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46-695: Afro-Jamaicans are Jamaicans of predominantly African descent. They represent the largest ethnic group in the country. The ethnogenesis of the Black Jamaican people stemmed from the Atlantic slave trade of the 16th century, when enslaved Africans were transported as slaves to Jamaica and other parts of the Americas. During the period of British rule, slaves brought to Jamaica by European slave traders were primarily Akan , some of whom ran away and joined with Jamaican Maroons and even took over as leaders. During

92-458: A Kumfu-man . In 18th-century Jamaica, only Akan gods were worshipped by Akan as well as by other enslaved Africans. The Akan god of creation, Nyankopong was given praise but not worshipped directly. They poured libation to Asase Ya , the goddess of the earth. But nowadays they are only observed by the Maroons who preserved a lot of the culture of 1700s Jamaica. "Myal" or Kumfu evolved into Revival,

138-542: A greater chance of survivorship and a greater number of progeny." More detailed results stated: "Using haplogroup distributions to calculate parental population contribution, the largest admixture coefficient was associated with the Gold Coast (0.477 ± 0.12 or 59.7% of the Jamaican population with a 2.7 chance of Pygmy and Sahelian mixture), suggesting that the people from this region may have been consistently prolific throughout

184-507: A major contribution. When admixture coefficients were calculated by assessing shared haplotypes, the Gold Coast also had the largest contribution, though much less striking at 0.196, with a 95% confidence interval of 0.189 to 0.203. When haplotypes are allowed to differ by one base pair, the Jamaican matriline shows the greatest affinity with the Bight of Benin, though both Bight of Biafra and West-central Africa remain underrepresented. The results of

230-507: A population of 506,154 people, 246,573 males, and 259,581 females. Their races were recorded as 13,101 White, 100,346 "Coloured" (now known as the Browning Class), and 392,707 Black. Kumfu (from the word Akom the name of the Akan spiritual system) was documented as Myal and originally only found in books, while the term Kumfu is still used by Jamaican Maroons. The priest of Kumfu was called

276-560: A significant percentage of the population. According to the official Jamaica Population Census of 1970 , ethnic origins categories in Jamaica include: Black (Mixed) ; Chinese ; East Indian ; White ; and 'Other' (e.g.: Syrian or Lebanese ). Jamaicans who consider themselves Black (according to the United States' One-drop rule definition of Black), made up 92% of the working population. Those of non-African descent or mixed race made up

322-530: A syncretic Christian sect. Kumfu followers gravitated to the American Revival of 1800 Seventh Day Adventist movement because it observed Saturday as god's day of rest. This was a shared aboriginal belief of the Akan people as this too was the day that the Akan god, Nyame , rested after creating the earth. Jamaicans that were aware of their Ashanti past while wanting to keep hidden, mixed their Kumfu spirituality with

368-475: Is about 80.3% Sub-Saharan African , 10% European , and 5.7% East Asian ; according to a 2010 autosomal genealogical DNA testing . Jamaicans Jamaicans are the citizens of Jamaica and their descendants in the Jamaican diaspora . The vast majority of Jamaicans are of Sub-Saharan African descent, with minorities of Europeans, Indians, Chinese, Middle Eastern, and others of mixed ancestry. The bulk of

414-463: Is also known as 'Asase bo ne nsie' meaning 'Earth, creator of the underworld' Asase has two differing descriptions and, thus, two different personalities. However, they are both one deity Asase Yaa: Asase Yaa is described as an old woman, linked to the other meaning of the name Asase Yaa; Old Mother Earth, and the other name Asase Yaa is known as, Aberewaa. As such she is regarded as the Goddess of

460-593: Is depicted as a youthful, incredibly beautiful woman. Due to this, she is regarded as the Goddess of the fertile places on earth, fertility, farming, love and procreation. Mmoatia are said to be her spiritual custodians similar to how baboons are the custodians of Ta Kora. Asase Afua is have said to have given birth to all of humanity, despite the Asante proverb that says that all of mankind are children of Nyame, not Asase, although this actually applies to one's Sunsum and Kra (Ego and Soul), not Mogya (blood) and Honam (body). It

506-682: Is disproportionately held by the White Jamaicans, Chinese Jamaicans and the Afro-European (or locally called the Brown Man or Browning Class) - i.e. despite being a minority group(s) (less than 25% of the country's population) controls most of the country's wealth. Responses of the 2011 official census . A more precise breakdown of the Responses of the 2011 official census by the University of

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552-656: Is the offspring of the Land. This means that spiritually (as far as Sunsum and Kra go) humans are not Asase's children as all sunsum and kra return to Nyame after death She who Lent the Rights.. Of Cultivation to the Living .... I Lean on you. Earth, While I am Alive, And Nkwa to live Life without Strife Giver of Law and Ethics With Thee I am Still And when Death comes to Claim.. I become One with thy Fame All Have felt thy Hand Hail and Thanks Be Great Mother To kiss

