According to Guyanese folklore, a jumbie is a spirit of a dead person, typically an evil one.
Jumbie is the generic name given to all malevolent entity.
Different cultures have different concepts of jumbie, but the general idea is that people who have been evil are destined to become instruments of evil (jumbie) in death.
Jumbies are said to possess people during ceremonies called jumbie dances, which are accompanied by jumbie drums. t is believed that the spirit separates from the body three days after death, at which point the havoc begins. Jumbies are believed to have the ability to shape-shift, usually taking the form of a dog, pig, or more likely, a cat.
Jumbies in Guyana take many forms. We have various names for them as well for example the baccoo, the moon gazer and the ole higue to name a few.
Many if not all of the Caribbean countries, including Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago, Antigua and more, have long held traditional folklore that includes the jumbie. And many of the older population still hold a belief in them, particularly in Guyana, where long held superstitions and modern day conveniences like cell phone and internet, live side by side.
The most famous jumbie
The Dutch man jumbie
The Dutchman jumbies are second only to the Ole Higue in the depth of belief in them and how common they are found in present day Guyana lore. Dutchman is considered the most frightening of them all and take the blame for the most evil of acts that explanations defy. Dutchman is considered the most frightening of them all and take the blame for the most evil of acts that explanations defy. Many trees in Guyana are called Dutchman trees. If one climbs these trees or cuts at it or anything else like that, the Dutchman jumbie will cause them to fall and break their neck or spine, or they get violently ill, or encounter all sorts of bad karma. Each village has its own tale. In an area of the West Demerara the story goes that a Dutchman and his dog, torment and were generally cruel to their slaves and would hang them for no real reason, or as a warning to others. Any who climbed the tree, dug at it’s roots or tried to mark the tree, were commonly found dead within days at the most.
How to avoid jumbies
There are many recommended ways to avoid or escape jumbie encounters:
- Leave a pair of shoes outside the house door, so jumbies (who do not have feet) spend the entire night trying to wear the shoes before moving into the house.
- Leave a heap of sand or salt or rice outside the house door, which compels jumbies (more so the Firerass, or ole Higue) to count every grain before the sun rises.
- Upon coming home late at night, walking backwards may prevent a jumbie from following one inside.
- If a jumbie chases a person, crossing a river may stop them. It is believed that jumbies cannot follow over water.
- Leaving a rope with many knots outside the door step have distract them. Jumbies love to try to untie knots; in doing so, they may forget about the house occupants or their mission
Growing up Guyanese parents would throw some tantrums beyond this universe if you didn’t take off your slippers and walk through the door backwards when coming home late at nights.
“Yuh bringing jumbie in this house” was the most commonly used term.
Just like obeah when something goes wrong in life we are quick to blame the jumbie.
Older folks would say go to the shop buy lime/lemon, red lavender and “blue” and mix it together and bathe from your head rid yourself of all evil. There was absolutely nothing intriguing about listening to jumbie stories at night especially the windy ones.
One favourite expression when Guyanese say goodbye at night is “don’t let Jumbie hold you”. Jumbie is always on the minds of many Guyanese walking home at night. Walking pass a cemetery can be especially frightening.The ghost of three time’s great grandfather, Cloot DeNieunkirk, was rumoured to have existed at Watooka and Noitgedacht, Upper Demerara, over a hundred years after his death. Stories were told that at dusk, the “clip clop” sounds of the hooves of the white horse which old Cloot once owned could be heard as Cloot made his way home from his plantation. The horse would snort and sometimes whinny as terrified relatives hurried indoors. Some even saw this Dutchman as he rode in the twilight of the evening. Some older relatives also felt “the haunt” of the many slaves that were buried there. Children were brought up on scary Jumbie Stories.
In Guyana, there is a famous silk cotton tree that is in the middle of the road at Perseverance, Mahaicony. Legend has it that this tree is a ‘jumbie tree’ or ‘Dutch man tree’. The spirits in the tree are so powerful that the engineers who were building the road could not cut down the tree and as such the road was split in two to avoid the tree.
Article references
- https://exemplore.com/paranormal/Jumbies-of-Guyana.
- https://traceybaptiste.files.wordpress.com/2016/11/jumbie-fld-gde-lores.pdf
- https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/22859559-the-jumbies
- https://guyaneseonline.files.wordpress.com/2012/10/myths-legends-folktales-and-fables-of-guyana.pdf
