Object Details
sova.cfch.sff.1980_ref25
- Introduction
- Three programs at the 1980 Festival focused attention on immigrant communities, two of which involved what was called the "New Immigration", subsequent to passage of the 1965 Immigration and Naturalization Act. The 1965 Act represented an effort to equalize opportunity for immigrants to the United States without favoring the traditional Western-Northern European or Western Hemispheric source countries. The new immigrants tended to be largely urban located and oriented. Because of their visibility and the discrimination against visible minorities, they often suffered multiple levels of disregard by the larger population. The life styles, cultures, and languages of the new immigrants were perceived to be little known, appreciated, or regarded by the general American public as the decade began. American cities were seen as the frontiers of the new immigrants; the arenas where the wills, interests, and cultures of each group came into contest with those of other ethnic groups; and the settings where competition or coalescence took place among them. It was cities that saw scenes of confrontation between traditions and of adjustments from both sides - natives and immigrants. The cities were also the sites of the celebrations and the contributions of most new immigrants. This was true both for the Southeast Asian Americans program and for the Caribbean Americans program. Many factors, including the growing acceptance of "cultural pluralism" rather than "Anglo-conformity" as a model for the United States, imbued the contemporary Caribbean immigrant community with the confidence to proclaim and practice openly their Caribbean heritage. An obvious example was the proliferation in many North American cities of the Caribbean festival of Carnival that had been featured in the 1979 Festival. In Boston, Hartford, New York, Montreal, Toronto, and Los Angeles, this festival has emerged as a full-scale annual community celebration, while in Philadelphia, Washington, D.C., Miami, and other cities, some aspects of Carnival can be seen on a smaller scale. One function of these carnivals was the impetus they give to the internal unification of the Caribbean communities themselves. Considerations of class and island origin have tended to divide members of the American Caribbean community from each other, but the carnivals have emerged as Caribbean, and their acceptance by the community as such held the potential for even greater unification in the future. In addition to Carnival, the Caribbean immigrant community contributed to the American scene in sports, religion, music, dance, literature, and the arts. Cricket, once considered an elite British game, is the sport that every child is introduced to in the Caribbean. West Indians have been credited with bringing to a game that was once considered stylish but stuffy a spirit of fun and fete that can now be enjoyed any Saturday or Sunday afternoon in West Indian communities in such cities as Hartford, Boston, and New York. In Miami, New York, and Washington, the distinctly Caribbean religions of Santeria, the worship of Vodun (Voodoo), and Rastafarianism can be found. Santeria, practiced by many Cubans, is a synthesis of Catholicism with the Yoruba religion of West Africa. Vodun, a Haitian religion, is a similar blend of Christianity and the religious worship of ancient Dahomey. Rastafarianism, however, is a modern religion that originated in Jamaica in the 1930s based on belief in the divinity of the former Emperor of Ethiopia, Haile Selassie, and the perception of Ethiopia as the original homeland to which Black people in the Western Hemisphere should repatriate. Caribbean music was part of the sound of many an American city - whether the Yoruba drumming of Santeria, the reggae rhythms that originated with the Rastafarians, or the rumba, the samba, and the calypso - and likewise part of the 1980 Festival. Syncretism between these Caribbean rhythms and the rhythm-and-blues beat of the United States was demonstrated in such new dance beats as the "salsa" and "soca" (soul-calypso). Caribbean contributions to American community life featured at the 1980 Festival thus included an impressive record of achievement and an infusion of cultural forms adding to the vitality and diversity of American life through the contributions of immigrant communities. Katherine Williams was Caribbean Americans Program Coordinator, and Roy Bryce-LaPorte was Special Consultant
- Introducción
