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41-605: The history of the Mekuyo can be traced back to Gabon. The dance is believed to have originated from the rites of passages initiated by western and southern ethnic groups like the Mpongwe and from the Galwa region. It was in the mid-nineteenth century when the Benga people , who are both native to Gabon and Equatorial Guinea, introduced the ethnic performance to the island of Corisco and Cabo San Juan. At

82-663: A dominant allele . There have been numerous reported black panther sightings in the New Orleans area since late 2010. Recent photographs are still under examination by the Louisiana Department of Wildlife & Fisheries . In Florida, a few melanistic bobcats have been captured; these have apparently been mistaken for Florida panthers (a subspecies of cougar). Ulmer (1941) presents photographs and descriptions of two animals captured in Martin County in 1939 and 1940. In

123-440: A recessive allele . It is thought that melanism confers a selective advantage under certain conditions since it is more common in regions of dense forest, where light levels are lower. Preliminary studies also suggest that melanism might be linked to beneficial mutations in the immune system . The typical spots and rosettes are present but hidden due to the excess melanin. The taxonomic status of captive black leopards and

164-841: A black jaguar observed by local people near the Paraná River in Paraguay. In 2004, a female black jaguar was recorded in Mexico's Sierra Madre Occidental . In 2009, a black jaguar was photographed by a camera trap for the first time in Costa Rica's Alberto Manuel Brenes Biological Reserve . In Barbilla National Park , black jaguars were recorded in 2013. In the mountains of the Cordillera de Talamanca , 104 records of jaguars were obtained between 2010 and 2019; 26 of them showed melanistic jaguars. In eastern Panama, black jaguars were repeatedly photographed in

205-631: A black leopard kept in the Ménagerie du Jardin des plantes that had been brought from Java . Cuvier proposed the name Felis melas , the Javan leopard ( P. p. melas ). By the late 19th century, the occurrence of black and spotted leopard cubs in the same litter had been repeatedly recorded in India . Black leopards were thought to be more common in Travancore and in the hills of southern India than in other parts of

246-406: A bucket is sprinkled on the baby. The Okuyi dances around the baby and mother as they sit. The Mekuyo are known for their intermittent dances. In funeral performances the primary mourner traditionally sits on a chair in the middle of an open area and surrounding him or her is an Okuyi dancing in his normal method similar to the new mother's rite "djae". Like during most of the dances, the Mekuyo uses

287-766: A dead black leopard was found on a highway near Satara in Maharashtra . In May 2012, a black leopard was photographed at an elevation of 4,300 m (14,100 ft) in Nepal's Kanchenjunga Conservation Area . At least one black leopard was photographed in mixed deciduous forest in Thailand's Kaeng Krachan National Park during a one-year-long camera trapping survey from 2003 to 2004. In 2009, black leopards were photographed more often than spotted leopards in Kui Buri National Park . Most leopards recorded at 16 sites south of

328-507: A mask made of a soft local wood known in Ndowe as ikuka ( Alstonia congensis ), a species from the evergreen tree genus Alstonia . The man in the costume is usually the leader of the group. In Gabon, the styles and colors generally remain the same throughout the country but in Equatorial Guinea, the types change depending on the location within the country. Hanging down from the mouth of

369-463: A tune about a panther taking the baby. However, in the present, the mother is permitted to hold the infant at all times in most of the rites. The actual ritual involves the mother and child being placed in the centre of the ring surrounded by the chorus and the audience, the mother holds the baby and sits on a chair. The Okuyi points at the baby with the malanga or sometimes a spear as a way to bless them. Then, water which has been previously placed in

410-520: Is an accepted version of this page A black panther is the melanistic colour variant of the leopard ( Panthera pardus ) and the jaguar ( Panthera onca ). Black panthers of both species have excess black pigments , but their typical rosettes are also present. They have been documented mostly in tropical forests , with black leopards in Africa and Asia, and black jaguars in South America. Melanism