598-403: Is this form of Asase who is the wife of Nyankapon . Asase Afua is represented by the antelope and either still is, or used to be, represented by the goat . The antelope has 10 coils on the left horn and 8 coils on the right, the right horn and the antelope with 8 coils on each of its horns represents Asase Afua as it is a symbol of fertility in the Akan religion due to Venus (the sign of Asase Afua)

644-455: The Akan people (notably those of the Asante Kotoko alliance of the 1720s: Asante, Bono, Wassa, Nzema and Ahanta) followed by Kongo people , Fon people , Ewe people , and to a lesser degree: Yoruba , Ibibio people and Igbo people . Akan (then called Coromantee ) culture was the dominant African culture in Jamaica. Originally in earlier British colonization, the island before the 1750s

690-486: The Atlantic slave trade , millions of people from West and Central Africa were enslaved and sold to European slave traders, primarily for transportation to the Americas . Most were captured in the frequent wars between African states, which were often fomented by the slave traders for this purpose, or were kidnapped in raids by African or European slavers directly. Based on slave ship records, enslaved Africans mostly came from

736-580: The earth . Also the Ashanti funerary/war colours: red and black have the same meaning in Revival of vengeance . Other Ashanti elements include the use of swords and rings as means to guard the spirit from spiritual attack. The Asantehene , like the Mother Woman of Revival, has special two swords used to protect himself from witchcraft called an Akrafena or soul sword and a Bosomfena or spirit sword . A festival

782-647: The mesolect ) nor even from the most divergent rural varieties (collectively referred to as the basilect ). Jamaicans themselves usually refer to their use of English as patwa, a term without a precise linguistic definition. Jamaican Patois contains many loanwords of African origin, a majority of those etymologically from Gold Coast region (particularly of the Asante-Twi dialect of the Akan language of Ghana ). Most Jamaican proverbs are of Asante people , while some included other African proverbs. A DNA test study submitted to BMC Medicine in 2012 states that "....despite

828-455: The Akan (mainly Gold Coast) were more dispersed across the island and were a majority imported to seven of 14 of the island's ports (each parish has one port). The majority of the house slaves were mulattoes . There were also Brown/Mulatto or mixed-race people at the time who had more privileges than the Black slaves and usually held higher-paying jobs and occupations. In 1871 the census recorded

874-596: The American Adventists to create Jamaican Revival in 1860. Revival has two sects: 60 order (or Zion Revival, the order of the heavens) and 61 order (or Pocomania, the order of the earth). 60 order worships God and spirits of air or the heavens on a Saturday and considers itself to be the more "clean" sect. 61 order more deals with spirits of the earth. This division of Kumfu clearly shows the dichotomy of Nyame and Asase Yaa 's relationship, Nyame representing air and has his 60 order'; Asase Yaa having her 61 order of

920-561: The Earth in sustaining life Tumi nyina ne asase: lit All power emanates from Land. This proverb attests to the power of Asase, where anything earthly that has power is part of her power Asase ye duru sen epo: lit The Land is much heavier than the Sea. This proverb shows the importance of Asase to the Akan Nipa nyina ye Nyame mma, obi nye Asase ba: lit All mankind is Onyame's offspring, no one

966-707: The Jamaican diaspora resides in other Anglophone countries , namely Canada , the United States and the United Kingdom . Jamaican populations are also prominent in other Caribbean countries , territories and Commonwealth realms , where in the Cayman Islands , born Jamaicans, as well as Caymanians of Jamaican origin, make up 26.8% of the population. Outside of Anglophone countries, the largest Jamaican diaspora community lives in Central America, where Jamaicans make up

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1012-809: The West Indies Many Jamaicans now live overseas and outside Jamaica, while many have migrated to Anglophone countries, including over 400,000 Jamaicans in the United Kingdom , over 300,000 in Canada and 1,100,000 in the United States . There are about 30,500 Jamaicans residing in other CARICOM member including the Bahamas , Antigua & Barbuda (12,000), Barbados and Trinidad & Tobago . There are also communities of Jamaican descendants in Central America, particularly Costa Rica , Nicaragua , and Panama . Most of Costa Rica's Afro-Costa Rican and Mulatto population, which combined represents about 7% of

1058-468: The admixture analysis suggest the mtDNA haplogroup profile distribution of Jamaica more closely resembles that of aggregated populations from the modern-day Gold Coast region despite an increasing influx of individuals from both the Bight of Biafra and West-central Africa during the final years of trading enslaved Africans. The aforementioned results apply to subjects whom have been tested. Results also stated that black Jamaicans (that make up more than 90% of

