Kumina is an African Jamaican spiritual tradition distinct from Pukkumina and Pocomania.
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Kumina is believed to have been brought to Jamaica by the indentured Africans who came to the island in the 1840s to 1860s, particularly from the Congo. Many of these indentured Africans settled in the parish of St. Thomas, which has the largest contingent of Kumina followers.
Unlike Zion Revivalism, Kumina does not centre worship around the Bible but instead relies on ancestral communication and healing rituals.
Kumina is based on the Central African belief that each person has a dual soul: a personal spirit (which holds the individual’s personality) and a shadow.
When someone dies, the personal spirit ascends to Nzambi Mpungu, the all-powerful god, and may return as an ancestral spirit.
The shadow stays with the body and can become a wandering spirit, or ‘duppy,’ if not properly buried, causing harm to the family or others nearby.
Kumina ceremonies are held to call upon spirits for help, with three types: Sky, Earth, and Ancestral.
Ancestral spirits are commonly invoked as they are seen as more accessible. Ceremonies include songs and drumming to summon spirits, leading to spirit possession, known as Myal. Ancestral spirits can return to earth after death and assist the living.
Kumina rituals are held for events like deaths, births, weddings, thanksgivings, healing, and spirit removal, and can be performed publicly or privately.
Only men play the Kumina drums and, before each ceremony, their heads are blessed with a libation of rum.
The Kbandu (Bandu) and the Playing Kyas (Cas) are the two drums used in the Kumina ensemble. Each plays a specific rhythm.
The influence of Kumina extends beyond its own practice, particularly in Rastafari. The use of cannabis in Kumina rituals may have contributed to its sacramental role in Rastafari.
Kumina’s powerful drumming and rhythmic traditions continue to shape Jamaican music and spirituality.
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