451-503: Is caused by a recessive allele in the leopard, and by a dominant allele in the jaguar. In 1788, Jean-Claude Delamétherie described a black leopard that was kept in the Tower of London and had been brought from Bengal . In 1794, Friedrich Albrecht Anton Meyer proposed the scientific name Felis fusca for this cat, the Indian leopard ( P. p. fusca ). In 1809, Georges Cuvier described

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492-400: Is dead. This contrasts with masks from Equatorial Guinea as the face masks range from geometrical forms to human faces. The majority of the masks have the eyes closed and very few have them open. Some masks that Mekuyo wear have a mirror attached on the forehead which also is used as a talisman. Mekuyo dancers also wear a cape known as an ecapa which is usually white and often features not only

533-410: Is reality of the Ndowe kinfolk or events that have happened to important people of the community in the past. The songs are an important way to communicate historical knowledge. This information is then passed to others through the singing and used as an expression to form a frame of the dances of the Mekuyo. In funerals, the Mekuyo music and dance is used to break the mourning period and bring hope to all

574-722: The Kra Isthmus between 1996 and 2009 were black, indicating a near- fixation of melanism in Peninsular Malaysia. In 2019, a black individual was photographed outside a protected area in Jeli District . Both black and spotted leopards were recorded in Gunung Gede Pangrango National Park in West Java between 2005 and 2017. Frequency of melanism appears to be approximately 11% over the leopard's range. Data on

615-502: The Litoral Province include Kungulu , Ngadi , Aduma and Ngüende a limba from Ekuku. The typical Okuyi performer wears a large, loose costume that is said to resemble the spirit of the clan members’ ancestors. The ancestors are illustrated by the dancers as tranquil and serene and suggest that they were the people who safeguarded, counselled, and educated them from the residence of the deceased. Okuyi costumes are made either from

656-637: The Mamoní River Valley between 2016 and 2018, mostly in primary forest . Five black jaguars have been monitored in the Várzea forest of Mamirauá Sustainable Development Reserve in the Brazilian State of Amazonas between 2003 and 2018. Black jaguars were also recorded in the Brazilian Pará state. Melanism in the jaguar is caused by deletions in the melanocortin 1 receptor gene and conferred by

697-432: The ibito . Palm branches are used to bless the members of the audience. The ibito is traditionally planted into the ground by the Mekuyo at the beginning of the ceremony in front of the chorus. The base of the ibito plant has a sack held by several poto leaves holding numerous barks from a variety of trees. This is supposed to provide security for the Mekuyo as well as for the members of the crowd. In all performances,

738-501: The raffia palm , a tree native to tropical African nations, or bamboo . In the process of manufacture, the underlying outfit is produced using the woven fabric hessian . The thick textile forms the suit for the performer. After that design is complete, the material is covered by frills made from raffia palm which are woven into the hessian fabric. Performers usually wear black socks made of cotton on their feet as well as on their hands. Every dancer carries through his presentation wearing

779-657: The Benga were noted to inhabit the island of Corisco, that had recently been uninhabited prior to their occupation due to over-enslavement on the island by the French. The Benga traditionally practiced slavery in their culture, enslaving neighboring tribes such as the Fang and partook in the Trans-atlantic slave trade. By the mid-19th century with Britain outlawing the Trans-atlantic slave trade it began putting pressure via its military to stop in

820-537: The Mekuyo are assisted by the Mboni , which are a group of initiated young men who have the responsibility to care and assist the Mekuyo and encourage the dancing and singing. The Mboni also have the job to groom and carry the masks. The Okuyi’s identity is strictly secret and nobody in the audience is meant to know who is under the costume. The Mboni might become an Okuyi in the future. They are typically meant to be very agile and skilful dancers and musicians as well. One of

