A History of Mas in Antigua.
Let me say from the onset that being a designer, fabricator and mas' leader does not reduce the complex challenge which this topic presents. It is indeed a priviledge however, to share with you my analysis of the history of mas' from both the theoretical and practical perspectives.
Early History
Mas' in Antigua, from slavery to present, has meant several things to different generations - those gone before and our contemporaries. Mas', over the years, was presented in various forms - representational, expressive, formative, pragmatic, creative, innovative, and traditional - just to highlight a few of important variations.
Mas' was once a spiritual ritual, once an important source of relevant and meaningful visual stimuli. Regretfully, for the most part, in recent times - mas' has become the abandon and frivolity of many persons; a kind of static, decaying art and cultural form. I am not siding with the pious, sanctimonious anti-gyrating campaigners - oh no, certainly not! I am conversant with the body language of a woman in dance and rituals; a language possessing its own gyrating rhythms and motions; a language of spiritual connection; a language of regeneration, of copulation, of love and fertility; and certainly a provocative and sensual language of seduction. It is indeed one of the most beautiful languages imaginable.
The above should not be interpreted to include the language of the suggestive, 'wining' present-day flaunters - I mean, masqueraders. Their language is usually crude and boisterous, expressive of its time and place.
Mas' is life, the struggle and pains of living. It is the expression of the ancestral sprit, the heart of our culture. It definitely did not begin in 1953 or 1957. In truth and in fact it began long long before that. We brought mas' with us from the African continent, all across the Atlantic on those slave ships to the plantations of Antigua and the other Caribbean islands. The barbarous and fiendish nature of slavery, and the trauma of the trans-Atlantic crossing were never able to completely erase our mas'. We brought it with us within us.
Historically Mas' has a unique survival. It has always associated itself with royalty, with divinity and with celebration of life. It existed throughout and survived the holocaust of slavery because of the indomitable sprits of our African ancestors who - regardless of their enslavement - recreated in their own likeness, in their own images, in their own sprits. With their mas' (or is it mask?) and in their masquerading, they masqueraded the Mas-sa.
Yes they celebrated, yes they made their costumes - costumes that expressed their beliefs, hopes and feelings; costumes that spoke a language which only the enslaved Africans understood; costumes that echoed back to their African homeland from which they were so cruelly torn.
We have discovered the enslaved persons from the Akan culture who engaged in the ikem dance on plantations in Antigua, created great unease for the planters and overseers whenever they enacted this ceremonial display. According to historian David Barry Gasper, 'Because drums were often used at slave gatherings or festivities, the Authorities enacted a law in 1723 which directed all owners of plantations or other persons in charge to prevent slaves beating any drum or drums, or empty casks, or great gourds, or blowing horn shells, or loud instruments'.
I have gone to great length to establish that mas' and masquerading, and masquing in Antigua had its origin in the African culture and was transmitted to us through the enslaved African. It is also important to note that mas' was not a celebration of their enslavement. Instead it was a form of communication with their ancestors. It was at times motivational and agitating for rebellion, even at those 'crop-over' events were occasions for masquing and mamaguying the massa!
I am suggesting that the African origin of mas' in Antigua had its emphasis on spiritual and expressive communication with the ancestors seeking strength, protection and freedom.
Permit me at this stage to move on quickly in the interest of time and to take a great leap forward. Before the State officially organized Carnival in 1957, we had the existence of the Moko Jumbie, John Bull, Monkey Band, and the Iron Band - which came later - as distinct African characters and groups. Both the Moko Jumbie and John Bull could be classified - with minor alterations - as authentic reproductions of African characters. The Monkey Band like the Iron Band is a cross between the innovative and the traditional. The messages were clear 'you might have enslaved me but not my Africanity'.
The nineteen fifties and sixties
In 1957, with the organization of Carnival, mas' - masquerading and mas' making - entered a structured and defined environment with the introduction of categories and criteria designed by an organized body, the Carnival Committee. Mas' entered the realms of competition where the judges and judging systems were under the control and dictate of the State. Masqueraders masquerading replaced the masque, which was central to the tradition of mas'.
