Duppy
Encyclopedia
Duppy is a Jamaican Patois word of Northwest African origin meaning ghost
or spirit
. Much of Caribbean folklore
revolves around duppies. Duppies are generally regarded as malevolent spirits. They are said to come out and haunt people at night mostly, and people from the islands claim to have seen them. The 'Rolling Calf', 'Three footed horse' or 'Old Higue' are examples of the more malicious spirits.
In many of the islands of the Lesser Antilles
, duppies are known as jumbies.
. A duppy can be either the manifestation (in human or animal form) of the soul of a dead person, or a malevolent supernatural being. In Obeah
, a person is believed to possess two souls - a good soul and an earthly soul. In death, the good soul goes to heaven to be judged by God, while the earthly spirit remains for three days in the coffin with the body, where it may escape if proper precautions are not taken, and appear as a duppy.
wrote the song "My Cup," Marley was complaining to Lee that he was too "successful" and was being plagued by hangers-on and leeches, referring to them as duppies in the context of 'human vampires' (or scroungers). Lee apparently consoled him by saying, "Look, we'll sort this out - we are duppy conquerors." Marley then proceeded to write "Duppy Conqueror". The term "duppy" is also referenced in the song "Mr. Brown
."
Several other Jamaican artists have recorded songs that refer to duppies, including Bunny Wailer
's "Duppy Gun", and Ernie Smith
's "Duppy Gun-Man". Yellowman
released an album titled Duppy or Gunman. There was also a drum & bass single written by the duo Chase & Status
called "Duppy Man" featuring Capleton
's vocals from his track "Slew Dem". In 2008, Jamaican dancehall
artist Demarco
had a hit with the single "Duppy Know Who Fi Frighten" on the well-known "Shoot Out" riddim
. Most recently, dancehall phenomenon Vybz Kartel
released "Touch a Button Nuh" which mentions a duppy in the interlude. Collie Buddz
sings about "duppies" in his song "Sensimillia". Roots Manuva
refers to a duppy possessing him in "Witness (One Hope)". Duppy is also the name of a three piece indie/electro group from Deptford
, London.
Although not very popular in Jamaica, a Jamaican black metal
band, Orisha Shakpana, has a song called "The Offspring of Gashanami", which talks about the Rolling Calf duppy as though there are more than one, and they can be seen by drunks. They were conjured up by a misanthropic Obeah man. (Gashanami is an African bull-god of venegance and is also misanthropic.)
Common enemies in the Acclaim
video game Shadow Man
(available for Nintendo 64
, Sony PlayStation
, Sega Dreamcast, and PC) are called duppies. They appear as cadaverous humanoid creatures that attack at close range with their claws and from a distance by vomiting projectiles of green goo.
The term "duppy" is used in Neil Gaiman
's 2005 novel, Anansi Boys
, in which it appears to refer to any ghost.
The term "duppy" was featured on the television show Amazing Stories
in episode 13, entitled "The Sitter". In this episode, a duppy is discussed between a Caribbean woman and the two boys she has been hired to babysit. She tells the boys about the duppy in order to prevent them from acting mischievously.
Ghost
In traditional belief and fiction, a ghost is the soul or spirit of a deceased person or animal that can appear, in visible form or other manifestation, to the living. Descriptions of the apparition of ghosts vary widely from an invisible presence to translucent or barely visible wispy shapes, to...
or spirit
Spirit
The English word spirit has many differing meanings and connotations, most of them relating to a non-corporeal substance contrasted with the material body.The spirit of a living thing usually refers to or explains its consciousness.The notions of a person's "spirit" and "soul" often also overlap,...
. Much of Caribbean folklore
Folklore
Folklore consists of legends, music, oral history, proverbs, jokes, popular beliefs, fairy tales and customs that are the traditions of a culture, subculture, or group. It is also the set of practices through which those expressive genres are shared. The study of folklore is sometimes called...
revolves around duppies. Duppies are generally regarded as malevolent spirits. They are said to come out and haunt people at night mostly, and people from the islands claim to have seen them. The 'Rolling Calf', 'Three footed horse' or 'Old Higue' are examples of the more malicious spirits.