- Tres programas del Festival de 1980 centraron su atención en las comunidades de inmigrantes, dos de los cuales se referían a lo que se denominó la "Nueva Inmigración", posterior a la aprobación de la Ley de Inmigración y Naturalización de 1965. La Ley de 1965 representó un esfuerzo por igualar las oportunidades de los inmigrantes en Estados Unidos sin favorecer a los países de origen tradicionales de Europa occidental y septentrional o del hemisferio occidental. Los nuevos inmigrantes tendían a situarse y orientarse mayoritariamente hacia las ciudades. Debido a su visibilidad y a la discriminación contra las minorías visibles, a menudo suelen sufrir numerosos tipos de desprecio por parte de la población en general. Los estilos de vida, las culturas y los idiomas de los nuevos inmigrantes eran percibidos como poco conocidos, apreciados o considerados por la población estadounidense en general a principios de la década. Las ciudades estadounidenses eran vistas como las fronteras de los nuevos inmigrantes; los escenarios donde las voluntades, intereses y culturas de cada grupo entraban en contienda con las de otros grupos étnicos; y los escenarios donde se producía la competencia o la coalescencia entre ellos. Las ciudades fueron escenarios de confrontación entre tradiciones y de reconciliaciones por ambas partes, autóctonos e inmigrantes. Las ciudades fueron también los escenarios de las celebraciones y las aportaciones de la mayoría de los nuevos inmigrantes. Este fue el caso tanto del programa de estadounidenses del sudeste asiático como del programa de estadounidenses del Caribe. Muchos factores, entre ellos la creciente aceptación del "pluralismo cultural" en lugar del "anglo-conformismo" como modelo para Estados Unidos, imbuyeron a la comunidad inmigrante caribeña contemporánea con la confianza necesaria para proclamar y practicar abiertamente su herencia caribeña. Un ejemplo obvio fue la proliferación en muchas ciudades norteamericanas de la fiesta caribeña del Carnaval que se había presentado en el Festival de 1979. En Boston, Hartford, Nueva York, Montreal, Toronto y Los Ángeles, este festival ha surgido como una celebración comunitaria anual a gran escala, mientras que en Filadelfia, Washington, D.C., Miami y otras ciudades pueden verse algunos aspectos del Carnaval a menor escala. Una de las funciones de estos carnavales era el impulso que daban a la unificación interna de las propias comunidades caribeñas. Las cuestiones de clase y origen isleño han tendido a dividir a los miembros de la comunidad caribeña estadounidense entre sí, pero los carnavales han surgido como caribeños, y su aceptación por la comunidad como tales encierra el potencial de una unificación aún mayor en el futuro. Aparte del Carnaval, la comunidad inmigrante caribeña ha contribuido a la sociedad estadounidense en los deportes, la religión, la música, la danza, la literatura y las artes. El críquet, antes considerado un juego de élite británico, es el deporte al que se inician todos los niños en el Caribe. A los antillanos se les atribuye el mérito de haber aportado a un juego que antes se consideraba elegante pero engreído un espíritu de diversión y fiesta que ahora puede disfrutarse cualquier sábado o domingo por la tarde en las comunidades antillanas de ciudades como Hartford, Boston y Nueva York. En Miami, Nueva York y Washington se pueden encontrar las religiones propiamente caribeñas de la santería, el culto al vodun (vudú) y el rastafarismo. La santería, practicada por muchos cubanos, es una síntesis del catolicismo con la religión yoruba de África Occidental. El vodun, religión haitiana, es una mezcla similar de cristianismo y el culto religioso de la antigua Dahomey. El rastafarismo, sin embargo, es una religión moderna que se originó en Jamaica en la década de 1930 basada en la creencia en la divinidad del antiguo emperador de Etiopía, Haile Selassie, y en la percepción de Etiopía como la patria original a la que debían repatriarse las comunidades de origen africano del hemisferio occidental. La música caribeña formaba parte del sonido de muchas ciudades estadounidenses - ya fueran los tambores yoruba de la santería, el reggae procedente de los rastafaris o la rumba, la samba y el calipso - y también formó parte del Festival de 1980. El sincretismo entre estos ritmos caribeños y el rhythm-and-blues de Estados Unidos se puso de manifiesto en nuevos ritmos de baile como la "salsa" y la "soca" (soul-calypso). Las contribuciones caribeñas a la vida comunitaria estadounidense presentadas en el Festival de 1980 incluían, por tanto, un impresionante historial de logros y una infusión de manifestaciones culturales que contribuían a la vitalidad y diversidad de la vida estadounidense a través de las aportaciones de las comunidades inmigrantes. Katherine Williams fue la Coordinadora del Programa de Americanos del Caribe, y Roy Bryce-LaPorte fue el Asesor Principal.
- Participants (Participantes)
- Miguel Alpizar, Santero, Silver Spring, Maryland George Andre, 1946-, Brazilian music discussant, Washington, D.C. Ruthven John Blake, 1947-, publicist & M.C., Silver Hill, Maryland Elliott P. Boisdore, Mardi Gras discussant, New Orleans, Louisiana Brightwood Elementary School, Hispanic American games, Washington, D.C. Marie Brooks & Claude Brooks, dancer and drummer, New York, New York William Brown, Umbanda discussant leader, Brazilian costumed band, Washington, D.C. Selwyn Callendar, stick fighter, Washington, D.C. Isolina Campbell, Botanica, Washington, D.C. Caribbean American Carnival Day Association (Edward Harry, leader), costume band, Boston, Massachusetts Carifolk Singers (Augustus Howell, 1944-, leader), Caribbean folk singers, Washington, D.C. Lucy Carvajal, 1923-2002, craftsperson, Washington, D.C. Mildred Catuy, Cornelia Cotillion Square Dance Club, New York, New York Byron