Despite the loss of the masque in the mas'. The nineteen fifties and sixties saw the introduction and appearance of historical and topical mas'. It was the era when authenticity, craftsmanship, and story-telling were the main features of mas'. Artists took great pains in the completeness of their costumes. The emphasis of the designers and builders of that period was on presentation, reproduction and neatness. Production of most costumes could be done from simple instructions. Many productions never required much more than the skills of a seamstress! But at the same time - at the other end of the technical scale, some mas' production required specialized artisans (of which there were few) such as Frank Agard, the master tinsmith and craftsman.
In addition, mas' of that period was a fusion of art and drama. The presentations of troupes like 'Peers and Ladies' or 'Interplanetary Flag Wavers' or 'Skelehoppers' - among others - were acted out on stage. This was not a period of sensuality and seductive body language.
The nineteen seventies
The seventies saw the introduction of large troupes depicting both tropical and original fantasy. Large proportioned wire sculptured harnesses or back-piece fitting costumes replaced the small headpieces and body fitting attachments. Plumes and feathers were introduced as designers sought to create stunning spectacles for visual impact on the mas' loving public.
The introduction of these huge wire sculptured costumes for all members of entire troupe required the talents of skilled wire benders. Even welders were now needed in the production of the costumes for Kings and Queens of the Bands and other individual mas' players. The Carnival Queen costumes of the fifties and sixties would be considered miniature models of any individual costumes in today's troupes.
The nineteen eighties and nineties
The eighties and early nineties was the era of the greatest spectacle of our mas'. A large variety of synthetic fabrics was introduced in costume design and construction. The cheaper cost, flexibility and utilitarian nature of these new materials required much less skill to create and effect designs. Consequently the level of our craftsmanship has declined. (I'm not forgetting poor quality of the judging as another one of the factors that has negatively affected our standards).
Our mas' of the late nineties and the opening of 2000 has become mundane, mindless, and repetitive. Women have become obsessed with wearing revealing costumes - in many ways as a response to the frenzied, pulsating and captivating music. I challenge designers not to surrender to the demand for 'naked mas' or else 'costume mas' will be a thing of the past.
Conclusion
For as long as I continue in Carnival, mas' for me will remain a work of art and a medium of communication. I will continue to explore and reach within my creative being, expanding the roots of my ancestral spirit; challenging the infinite possibilities in conceptualization and exhausting the most intricate technical details in fabrication.
Mas' for me evokes the sprits of Akiem, the Coromantees, of King Court, Tom Boy, Hercules and the other victims of slavery. Let us dance the iken dance as we continue to play and produce mas'.
Early History
Mas' in Antigua, from slavery to present, has meant several things to different generations - those gone before and our contemporaries. Mas', over the years, was presented in various forms - representational, expressive, formative, pragmatic, creative, innovative, and traditional - just to highlight a few of important variations.
Mas' was once a spiritual ritual, once an important source of relevant and meaningful visual stimuli. Regretfully, for the most part, in recent times - mas' has become the abandon and frivolity of many persons; a kind of static, decaying art and cultural form. I am not siding with the pious, sanctimonious anti-gyrating campaigners - oh no, certainly not! I am conversant with the body language of a woman in dance and rituals; a language possessing its own gyrating rhythms and motions; a language of spiritual connection; a language of regeneration, of copulation, of love and fertility; and certainly a provocative and sensual language of seduction. It is indeed one of the most beautiful languages imaginable.
The above should not be interpreted to include the language of the suggestive, 'wining' present-day flaunters - I mean, masqueraders. Their language is usually crude and boisterous, expressive of its time and place.
Mas' is life, the struggle and pains of living. It is the expression of the ancestral sprit, the heart of our culture. It definitely did not begin in 1953 or 1957. In truth and in fact it began long long before that. We brought mas' with us from the African continent, all across the Atlantic on those slave ships to the plantations of Antigua and the other Caribbean islands. The barbarous and fiendish nature of slavery, and the trauma of the trans-Atlantic crossing were never able to completely erase our mas'. We brought it with us within us.
Historically Mas' has a unique survival. It has always associated itself with royalty, with divinity and with celebration of life. It existed throughout and survived the holocaust of slavery because of the indomitable sprits of our African ancestors who - regardless of their enslavement - recreated in their own likeness, in their own images, in their own sprits. With their mas' (or is it mask?) and in their masquerading, they masqueraded the Mas-sa.
Yes they celebrated, yes they made their costumes - costumes that expressed their beliefs, hopes and feelings; costumes that spoke a language which only the enslaved Africans understood; costumes that echoed back to their African homeland from which they were so cruelly torn.
