The Jamaican culture is characterized by influences from the various ethnic groups that settled on the island. However, the African retentions seem to be most common, we presume because of the large number of enslaved Africans that were brought to Jamaica during the time of slavery and afterwards. As a result, numerous researches have been done on African retentions in the Jamaican culture, including language, food, music and dance. There are, however, other aspects of the culture that need to be explored more deeply. One such area is the non-verbal communication system.
The non-verbal communication system in Jamaica has proven to be a very important part of the country’s language structure. This system is made up of mainly gestures, posture and body movements; expressions through which Jamaicans sometime prefer to express themselves. This is probably owing to the fact that non-verbal communication seems to convey the intended message more effectively than verbal communication.
Now, let us focus on the practices of “cut (y)eye” and “kiss teet”. They are two of the most common non-verbal expressions in Jamaica, and are used generally to convey feelings of displeasure or annoyance. The online West Indian Words Dictionary defines “cut-(y)eye” as an insulting gesture where one person catches the eyes or gaze of another then turns their eyes or gaze away in an exaggerated motion. “Kiss-teet” refers to a sucking noise made with the tongue pressed against the teeth. These gestures are not exclusive to Jamaica, as they are observed in several other Caribbean territories such as Belize, Bahamas, Grenada, Guyana, Dominica, where it is called steups, and Trinidad, where it is called cheups. It is this commonality in the practice of these gestures amongst the various territories in the region that has generated an interest in their origins by the writer.
Researchers have found that the practices of “cut-(y)eye” and “kiss-teet” are mainly, if not only, evident among persons of African descent, not only in the Caribbean but also in North America. This led researchers to believe that these gestures were derived from Africa. So, studies were conducted on various African peoples in their native environments. The findings revealed that “cut-(y)eye” and “kiss-teet” are examples of facial gesture Africanisms. Similar gestures were found in several areas of West and East Africa, and similar terms found in the languages of these areas, such as Swahili, Yoruba, Igbo, Mende and Luo. Therefore, researchers deduced that the practice of “cut-(y)eye” and “kiss-teet” in Jamaica are African survivals.
Here again is another link to our African heritage, found in something we normally wouldnot have given much thought to. This provides further evidence of the significance of the impact of the African legacy on Jamaican culture.
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Voice of Liberty Hall 