In many of the islands of the Lesser Antilles
Lesser Antilles
The Lesser Antilles are a long, partly volcanic island arc in the Western Hemisphere. Most of its islands form the eastern boundary of the Caribbean Sea with the Atlantic Ocean, with the remainder located in the southern Caribbean just north of South America...
, duppies are known as jumbies.
Origins
Duppy folklore originates from West AfricaWest Africa
West Africa or Western Africa is the westernmost region of the African continent. Geopolitically, the UN definition of Western Africa includes the following 16 countries and an area of approximately 5 million square km:-Flags of West Africa:...
. A duppy can be either the manifestation (in human or animal form) of the soul of a dead person, or a malevolent supernatural being. In Obeah
Obeah
Obeah is a term used in the West Indies to refer to folk magic, sorcery, and religious practices derived from West African, and specifically Igbo origin. Obeah is similar to other African derived religions including Palo, Voodoo, Santería, rootwork, and most of all hoodoo...
, a person is believed to possess two souls - a good soul and an earthly soul. In death, the good soul goes to heaven to be judged by God, while the earthly spirit remains for three days in the coffin with the body, where it may escape if proper precautions are not taken, and appear as a duppy.
In popular culture
The term "duppy" has been featured in various musical works from the Caribbean. According to Lee "Scratch" Perry, after Bob MarleyBob Marley
Robert Nesta "Bob" Marley, OM was a Jamaican singer-songwriter and musician. He was the rhythm guitarist and lead singer for the ska, rocksteady and reggae band Bob Marley & The Wailers...
wrote the song "My Cup," Marley was complaining to Lee that he was too "successful" and was being plagued by hangers-on and leeches, referring to them as duppies in the context of 'human vampires' (or scroungers). Lee apparently consoled him by saying, "Look, we'll sort this out - we are duppy conquerors." Marley then proceeded to write "Duppy Conqueror". The term "duppy" is also referenced in the song "Mr. Brown
Mr. Brown (song)
"Mr. Brown" is a song by Jamaican group The Wailers. Recorded in 1970 at Randy's recording studio in Kingston, it was produced by Lee Perry and written by regular Upsetter musician Glen Adams...
."
Several other Jamaican artists have recorded songs that refer to duppies, including Bunny Wailer
Bunny Wailer
Bunny Wailer, , also known as Bunny Livingston and affectionately as Jah B, is a singer songwriter and percussionist and was an original member of reggae group The Wailers along with Bob Marley and Peter Tosh...
's "Duppy Gun", and Ernie Smith
Ernie Smith (singer)
Ernie Smith is a reggae singer, with a deep baritone voice, who had his greatest success in the late 1960s and 1970s.-Biography:Smith was born in Kingston and raised in St. Ann...
's "Duppy Gun-Man". Yellowman
Yellowman
Yellowman is a Jamaican reggae and dancehall deejay, widely known as King Yellowman...
released an album titled Duppy or Gunman. There was also a drum & bass single written by the duo Chase & Status
Chase & Status
Chase & Status are an electronic music production duo from London consisting of Saul Milton and Will Kennard. MC Rage & Andy Gangadeen also make up the live band.-2003-2005:...
called "Duppy Man" featuring Capleton
Capleton
Capleton is a Jamaican reggae and dancehall artist. He is also referred to as King Shango, King David, The Fireman and The Prophet. His record label is called David House Productions...
's vocals from his track "Slew Dem". In 2008, Jamaican dancehall
Dancehall
Dancehall is a genre of Jamaican popular music that originated in the late 1970s. Initially dancehall was a more sparse version of reggae than the roots style, which had dominated much of the 1970s. In the mid-1980s, digital instrumentation became more prevalent, changing the sound considerably,...
artist Demarco
Demarco (artist)
Colin Demar Edwards , better known by his stage name Demarco, is a Jamaican dancehall and reggae artist.-Music:...
had a hit with the single "Duppy Know Who Fi Frighten" on the well-known "Shoot Out" riddim
Riddim
Riddim is the Jamaican Patois pronunciation of the English word "rhythm," but in dancehall/reggae parlance it refers to the instrumental accompaniment to a song. Thus, a dancehall song consists of the riddim plus the "voicing" sung by the deejay. The resulting song structure may be taken for...
