The New Orleans bulletin. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1874-1876, 1875-08-27
A GLANCE AT OTHER DAYS
Congo Square Thirty Years Ago
African Dancing.

There are yet many who can recall the Sun.
day evening dances of the negroes and ne.
crosses at Congo Square before the war. Il
might be said these occasions smacked very
much of state occasions to the little ones who.
in company with their nurses, made this place
a central resort on Sunday afternoons, and
who with wondering little black eyes looked
on, enjoying the drumming of the banjo and
the regular beating Of the simple drums.
We are of the opinion that New Orles ans en-.
joyed the monopoly of this peculiar fetish and
traditional terpsichorean exhibition, for we
have yet to learn that in any other of the
Southern States was it practiced. From 1905
down to about so, every Sunday afternoon
found gathered in the lower corner of Congo
Square group of negroes, male and female,
place regularly for the purpose of enjoying
the exciting pleasures of dancing the "Bam.
boula."
The dance was doubtless an original African
one, for the motions are still observable in
Central Africa to-day. Most of the negroes
VI AOulSlduh CdAo lIOul LILO A[dhu1Ss b large
nation, who live in stocksdes and who were
tribes.
We had here the Minahs, proud and war
like race; the Congos, a treacherous, shrewd
and relentless people; the Mandingos, q
branch of the Congos, and like them in dis
position; the Gangas, named from the river
on which they lived; the Hiboas, called by
missionaries the "Owls." sullen and in
tractable tribe, and the Foulas, the highest
type, though but few were brought here.
Slave trade was abolished in 1907, and after
the following year and the battle of Darien
they were imported into the country only
by British, Spanish, Portuguese, French aud
New England savers, who, taking advantage
OF the long sea coast, ran up bayous and
cargoes were landed in this State successfully,
and there are yet living some original Atri-
cans.
Their old habits, even under the en-
lightened effects of civilization, chung to
them, and their children, many Of them,
learned the old customs of their mother
country. Even to-day, in the Voudou dance,
this clinging to the past is observable.
Three o'clock of Sunday afternoon, as we
have said, was the festive occasion. Two
sinewy darkies, one with sort Of banjo
made from Louisiana gourd, the other with
drum, would make the old square echo te
their strange music The drum was simply
small key, with both heads knocked out,
covered with sheepskin. Six or eight negro
men with as many women would form in line
and the dance commence
It was not what we to-day would call 6
dance. Everything that the dancers ingenu-
ity could devise to display an exhuberance O
sensuality was done, and it became merely an
exhibition of low and extravagant tastes
Swinging the body to and fro, gradually in
creasipg the motion with the music, the
couples would in few minutes become ex
cited, and in frenzy frequently fall on the
grass.
The dance was usually kept up till sunset
At this hour the old gems 'darmes would pass
through the square and slipping into the
group with gallons II etc temps de vous
re.ire; en- avant would end that days
carousal.
The day was not considered a perfect one
unless the usual quantity of spruce beer, GIN
gerbread and cocoanut candy was had
Pralnes of peanuts were always in demand,
and many calico skirt hid a sly bottle Of
taffia made from molasses-a sort of rum
smugged in in spite of the gems d'armes to
stimulate the exhausted energies of the last
representatives of the bachantes of ancient
Greece.