could have had vowel changes and became the present dayDuppy,to mean ancestral spirit.[6]InObeah,a person is believed to possess two souls—a good soul and an earthly soul. In death, the good soul goes to heaven to be judged by God, while the earthly spirit remains for three days in the coffin with the body, where it may escape if proper precautions are not taken and appear as a duppy.[5]
See also[edit]
- Ascalapha odorata– Species of moth known in the vernacular as a "Duppy Bat".
- Dybbuk
- Madam Koi Koi
- Mami Wata
- Tikoloshe
References[edit]
- ^abJamaican Folklore | DuppyArchived2007-10-18 at theWayback Machine
- ^Dent, Susie(2010).How to Talk Like a Local: From Cockney to Geordie, a National Phrasebook.Random House.ISBN9781409061946.Archivedfrom the original on 2019-04-04.Retrieved2019-02-25.
- ^Jamaica Folklore | Rollin CalfArchived2007-10-18 at theWayback Machine
- ^"Jamaican Folklore - Ol' Hige".nlj.org.jm.Archived fromthe originalon 30 January 2009.Retrieved19 April2018.
- ^abLeach, MacEdward (1961). "Jamaican Duppy Lore".The Journal of American Folklore.74(293). USA: American Folklore Society: 207–215.doi:10.2307/537633.JSTOR537633.
- ^Farquharson, Joseph T (January 2012)."The African Lexis in Jamaican: Its Linguistic and Sociohistorical Significance".academia.edu.Archivedfrom the original on 15 December 2018.Retrieved19 April2018.
Further reading[edit]
- Beckwith, Martha Warren(1929).Black Roadways: A Study of Jamaican Folk Life.Chapel Hill: The University of North Carolina Press.
External links[edit]
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