Columbus discovered Cuba in 1492. The indigenous people, Ciboney, almost did not survive the incoming Spanish colonization. In the eighteenth century movement between Spain and its American colonies began to increase. Cuba now was a strategic location for the Spanish fleets. African slaves were imported as the labor force in Cuba due to its new status and lack of indigenous peoples. The cultural influences of the African people blended into and are strongly reflected in Cuba to this day. The rumba, a popular dance, came from Afro-Cuban roots. It is the blending of the Spanish guitar and African drums that produce this distinctive sound. The fusion of cultures also produced the bongo drum in Cuba.
Students will be introduced to the Island of Cuba as they construct bongo drums, discuss the rhythm of music and the rhythm of words.
Child of the Sun
is a legend that explains a natural event. The Ciboney people used this story to explain a solar eclipse. As the tale begins Sun creates humans out of his boredom and loneliness. During the creating he dances and chants in a strong native tongue. Throughout out the legend there are rhythms, such as these, in the words that resonate images in nature. The language is melodic and will be interpreted by the students through their bongo drums. Two cylindrical oatmeal containers are excellent bongos. Cut one shorter then the other and connect with a small nut and bolt.
Tortillitas Para Mama
introduces short nursery rhymes in both Spanish and English. Each verse naturally sings out and encourages repetition. These verses will become a daily part of our class. We will sing them , use our instruments to accompany them and translate them into American Sign Language.
The artist Ana Mendieta (1948-1985) was born in Havana, Cuba. Ana’s parents were unable to emigrate to the United States. At the age of thirteen she and her sister were sent to the United States to be raised in an orphanage. Their Mother was able to reunite with her daughters in the mid-1960s. Mendieta became increasingly interested in the relationships between the body, spirituality and the earth. She was strongly influenced by the Afro-Cuban religion of Santeria and third world feminism. Her sculpture, “Nacida del Nilo” (Nile Born) also resonates images in nature. Her use of sand and binder on wood was part of Twentieth Century Latin American Artist exhibit at the New York Museum of Modern Art. Students will locate and use local sand and thinned glue to cover cardboard armatures. The sand sculptures will act as inspiration for writing an original legend by the class that will include accompaniment by the bongos.