J'ouvert in Brooklyn Carnival: Revitalizing Steel Pan and Ole Mas Traditions Author(s): Ray Allen Source: Western Folklore, Vol. 58, No. 3/4, Studies of Carnival in Memory of Daniel J. Crowley (Summer - Autumn, 1999), pp. 255-277 Published by: Western States Folklore Society Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/1500461 Accessed: 22-04-2015 17:46 UTC Your use of the JSTOR archive indicates your acceptance of the Terms & Conditions of Use, available at http://www.jstor.org/page/ info/about/policies/terms.jsp JSTOR is a not-for-profit service that helps scholars, researchers, and students discover, use, and build upon a wide range of content in a trusted digital archive. We use information technology and tools to increase productivity and facilitate new forms of scholarship. For more information about JSTOR, please contact
[email protected]. Western States Folklore Society is collaborating with JSTOR to digitize, preserve and extend access to Western Folklore. http://www.jstor.org This content downloaded from 134.74.122.250 on Wed, 22 Apr 2015 17:46:56 UTC All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions J'ouvertin Brooklyn Carnival: Revitalizing SteelPan and Ole Mas Traditions' RAY ALLEN The rumbleof distantdrums rolls across ProspectPark, breaking the pre-dawntranquility that envelopes central Brooklyn on Labor Day morn- ing. Mywatch says 4 a.m.-theJ'Ouvert celebration must be underway.Qui- etlyslipping out of myapartment into the cool of the night,I note the ironyof being late forCarnival, an eventthat by naturedefies time. Still, I quicken mypace, cuttingacross the park,drawn towards the percussive din and faintstrains of steelpan.