861-519: The Okuyi is the skin of the servaline genet ( Genetta servalina ), a small forest cat. The skin has the role of protecting the Okuyi from bad spirits that threaten him. There is a relation with the Egyptian mythology of the feline type accompanying the journey of the soul of the dead, to the underworld. For the dead Okuyi who embodies the soul as well from the underworld symbolised by the genetta skin hanging from

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902-462: The Ukuyi dancer dancing in short and fast episodes as he stomps his feet on the ground usually to a beat played by three drums and wooden sticks. At the same time, a female chorus sing in the background chanting greetings and welcomes to the Mekuyo. Usually the Okuyi holds palm leaves or tall ibito branches or spears which gives them balance. The malanga leaves known as poto are used as a medium to plant

943-438: The coastal municipalities of Mbini and Bata , and the islands of Corisco , Elobey Grande and Elobey Chico . The Benga people are one of 14 Ndowe tribes of Equatorial Guinea and traditionally have been Fishermen, Sailors and Merchants. They are thought to have historically inhabited the interior of Equatorial Guinea prior to European contact, only making their way to the coast to better trade with European powers. By 1770

984-630: The country. Black leopards were also frequently encountered in southern Myanmar . By 1929, the Natural History Museum, London had skins of black leopards collected in South Africa , Nepal , Assam and Kanara in India. Black leopards were thought to be common on the Malay Peninsula and on Java. A black African leopard ( P. p. pardus ) was sighted in the alpine zone of Mount Kenya in

1025-457: The distribution of leopard populations indicates that melanism occurs in five subspecies in the wild: the Indian leopard, Javan leopard, African leopard, Indochinese leopard ( P. p. delacouri ) and Sri Lankan leopard ( P. p. kotiya ). Based on records from camera traps, melanistic leopards occur foremost in tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests . Melanism in the leopard is conferred by

1066-654: The end of the century, the coastal group of the Kombe people had extended the routine to Mbini . By the beginning of the twentieth century, several clans in Bata such as the Punta Mbonda had embraced the Mekuyo tradition. Throughout the Mekuyo’s history there have been several famous Ukuyi performers. Some of the most famous are from Equatorial Guinea such as Alonga from Corisco and Boso bua Ndondjo from Mbini. Well known Okuyi dancers from

1107-585: The extent of hybridization between the Javan leopard and other leopard subspecies is uncertain. Therefore, coordinated breeding programs for black leopards do not exist in European and North American zoos. Black leopards occupy space needed for breeding endangered leopard subspecies and are not included within the North American Species Survival Plan . A black Amur leopard ( P. p. orientalis )

1148-539: The facial stripes can be seen clearly. The limbs are dark mahogany. In certain lights the typical spot-pattern of the Florida bobcat can be distinctly seen on the side, underparts and limbs. The Bronx Park animal appears darker and the spots are not visible, although the poor light in the quarantine cage may have been the reason. Black panther sightings are frequently recorded in rural Victoria and New South Wales The Animal X Natural Mysteries Unit led an investigation into

1189-442: The most common types of rituals is for new mothers and their babies. When an infant reaches about four months of age, it is taken for a Mekuyo rite of passage where it enters another stage of his or her life. In the past, the Ukuyi used to take the baby from the mother and most of the time the baby didn't cry. As the baby was entering its new stage, a chorus was chanted around the baby. Together they sang several songs, one of them being

1230-570: The mourners for the future. Benga people The Benga people are an African ethnic group , members of the Bantu peoples , who are indigenous to Equatorial Guinea and Gabon . Their indigenous language is Benga . They are referred to as Ndowe or Playeros (Beach People), one of several peoples on the Río Muni coast. Bengas inhabit a small coastal portion of the Cabo de San Juan, suburban enclaves in

1271-449: The mouth of the mask. The face mask on each performer is essential to identify the Okuyi. In Equatorial Guinea masks differ from one another, but in Gabon the design has been kept constant since the nineteenth century. The design is basically a black chin and a black forehead with white covering the cheeks and upper face sides. The dark red eyes remain closed, as a sign that the person represented