We have discovered the enslaved persons from the Akan culture who engaged in the ikem dance on plantations in Antigua, created great unease for the planters and overseers whenever they enacted this ceremonial display. According to historian David Barry Gasper, 'Because drums were often used at slave gatherings or festivities, the Authorities enacted a law in 1723 which directed all owners of plantations or other persons in charge to prevent slaves beating any drum or drums, or empty casks, or great gourds, or blowing horn shells, or loud instruments'.
I have gone to great length to establish that mas' and masquerading, and masquing in Antigua had its origin in the African culture and was transmitted to us through the enslaved African. It is also important to note that mas' was not a celebration of their enslavement. Instead it was a form of communication with their ancestors. It was at times motivational and agitating for rebellion, even at those 'crop-over' events were occasions for masquing and mamaguying the massa!
I am suggesting that the African origin of mas' in Antigua had its emphasis on spiritual and expressive communication with the ancestors seeking strength, protection and freedom.
Permit me at this stage to move on quickly in the interest of time and to take a great leap forward. Before the State officially organized Carnival in 1957, we had the existence of the Moko Jumbie, John Bull, Monkey Band, and the Iron Band - which came later - as distinct African characters and groups. Both the Moko Jumbie and John Bull could be classified - with minor alterations - as authentic reproductions of African characters. The Monkey Band like the Iron Band is a cross between the innovative and the traditional. The messages were clear 'you might have enslaved me but not my Africanity'.
The nineteen fifties and sixties
In 1957, with the organization of Carnival, mas' - masquerading and mas' making - entered a structured and defined environment with the introduction of categories and criteria designed by an organized body, the Carnival Committee. Mas' entered the realms of competition where the judges and judging systems were under the control and dictate of the State. Masqueraders masquerading replaced the masque, which was central to the tradition of mas'.
Despite the loss of the masque in the mas'. The nineteen fifties and sixties saw the introduction and appearance of historical and topical mas'. It was the era when authenticity, craftsmanship, and story-telling were the main features of mas'. Artists took great pains in the completeness of their costumes. The emphasis of the designers and builders of that period was on presentation, reproduction and neatness. Production of most costumes could be done from simple instructions. Many productions never required much more than the skills of a seamstress! But at the same time - at the other end of the technical scale, some mas' production required specialized artisans (of which there were few) such as Frank Agard, the master tinsmith and craftsman.
In addition, mas' of that period was a fusion of art and drama. The presentations of troupes like 'Peers and Ladies' or 'Interplanetary Flag Wavers' or 'Skelehoppers' - among others - were acted out on stage. This was not a period of sensuality and seductive body language.
The nineteen seventies
The seventies saw the introduction of large troupes depicting both tropical and original fantasy. Large proportioned wire sculptured harnesses or back-piece fitting costumes replaced the small headpieces and body fitting attachments. Plumes and feathers were introduced as designers sought to create stunning spectacles for visual impact on the mas' loving public.
The introduction of these huge wire sculptured costumes for all members of entire troupe required the talents of skilled wire benders. Even welders were now needed in the production of the costumes for Kings and Queens of the Bands and other individual mas' players. The Carnival Queen costumes of the fifties and sixties would be considered miniature models of any individual costumes in today's troupes.
The nineteen eighties and nineties
The eighties and early nineties was the era of the greatest spectacle of our mas'. A large variety of synthetic fabrics was introduced in costume design and construction. The cheaper cost, flexibility and utilitarian nature of these new materials required much less skill to create and effect designs. Consequently the level of our craftsmanship has declined. (I'm not forgetting poor quality of the judging as another one of the factors that has negatively affected our standards).
Our mas' of the late nineties and the opening of 2000 has become mundane, mindless, and repetitive. Women have become obsessed with wearing revealing costumes - in many ways as a response to the frenzied, pulsating and captivating music. I challenge designers not to surrender to the demand for 'naked mas' or else 'costume mas' will be a thing of the past.
Conclusion
For as long as I continue in Carnival, mas' for me will remain a work of art and a medium of communication. I will continue to explore and reach within my creative being, expanding the roots of my ancestral spirit; challenging the infinite possibilities in conceptualization and exhausting the most intricate technical details in fabrication.
Mas' for me evokes the sprits of Akiem, the Coromantees, of King Court, Tom Boy, Hercules and the other victims of slavery. Let us dance the iken dance as we continue to play and produce mas'.
