Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1879-11-20
An Old New Orleans slave Dance

Congo square takes It's name, as Is well
| known, from the Congo negroes who used
| 10 perform their dance on Its sward every
sunday. They were curious people, and
brought over with them this remnant of
their African jungles. In Louisiana there
| were six different tribes OF negroes, named
after the section OF the country from which
they came, and their representatives. could
be seen on the square, their teeth filed and
| their checks still bearing tattoo marks.
rhc majority of our city negroes came
from the kraels, numerous tribe who
dwell in stockades We had here the Mi
| nahs, a proud, digniiied, warlike race the
Cougos, a treacherous, shrewd, relentless
people; the Mandrlngas, a branch of the
Congos; the Gangas, named after the river
OF that name, from which they had beeu
taken; the tiiboas, called by the mission
aries tine Owls" a sulleu, intrsetabie
! tribe, aud the Foulas, the highest type of
the African, with but few representatives
here.
These were the people that one would
meet on the square about 1916. 1t was
gala occasion, rhese sundays ia those years,
aud not less than 300 or 5000 people would
congregate there to see the dusky dancers.
low ieuce inciosed the square, aud on
each street there was a little gate and turn
stile. There were no trees then, and the
ground was worn bare by the feet of the
people. About O'Clock the negr began
to gather each raton taking their places
IN different parts OF the square. The MI
uahs would not dance near the Congos,
nor the Mandrngas near the Gaugas. Pres
emily the music would strike up, aud tho
parties would prepare for the sport. Each
set had its own orchestra The instru-
ments were Il peculiar kind of banjo, made
OF 4 Louisiana gourd, several drums made
of gum stump dug out, with a sheepskin
head, and beaten with the fingers, and two
jiw-honc> of q horse. which when shaken
would rattle the loose teeth, keeping time
with The drums. About eight negroes,
tour male aud four female, would make
set. aud generally they were but scantily
clad.
Ii took some little time before the tap
| ping Of the drums would arouse the dull
and sluggish dancers. but when the point
Of excitement came, nothing can faithfully
| portray tue Wild and frenzed motions they
| 20 through. Backward and forward. this
way aud that, now together sad now apart
| every motion Intended to convey the most
sensual IDEAS. As the dance progressed
| the drums were thrummed faster, the con
| tortions became more grotesque, until
sometimes ~ frenzy the women and men
| would iall iatntIng 10 the ground. All this
was going on with a dense crowd looking
on and with hot sun pouring its torrtd
| rays on the infatuated actors OF the curl
| Gus ballet. After one set had become ia
| tlgued they would drop out TO be replaced
| oy others, and then stroll of to the groups
| OF some other tribe IN different portion Of
thS square. Then II was that trou bic would
commence, aud a regular set-to with short
sticks followed between the men, and
| broken heads ended the days entertain
| mcnt. On the sidewalks around the square
| the old negresses with their spruce beer
aud peanuts, cocoanuts aud pop corn, did
| l thriving trade, and now and then beneath
| petticoats bottles OF taiia, kind OF Louis
| lana rum. peeped out, OF which the gems
| Isrmes were Obliyious. When the sun
| went down, stream of people poured out
| OF the turn-stlles, and the gendarmes walk
ing through the square would order the
| dispersion OF the negroes, and by gun-dre,
at . O'Clock, the place was we'll nigh de-
serted. These dances were KEEP: up until
| about 1919. Subsequently the descendants
OF the original Africans got up an imitation,
but il could not compare TO the wierd or
gies OF their progenitors. i " q. Plcdy1ns