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1312-411: The name of the Okuyi dancer but also his birth place and birth date. In Equatorial Guinea, there are commonly three principal colors painted on the wooden mask: white, red and black. These three colors represent diverse aspects which are illustrated to the audience but are mainly targeted to the initiated person who is the centre of the rite of passage. The colors on the mask aim to link in cosmogony to

1353-406: The palm, fern leaves or skins to bless both the mourner and the members of the audience. The songs featured in the Mekuyo presentations are normally in a polyrhythmic style. The instruments used are a certain type of drum known as Ngoma drums with the biggest kind being named the monduma . Traditionally, these drums used to be buried in the trunk of various banana trees . It is this that caused

1394-441: The phantom panther. Mike Williams, a local researcher, said he had sent scat and hair found by locals to labs for analysis, which identified it as scat from dogs that had feasted on swamp wallaby , and hair from a domestic cat. Williams said he also had leopard scat and hair collected from a private zoo tested by one of the same labs, but that these samples came back with the same results of dog scat and domestic cat hair. The lab used

1435-507: The photographs, they appear black, and one of the hunters called them black. The Academy specimen, upon close examination, is far from black. The most heavily pigmented portions are the crown and dorsal area. In most lights these areas appear black, but at certain angles the dorsal strip has a decidedly mahogany tint. The mahogany coloring becomes lighter and richer on the sides. The underparts are lightest, being almost ferruginous in color. The chin, throat and cheeks are dark chocolate-brown, but

1476-646: The ritual as the Mekuyo tradition is related to cosmos which are the customary dwellings of the spirits. The black on the mask typically symbolises darkness and death. The red displays the fight a person must perform during life, the strength needed to do so, the blood involved and the birth. The white demonstrates life, semen and the ancestors which the mask is supposed to portray. There are many types of Okuyi rituals exercised in several countries across Africa. In Equatorial Guinea, performances generally last approximately three hours, from 4:00   p.m. to 7:00   p.m. mostly on Sundays. Performances usually consist of

1517-498: The sound to be heard as a deeper pitch. This was accompanied by the mosomba drum or, as it was called by the Kombe people, the ikubi . However, substitutes for drums are often used. One of the most common alternatives is a metal bucket filled with stones. Chants that are sung with the instruments are sometimes done in the old Benga language , proving incomprehensible for the actual people who perform them and listen to them. Often however,

1558-634: The trafficking of human beings especially in the Bight of Biafra where British military occupation took place in Equatorial Guinea, thus essentially ending the slave trade. By 1857 American missionaries began to set up missions in Corisco, but by 1943 most left due to the Second World War . After which most Benga left the island in search for better opportunities. [REDACTED] Media related to Benga people at Wikimedia Commons Black panther This

1599-440: The tunes are sung in the language of the people who chant them. The songs’ introductions are commenced by the males who give the first opening tones, then the women follow. Women are the key voices of the chorus in Mekuyo dances as the Okuyi requires the female voice to dance appositely. The lyrics of the melodies the choir sings educate the listeners about everyday life possessions, experiences and traditional folklore. A common theme

1640-593: The winter of 1989–1990. In Kenya's Laikipia County , a black leopard was photographed by a camera trap in 2007; in 2018, a female subadult black leopard was repeatedly recorded together with a spotted leopard about 50 km (31 mi) farther east in a grassland. In India's Western Ghats , black leopards were sighted and photographed in 2010 and 2012 in the Kas Plateau Reserved Forest , and in Bhadra Wildlife Sanctuary in 2012. In 2015,

1681-551: Was exhibited at the San Diego Zoo in 2017. A pseudo-melanistic leopard has a normal background color, but the spots are more densely packed than normal, and merge to obscure the golden-brown background color. Any spots on the flanks and limbs that have not merged into the mass of swirls and stripes are unusually small and discrete, rather than forming rosettes. The face and underparts are paler and dappled, like those of ordinary spotted leopards. In 1801, Félix de Azara described

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