. Most recently, dancehall phenomenon Vybz Kartel
Vybz Kartel
Adidja Palmer , better known as Vybz Kartel, is a Jamaican dancehall artist, songwriter and businessman. He has many nicknames, including Addi Teacher and Gaza Emperor.-Biography:...
released "Touch a Button Nuh" which mentions a duppy in the interlude. Collie Buddz
Collie Buddz
Collie Buddz is a Bermudian reggae and dancehall artist best known for his single "Come Around". Although born in New Orleans, Louisiana, he was raised in Bermuda. He performed on Shaggy's 2007 album Intoxication on the track "Mad Mad World". In 2008, he performed the song "SOS" on WWE The Music,...
sings about "duppies" in his song "Sensimillia". Roots Manuva
Roots Manuva
Rodney Hylton Smith , better known by his stage name Roots Manuva, is a British rapper from Stockwell, South London. He is currently signed to Big Dada.-Biography:...
refers to a duppy possessing him in "Witness (One Hope)". Duppy is also the name of a three piece indie/electro group from Deptford
Deptford
Deptford is a district of south London, England, located on the south bank of the River Thames. It is named after a ford of the River Ravensbourne, and from the mid 16th century to the late 19th was home to Deptford Dockyard, the first of the Royal Navy Dockyards.Deptford and the docks are...
, London.
Although not very popular in Jamaica, a Jamaican black metal
Black metal
Black metal is an extreme subgenre of heavy metal music. Common traits include fast tempos, shrieked vocals, highly distorted guitars played with tremolo picking, blast beat drumming, raw recording, and unconventional song structure....
band, Orisha Shakpana, has a song called "The Offspring of Gashanami", which talks about the Rolling Calf duppy as though there are more than one, and they can be seen by drunks. They were conjured up by a misanthropic Obeah man. (Gashanami is an African bull-god of venegance and is also misanthropic.)
Common enemies in the Acclaim
Acclaim
Acclaim may refer to:positive recognition*Acclaim Entertainment was an American video game developer and publisher*Acclaim Games, an online video game company based in California, USACars:*Plymouth Acclaim, a mid-size sedan...
video game Shadow Man
Shadow Man (video game)
Shadow Man is a video game developed by Acclaim Studios Teesside and published by Acclaim Entertainment. It was designed by Guy Miller and Simon Phipps and is loosely based on the Shadowman comic book series published by Valiant Comics. The game was released in 1999 for the Nintendo 64,...
(available for Nintendo 64
Nintendo 64
The , often referred to as N64, was Nintendo′s third home video game console for the international market. Named for its 64-bit CPU, it was released in June 1996 in Japan, September 1996 in North America, March 1997 in Europe and Australia, September 1997 in France and December 1997 in Brazil...
, Sony PlayStation
PlayStation
The is a 32-bit fifth-generation video game console first released by Sony Computer Entertainment in Japan on December 3, .The PlayStation was the first of the PlayStation series of consoles and handheld game devices. The PlayStation 2 was the console's successor in 2000...
, Sega Dreamcast, and PC) are called duppies. They appear as cadaverous humanoid creatures that attack at close range with their claws and from a distance by vomiting projectiles of green goo.
The term "duppy" is used in Neil Gaiman
Neil Gaiman
Neil Richard Gaiman born 10 November 1960)is an English author of short fiction, novels, comic books, graphic novels, audio theatre and films. His notable works include the comic book series The Sandman and novels Stardust, American Gods, Coraline, and The Graveyard Book...
's 2005 novel, Anansi Boys
Anansi Boys
Anansi Boys is a novel by Neil Gaiman, a spin-off of Gaiman's earlier novel American Gods. In Anansi Boys we discover that 'Mr. Nancy' has two sons, and the two sons in turn discover each other...
, in which it appears to refer to any ghost.
The term "duppy" was featured on the television show Amazing Stories
Amazing Stories (TV series)
Amazing Stories is a fantasy, horror, and science fiction television anthology series created by Steven Spielberg. It ran on NBC from 1985 to 1987, and was somewhat erratically screened in Britain by BBC1 and BBC2 - billed in the Radio Times as "Steven Spielberg's Amazing Stories" - with episodes...
in episode 13, entitled "The Sitter". In this episode, a duppy is discussed between a Caribbean woman and the two boys she has been hired to babysit. She tells the boys about the duppy in order to prevent them from acting mischievously.