1104-616: The barren places on earth and the dead (she is the mother of the Dead). Asase Yaa is also the Goddess of Truth and Peace and is consulted on matters of the community through divination. As the Goddess of Truth and the Mother of the dead, she governs the gateway to Asamando, the Akan Ancestral Realm. At death, Asase Yaa reclaims her mortal children, humanity. Asase Afua: Asase Afua, by contrast,

1150-506: The dust of thy Breast... Whose Love is in the Earth Thy gifts to your Children Hail Old Mother Earth, your Children Have Crossed the Border Names without End do we Call You Blessed Be, Asase Yaa O Mother Earth, who gives birth, who wed the sky, Who nurtures and sustains all, who gives us life: While we live, we depend on You; when we die, We lean on You. You taught us

1196-444: The earth as if she was a door During a child's outdooring (naming) ceremony, once the child's complete name is bestowed upon the infant, the child is placed on a mat symbolizing thanksgiving to Asase for sustaining its life and for allowing the parents to successfully procreate As the aspect of Earth, Asase receives the deceased body for interment The colour marron is associated with Asase due to its link to clay (which comes from

1242-457: The earth) and the clay, due to its connection to Asase is seen as a healing and purifying agent in Akan culture. If a person commits a sexual act in the bush, Asase Yaa must be propitiated Before setting up a house, a sacrifice of appeasement is made towards Assase so that the house is protected from evil spirits When humans die, their honam and mogya are returned to Asase During ayie (funeral rites) libations are poured so Asase can permit

1288-551: The first offerings are made to the ancestors, due to the fact that the Ancestors are looked over by Asase. During ayie libations are poured so Asase can accept and protect the person to be buried and to lead them peacefully to Asamando As the first deity to be created by Nyame, Asase is called in libations immediately after Nyame The Akan believe that everyone has the ability to show reverence towards Asase, whether by pouring libations to her or by looking after her (i.e. looking after

1334-429: The goat symbol for himself or shares it with her All Akans, no matter if they call Asase Yaa or Afua, recognize that Asase has two personalities; One old and one youthful There are many ways that Asase Yaa/Afua is worshipped. Here are some of the ways As the upholder of truth, lying is a taboo committed against Asase. When a member of the Akan people wants to prove their credibility, they touch their lips or tongue to

1380-495: The grave of the deceased to be buried Asase is the God of peace, meaning that when there is a murder, war or a way where human blood is intentionally spilt, very substantial sacrifices are needed in order to appease Asase As the Mother of the Dead, she is the one who comes to fetch Akan people 's souls to the otherworld (Asamando) at the time of death [cite]. Also, it is with her name that

1426-563: The historical evidence that an overwhelming majority of slaves were sent from the Bight of Biafra and West-central Africa near the end of the British slave trade, the mtDNA haplogroup profile of modern Jamaicans show a greater affinity with groups found in the present-day Gold Coast region Ghana ....this is because Africans arriving from the Gold Coast may have thus found the acclimatization and acculturation process less stressful because of cultural and linguistic commonalities, leading ultimately to

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1472-476: The land. However, for the Fante and few other Akans, Friday is reserved as Asase's day. On said day, Fante and other Akans generally abstain from tilling the land. No one is allowed to change or agitate the land without the consent of Asase, which can only be gained by pouring libations to Asase. Serious consequences can befall those who violate this rule. Before planting the person who is going to plant must knock upon

1518-431: The learned vernacular and dialectal forms of English spoken: British Englishes (including significant exposure to Scottish English) and Hiberno English . Jamaican Patwa is a post-creole speech continuum (a linguistic continuum ) meaning that the variety of the language closest to the lexifier language (the acrolect ) cannot be distinguished systematically from intermediate varieties (collectively referred to as

1564-407: The population) on an average have 97.5% of African MtDNA and very little European or Asian ancestry could be found. Both ethnic and racial genetic results are based on a low sample of 390 Jamaican persons and limited regional representation within Jamaica. As Afro-Jamaicans are not genetically homogeneous, the results for other subjects may yield different results. Pub Med results were also issued in

1610-454: The remaining 8% of the population. But according to a more precise study conducted by the local University of the West Indies - Jamaica's population is more accurately 76.3% African descent or Black, 15.1% Afro-European (or locally called the Brown Man or Browning Class), 3.4% East Indian and Afro-East Indian, 3.2% Caucasian, 1.2% Chinese and 0.8% Other. Wealth or economic power in Jamaica

1656-593: The sacred high chiefs. Asase is very powerful, though no temples are dedicated to her, instead, she is worshipped in the agricultural fields of the Asante and other Akans. Asase is highly respected amongst Akans. Sacrifices are given to her for favour and blessings. Asase's favoured people are the Bono people . Planet Earth is Asase Yaa's symbol whilst Venus is Asase Afua's symbol. The name Asase means 'Land' in Twi. The name Ya means 'one born on Thursday, meaning that Asase

