Glossary/Vocabulary * (As related to the study, practice and celebration of Puerto Rican Bomba & Plena)
Americas - Comprises the totality of the continents of North America, South America, and the archipielagos and Islands in between and around them. Together, they make up most of the land in Earth's Western Hemisphere and comprise the New World. Ancestry - a person's ethnic origin or descent, "roots," or heritage, or the place of birth of the person or the person's parents or ancestors Antilles- An archipelago bordered by the Caribbean Sea to the south and west, the Gulf of Mexico to the northwest, and the Atlantic Ocean to the north and east. The Antillean islands are divided into two groupings: the Greater Antilles (Cayman Islands, Cuba, Hispaniola (subdivided into the nations of the Dominican Republic and Haiti), Jamaica, and Puerto Rico; and the Lesser Antilles (Leeward Islands and the southeasterly Windward Islands, the Leeward Antilles. Arahuak Assimilation Bámbula- Originally, a type of drum made from a barrel with skin stretched over one end. It is also a dance accompanied by music from these drums. Originating in Africa, the bambula form appears in a Haitian song in 1757 and bamboula became a dance syncopation performed to the rhythm of the drum during festivals and ceremonies in Haiti (then Saint-Domingue). It was then exported to the United States (notably Mobile, Alabama, and the Virgin Islands) through Louisiana, by the Africans that were deported to New Orleans during the 18th century with the arrival of the displaced French settlers of the island of San Domingo especially after the Haitian Revolution. The slaves congregated on the Congo Square to the edge of the area of the French Quarter of New Orleans to dance the bamboula. Barril de Bomba- (Bomba drum). The barril de bomba is a traditional drum used in bomba music of Puerto Rico. The barriles de bomba are usually built from the wood of rum storage barrels and goatskin, adjusted with tourniquets, screws, cuñas or wedges. At least two drums are required to perform bomba music and dance: a Primo or subidor, the lead drum who follows and answers to the dancer. The buleador, with a lower tone, keeps a foundational steady beat. Additional instruments include the cuá, a hollow small wooden barrel which is struck with wooden sticks, and most commonly a maraca . Bass - drum sound produced by striking with the the palm of the hand against the head of the drum Bomba - dates back to the early European colonial period in Puerto Rico. It comes out of the musical traditions brought by enslaved Africans in the 17th century. To them, bomba music was a source of political and spiritual expression. The lyrics conveyed a sense of anger and sadness about their condition, and songs served as a catalyst for rebellions and uprisings. But bomba also moved them to dance and celebrate, helping them create community and identity. The music evolved through contact between slave populations from different
Caribbean colonies and regions, including the Dutch colonies, Cuba, Santo Domingo, and Haití. As a result, bomba now has sixteen different rhythms. The rhythms mark the pace of the singing and dance. Bomba instruments include the subidor or primo (bomba barrel or drum), maracas, and the cuá or fuá, two sticks played against the wood of the barrels or another piece of wood. Borikén, Borinquen - name given to the island of Puerto Rico by the Tainos, the original inhabitants that populated the island. Call & Response - In African cultures, call-and-response is a widespread pattern of democratic participation—in public gatherings, in the discussion of civic affairs, in religious rituals, as well as in vocal and instrumental musical expression. Campana - drum sound produced by striking the tips of the fingers against the edge or rim of the drum Caribbean, Caribe - Geographic region covering the eastern and northern edges of the Caribbean Sea, and includes more than 700 islands, islets, reefs and cays Creole - Ethnic groups which originated from linguistic, cultural, and racial mixing between colonial-era emigrants from Europe Criollo - Latin American who is of sole or of mostly Spanish descent Cuá - wooden sticks used on a wooden surface to draw a basic rhythmic pattern, similar to the buleador pattern. The wooden surface can be a lying barrel, a piece of hollowed tree or a bamboo, open at both ends. Culture - an umbrella term which encompasses the social behavior and norms found in human societies, as well as the knowledge and beliefs, Also, generally recognized by members of a society as a set of the practices, beliefs, and objects. Diaspora - a scattered population whose origin lies in a separate geographic locale. Among the most notable diasporas, the African diaspora included the descendants of those Africans who were mainly transported to the Americas during the African transatlantic slave trade. The Puerto Rican Diaspora refers to the Puerto Rican population-mainly in North America-whose origin lies in Puerto Rico. Figura - The different dance postures that Bomba dancer execute in Bomba/ Güicharo, Güiro - percussion instrument consisting of a hollow gourd with parallel notches cut in one side. It is played by rubbing a stick or tines (puyero)along the notches to produce a ratchet sound. The güiro or güicharo is commonly used in Puerto Rican, Cuban, Dominican and other forms of Caribbean and Latin American music. It plays a key role in the typical rhythm section of important genres like trova (seis, aguinaldo, etc.) bomba, plena, son, and salsa. Heritage - something that is handed down from the past, as a tradition: a national heritage of honor, pride, and courage. Improvisation - the art of playing an instrument (or singing) in which the musician or musicians make up the music as they play. Improvising is inventing at the same time as one does something. Kikongo - one of the Bantu languages spoken by the Kongo and Ndundu people living in the equatorial forests of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the Republic of the Congo and
Angola. It was spoken by many of those who were taken from the region and sold as slaves in the Americas.
Maraca - made from native fig, this singular maraca produces a sharp sound. Before this artefact, a marimba (güiro) was used in some areas of the island instead of the rattle. The maraca is a shaken idiophone instrument comprising a hollow spherical portion supported by a shaft that passes through or is attached to it. The interior is filled with small percussive elements, like small stones, seeds or peronia seeds, which produce sound when hit against the inner wall of the sphere. Maroon/Cimarron - descendants of Africans in the Americas who formed settlements away from slavery. Maroons often mixed with indigenous peoples of the Americas, eventually evolving into separate creole cultures. Migration - long-term relocation of individuals or groups of people, and/or permanent change of residence that carries all social activities along with it Oral History - the collection and study of historical information about individuals, families, important events, and/or everyday life, by way of recording devices and transcriptions of interviews with people who participated in or observed past events and whose memories and perceptions of these are to be preserved as an aural record for future generations. Pandereta/Pandero - a round hand wood or metal frame drum that is indispensable and a defining element of plena. The pandero seguidor, being the largest of the panderos, has a low tone, its rhythmic pattern constitutes the foundation of the rhythm, of which the other rhythmic components are built. Tuned higher than the seguidor, the pandero segundo or punteador plays a pattern that complements and answers the seguidor. The smallest pandero is the requinto, with a high pitch sound, improvises over the rhythm of the other drums, and particularly plays embellishments while the singer is phrasing and the coro is responding. Paseo - The initial ‘walk’ of bomba dancers when they take the batey to start the dance. Dancers will do the paseo with a corresponding paso básico of the bomba style being played. Paso Básico - a series of dance steps and corporal movements identified with a style or variation of Bomba. A bomba dancer will start his/her dance with the paso básico from which he/she will develop into the piquetes and figuras. Each style of Bomba has its own paso básico. Piquete - a combination of steps, hands, arms and/or body gestures and movements that Bomba dancers will improvise and use as a resource to request the primo barrilero to answer with precise drum strokes or patterns Plena- developed from bomba music around the beginning of the 20th century in southern Puerto Rico. Plena lyrics are narrative. They convey a story about events, address topical themes, often comment on political protest movements, and offer satirical commentaries. Tito Matos, leader of the Puerto Rican group Viento de Agua, describes plena as "the newspaper of the people." Plena has only one basic rhythm, in contrast to bomba ´s sixteen rhythms.
* Compiled and annotated by Juan J Gutiérrez