Edited by Azizi Powell
This post showcases two Haitian singing games that I happened upon on YouTube.
I'm hoping that someone recognizes these games and can post their names & their words in English. (Unfortunately, I only speak & read English, but I can use Google translate if you write in French.)
Thanks in advance!
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UPDATE: September 9, 2013
A big THANKS to Lesly, one of the men participating in these video taped games for sending the words to these games to the videographer Joylin Clark. THANKS also to Joylin for sharing them with us!!
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FEATURED VIDEOS
Example #1: HAITI KIDS IN SCHOOLYARD; SONG & DANCE [GAME NAME: SHOW US YOUR FRIEND]*
joylin clark·Uploaded on Mar 24, 2010
Haiti-Trouin kids from St. Anne...schoolyard song & dance #1
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Performance Instructions (as per my observations of the video):
People form a large circle (ring), stand in the circle without holding hands, and sing & clap their own hands in accompaniment. Persons forming the circle may also move rhythmically or dance to the beat while they are singing and clapping their hands.
A center person moves around the inside of the circle. At a certain part of the song, the center person walks up to a person (of the other gender) forming the ring and escorts that person into the center of the ring.
The two center people dance. Center person #1 then rubs center person #2 head, gives that person a kiss on the cheek, then leaves the center and rejoins the others forming the circle. The game then immediately begins from the beginning.
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I particularly like this song. It's very catchy. I really wish I knew what they are singing.
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Here are the words and performance information for this song from Lesly:
"Show us your friend-
Show us your friend
Show us your friend He is there He is there
Pass your hand over his head Give him a kiss. (By example: i am inner the circle,i will show them my friend.everybody sing together
"Lesly,show us your friend Lesly,show us you friend.
She is there She is there" (while we sing this part" she is there,she is there".i am taking my my friend in the circle dance with her, pass my hand over his heard,give her a kiss).
Then i let her inside the circle and go to show his friend. Until everyone passes through inside the circle."
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*Lesly didn't write down the title for this game. However, given its words, it seems to me that a good title for this game would be "Show Us Your Friend".
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Example #2: Trouin, Haiti [GAME NAME: YA SO- THE FOOT DANCE]*
joylin clark. Uploaded on Apr 6, 2010
The Foot Dance..Sponsor child, Lesly plays the bongo...
-snip-
Performance Instructions (as per my observations of the video):
People form a large circle (ring), stand in the circle without holding hands, and sing & clap their own hands in accompaniment. Persons forming the circle may also move rhythmically or dance to the beat while they are singing and clapping their hands.
Two people (hereafter known as "the center people") move around the inside of the circle. One moves clockwise and the other moves counterclockwise.
At a certain part of the song, one of the center people stand in front of a person forming the ring, and the other center person stand in front of another person. Each of the center people move their feet between the legs of their designated person. Those persons then do the same to their center person, and then change places with the center persons. The game then begins again from the beginning.
This game reminds me of "Little Sally Walker (Walking Down The Street), a contemporary version of "Little Sally Walker" in that like that "Foot Dance" game, the person in the center of the circle (the ring) moves around the ring, then picks a person standing in the ring and then does some motion in front of that person. That person then does the same motion, and then the two people exchange places and that person becomes the new center person.The game then immediately begins from the beginning.
Click http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2011/09/little-sally-walker.html for a video of that game.
UPDATE: September 7, 2013
Here are the words & performance instructions to this song from Lesly, a Haitian male who participated in this videoed game. Thanks Lesly!! Also, thanks to Joylin Clark for sending me these words from Lesly via iPhone.
"Ya so- Ya so,ya so oo oo oo
Ya so,ya so oo oo oo
Ya so,ya so. I would look at you
I would yas,i 'd yas
I would look at you
I woud yas,i' d yas
(you see the video,there is a circle,inside the circle there is someone. The inner circle will choose someone he wants to dance with her feet while everyone is singing together"
Ya so,ya so oo oo oo
Ya so,ya so oo oo oo
Ya so,ya so" (here, he will stand before his anointed.
" i would look at you
I would yas,i'd yas
I would look at you
I would yas,i'd yas"
(As we sing this part, the inner circle will hit His left foot from the right foot of the others three times,right to the left foot in others three times. Subsequently quitting inside the circle for the people he selected.
Until everyone passes trough the circle.
Lesly"
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*Lesly didn't write down the name of this game. However, given its words and performance activity, it seems to me that a good title for this game would be "Ya So" (The Foot Dance).
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Please share any information that you may have about these games, and/or games that are similar.
Thanks to the persons featured in these videos. Thanks also to the publisher of these videos.
The content of this post is presented for folkloric, recreational, and aesthetic purposes.
All copyrights remain with their owners.
Thanks for visiting pancocojams.
Viewer comments are welcome.
Wednesday, August 28, 2013
What Are The Names Of These Haitian Singing Games?
Posted on 8:27 AM by Unknown
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