Chambers, Cricket discussant, Teaneck, New Jersey Hector Corporan, 1945-, presenter, Washington, D.C. Ruben O. Davis, Cornelia Cotillion Square Dance Club, New York, New York Joan Dupigny, 1941-, Ole Mas & Kiddies costume band, Washington, D.C. Camboy Estevez, Dominican costume band, Washington, D.C. Sylvia Fisher, Cornelia Cotillion Square Dance Club, New York, New York Winston T. Fleary, 1943-, leader, Afro-Caribbean Dancers, Big Drum Nation, Brooklyn, New York Iona Forbes, Cornelia Cotillion Square Dance Club, New York, New York Randolph Forbes, Cornelia Cotillion Square Dance Club, New York, New York Henry Frank, Vodun discussant, New York, New York Paul Greenhall, kite flyer, Washington, D.C. Marjorie Hall, 1955-, Rastafari discussant, Washington, D.C. Errol Hosein, 1936-, Cricket discussant, Bloomfield, Connecticut Oscar Anstey Hunte, 1942-, fire, eater, Montreal, Quebec Image (John Roseman, leader), Calypso Band, Rockville, Maryland Lucille Jacob, costume band, Hartford, Connecticut Edgar King, 1909-1993, Cornelia Cotillion Square Dance Club, New York, New York Allen Labertis, costumed individual (Moko Jumbie), Baltimore, Maryland Urban Lane, costume band, Washington, D.C. Steve LaRoche, costumed individual (bat), Washington, D.C. Hollis Lashley, Master of Ceremonies, Washington, D.C. Sylvie S. Lee Kin, 1945-1995, kite flyer, Silver Spring, Maryland Vernon Lee Kin, kite flyer, Silver Spring, Maryland Elliott Mannette, 1929-, steelpan tuner, Long Island, New York Godfrey Marchand, 1940-, costume designer, Miami, Florida Dianne Marshall, dancer, Washington, D.C. Von Martin, publicist & M.C., Seabrook, Maryland Maryland Pacesetters (Pasley Graham, 1937-, agent), steelband, Baltimore, Maryland Sandra Mendoza, Cuban costume band dancer, Washington, D.C. Stephenson Michael, 1952-, leader, Duro Ladipo Theatre Ensemble, costume band, Silver Spring, Maryland Will Morris, 1948-, stick fighter, Washington, D.C. Loline F. Payne, 1918-1990, Cornelia Cotillion Square Dance Club, New York, New York Winston Peters ("Gypsy"), 1952-, extemporaneous calypsonian, Brooklyn, New York James Porter, Cornelia Cotillion Square Dance Club, New York, New York Premier International (Nadine Howell, leader), Reggae band, Silver Spring, Maryland Rosalie Roman, Puerto Rican costume band, Washington, D.C. Ralph Roper, Cornelia Cotillion Square Dance Club, New York, New York Samba Batucada Group (William Brown, leader), Samba workshop, Washington, D.C. Silver Stars Steel Orchestra (Kelvin Griffith, captain), steel band, Boston, Massachusetts Sons of His Majesty (Satta Blue, 1954-, leader), Nyabingi drummers, Rastafari discussants, Washington, D.C. Triangle Systems (Linda Phifer, leader), kiddies and costume band, Washington, D.C. The Trinidad and Tobago Baltimore Steel Orchestra (Paul Gervais, 1941-, leader), steelband, Baltimore, Maryland The Trinidad and Tobago Steelband of Washington, D.C. (Franklin Harding, 1941-, leader), steelband, Washington, D.C. Brian Walker, 1957-, dancer, costume band, Washington, D.C. Levi Warren, Cornelia Cotillion Square Dance Club, New York, New York Reginald Warren, Cornelia Cotillion Square Dance Club, New York, New York The West Indian American Labor Day Association (Carlos Lezama, 1923-, leader), carnival organizer, New York, New York Peter Whiteman, 1944-, costume designer, costume band leader, Washington, D.C. The Wild Tchoupitoulas (Jason Berry, agent), Mardi Gras krewe, New Orleans, Louisiana Connie Williams, cook, Brooklyn, New York
- Collection Creator
- Smithsonian Institution. Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage
- Topic
- Caribbean Americans
- Caribbean Americans -- Social life and customs
- See more items in
- Smithsonian Folklife Festival records: 1980 Festival of American Folklife
- Archival Repository
- Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives and Collections
- Identifier
- CFCH.SFF.1980, Series 3
- Type
- Archival materials
- Collection Citation
- Smithsonian Folklife Festival records: 1980 Festival of American Folklife, Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives and Collections, Smithsonian Institution.
- Collection Rights
- Permission to publish materials from the collection must be requested from the Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives and Collections. Please visit our website to learn more about submitting a request. The Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives and Collections make no guarantees concerning copyright or other intellectual property restrictions. Other usage conditions may apply; please see the Smithsonian's Terms of Use for more information.
- Collection Restrictions
- Access to the Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives and Collections is by appointment only. Visit our website for more information on scheduling a visit or making a digitization request. Researchers interested in accessing born-digital records or audiovisual recordings in this collection must use access copies.
CFCH.SFF.1980_ref25
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/bk51e991f8c-e944-4f8c-b8ab-4399b82cc006
CFCH.SFF.1980
CFCHFOLKLIFE
- Record ID
- ebl-1503510198656-1503510198689-1