Our Costumes
JÁNUKA dancers wear a variety of costumes. We choose what to wear, based on the formality or informality of an occasion, or on the request of event organisers.
Our costumes are designed and made specifically for JÁNUKA by one of our quadrille dancers – Jean Watson.
Part 1: The significance of our costumes
Our costumes are designed for comfort and to maintain modesty. They are made using cost effective fabrics, i.e. bandana, calico, white cotton, white cotton lace, satin and muslin. These represent the simple, humble existence and hardworking lifestyles of our ancestors during the 18th and 19th centuries in the Caribbean.
Our costumes are meant to convey the message of a unifying force, our place of origin, our culture and group affiliation. They are worn with dignity and pride as a statement of our love and respect for our history, our culture, our people and our-selves. They are an essential part of the continuum in telling our story of our ancestors’ will to survive enslavement.
Description of our costumes
Our costumes are:
(1) Bandana costume
(2) Calico and Bandana Costume
(3a) Black, Green and Gold Costume
(3b) Black, Green and Gold Costume
(3c) Black, Green and Gold Costume
(4a) Emancipation Dress-up Costume
(4b) Emancipation Dress-up Costume
(5) Ballroom Costume
(6) African Connection Costume
(7) Workshop Costume
The vibrant colours of our costumes
The bright colours of our costumes are therefore mood changing. When we are dressed, we feel happy, positive, energetic, courageous, empowered, confident and ready to dance our ancestors’ story.
The colours of our costumes undeniably remind us of our ancestors’ free spiritedness, their colourful dress code, strength, courage, love of music and dance, flamboyancy and unity. Our aim is to fascinate, educate and entertain.
Ancestral factors influencing the design of our costumes
Many ancestral factors were taken into account when designing our costumes. These include:
- Our ancestors dress code
- The vibrantly coloured fabrics used for making their clothes
- Their knowledge and skills in manufacturing and trading of textile
- The accessories they wore
- The amount of clothing they wore
- What they wore for plantation work
- What they wore for dressing-up on special occasions
- What our ancestors wore post-emancipation
On special occasions, when permitted, our ancestors would wear vibrant colours, stylishly designed by them to:
- Acknowledge and respect their diverse ethnicity, cultures and homeland
- Look and feel good about themselves
- Communicate their status within their “slave” communities
- Temporarily escape their poverty and subordinate position within colonial society
- Demonstrate their abhorrent feelings towards the institution of slavery that denied them basic human rights
- Communicate their courage, strength and resistance plans, especially when they wore “Red”.
- Communicate their spiritual and religious affiliation, especially when they wore “White”
Supporting Links:
For further details on ancestral factors influencing the design of our costumes – Read the Part 2 narrative on this topic: 14. Ancestral Factors Influencing the Designs of Our Costumes