1702-751: The same year (2012): "Our results reveal that the studied population of Jamaica exhibit a predominantly South-Saharan paternal component, with haplogroups A1b-V152, A3-M32, B2-M182, E1a-M33, E1b1a-M2, E2b-M98, and R1b2-V88 comprising 66.7% of the Jamaican paternal gene pool. Yet, European derived chromosomes (i.e., haplogroups G2a*-P15, I-M258, R1b1b-M269, and T-M184) were detected at commensurate levels in Jamaica (19.0%), whereas Y-haplogroups indicative of Chinese [O-M175 (3.8%)] and Indian [H-M69 (0.6%) and L-M20 (0.6%)] ancestry were restricted to Jamaica. African paternal DNA 66.7% European paternal DNA 19.0% Chinese paternal DNA 3.8% Indian paternal DNA 1.2% The gene pool of Jamaica

1748-538: The slave era on Jamaica. The diminutive admixture coefficients associated with the Bight of Biafra and West-central Africa (0.064 ± 0.05 and 0.089 ± 0.05, respectively) is striking considering the massive influx of individuals from these areas in the waning years of the British Slave trade. When excluding the pygmy groups, the contribution from the Bight of Biafra and West-central rise to their highest levels (0.095 ± 0.08 and 0.109 ± 0.06, respectively), though still far from

1794-596: The slave rebellion group known as the Jamaican Maroons , other groups were sent to Jamaica. The Akan population was still maintained, since they were the preference of British planters in Jamaica because they were "better workers", according to these planters. According to the Slave Voyages Archives, though the Igbo had the highest importation numbers, they were only imported to Montego Bay and St. Ann's Bay ports, while

1840-512: The soil of the Earth and recite the Asase Ya Prayer-Poem as evidence of their honesty As the Goddess of the Earth, she is credited as being the nurturer of the earth and is considered to provide sustenance for all. As such she is regularly worshipped so she doesn't withhold her abundance of resources. For the Asante, Bono and most other Akans, Thursday is reserved as Asase's day. On said day these Akan people generally abstain from tilling

1886-499: The total population, is of Jamaican descent. Asase Yaa Asase is the wife of Nyankapon , the male sky deity , and is the daughter of Nyame , the female aspect of the Nyankapon-Nyame-Odomakoma trinity, all of whom created the universe . Asase gave birth to two children, Bea and Tano . Bea is also named Bia. In some folklore tales, Asase is also the mother of Anansi , the trickster , and divine stepmother of

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1932-399: The world) Fowls are sacrificed in her name and their blood poured onto the floor, specifically by farmers when they need Asase's permission to plough, plant and harvest Here are proverbs linked to Asase: Asase Ye Duru: lit The Land has weight. This proverb and Adinkra (shown below) symbolizes the providence and the divinity of Mother Earth and this symbol represents the importance of

1978-533: Was created on a Thursday. However, the name Afua means 'one born on Friday', meaning that in she was created on Friday. In actuality, the Asante believe that Asase was created on a Thursday while the Fante believe that Asase was created on a Friday. Due to this, the Asante and most other Akans call Asase 'Asase Ya' meaning 'Earth born on Thursday' whilst the Fante and the other Akans call Asase 'Asase Efua (Afua)' meaning 'Earth born on Friday' The Asante also know Asase Ya as Aberewaa , meaning 'old woman' Asase

2024-541: Was dedicated to the heroism of the Akan king 'John Canoe' an Ahanta from Axim , Ghana in 1708. See John Canoe section. Jamaican Patois, known locally as Patwa, is an English creole language spoken primarily in Jamaica and the Jamaican diaspora . It is not to be confused with Jamaican English nor with the Rastafarian use of English . The language developed in the 17th century, when enslaved peoples from West and Central Africa blended their dialect and terms with

2070-405: Was in fact mainly Akan imported. However, between 1663 and 1700, only six per cent of slave ships to Jamaica listed their origin as the Gold Coast , while between 1700 and 1720 that figure went up to 27 per cent. The number of Akan slaves arriving in Jamaica from Kormantin ports only increased in the early 18th century. But due to frequent rebellions from the then known "Coromantee" that often joined

2116-443: Was said to be an eight-rayed star, with possibly cross-divided or divided eye, representing the waxing and waning moon, symbolic of fertility (Asase Afua) and death. Asase shares this animal with her mother, Nyame who represents the 10 coiled horn and the 10 coiled horned antelopes. The goat also represents (or represented) her due to goats having a procreative and sexual meaning, but it was entirely supplanted by Ta Kora whom either took

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