St Richard's School, Kingston, Makes Pitchy-Patchy Costumes

Background Information

Pitchy-Patchy is one of the characters in the street carnival of Jonkonnu. He is usually one of the best dancers in the procession. His costume, which today is made from streamers of cloth, may once have been made from palm fronds.

Jonkonnu began in the Caribbean at some time in the 18th century, as a celebration among slave workers, brought from West Africa to work on the plantations. Jonkonnu processions often happened around Christmas time, when the workers had a few days off. It is also sometimes called 'John Canoe' and, in the Bahamas, is known as Junkanoo. Some say Jonkonnu began as a way of remembering John Conny, a black merchant of the Guinea Coast, who was in business back in the 1720s.

The procession would move from door to door, growing larger as it went along, with the cry, 'Jonkonnu a come!'. A band would play and performers in masks and costumes would jump and dance. In the old days, pots, pans, spoons and even kitchen graters would be used as instruments.

As well as Pitchy-Patchy, there are characters like Cow Head and Horse Head, the Policeman, the Devil, the Belly Woman and House Head, all with costumes and head-dresses to match their names. The celebration mixes elements from Europe, Asia and Africa. For instance, the bands use traditional gumbay drums (Africa), but the performers often include 'Actor Boy' who recites speeches from Shakespeare (Europe).

At the climax of Jonkonnu, the procession reaches a big open area, such as a market-place. Here the different dancers compete in a 'break-out', or dance-off, to see who can get the most applause from the crowd.