Pitchy Patchy

Pitchy Patchy is a costume character in Jamaican Jankunu festival figure. Other characters include: King and Queen, Cow Head, Horse Head, Red Indians and Belly Woman.¹

One of the original figures of Jamaican Jankunu character, Pitchy Patchy is usually represented by a suit made of tattered, colorful pieces of cloth. Pitchy Patchy's role in the carnival is to keep masqueraders and the surrounding crowd in order by cracking a cattle whip.² According to Edward Long, the character originated from Akan festivals in celebration of John Canoe; the Ashanti commander became Pitchy Patchy, wearing battledress with what would resemble charms, referred to as a "Batakari".³

References

Johnson, Mikala (2022-08-06). "Remembering the days of Jonkonnu - Our Today". Our Today - (in Brazilian Portuguese). Retrieved 2023-04-23.
Lewin, Olive (2000). Rock it come over: the folk music of Jamaica. Kingston, Jamaica: Univ. of the West Indies Press. ISBN 978-976-640-028-6.
Long, Edward (1774). The History of Jamaica Or, A General Survey of the Antient and Modern State of that Island: With Reflexions on Its Situation, Settlements, Inhabitants, Climate, Products, Commerce, Laws, and Government (google). Vol. 2. pp. 445–475.

[1] Johnson, Mikala (2022-08-06). "Remembering the days of Jonkonnu - Our Today". Our Today - (in Brazilian Portuguese). Retrieved 2023-04-23.

[2] Lewin, Olive (2000). Rock it come over: the folk music of Jamaica. Kingston, Jamaica: Univ. of the West Indies Press. ISBN 978-976-640-028-6.

[Long-3] Long, Edward (1774). The History of Jamaica Or, A General Survey of the Antient and Modern State of that Island: With Reflexions on Its Situation, Settlements, Inhabitants, Climate, Products, Commerce, Laws, and Government (google). Vol. 2. pp. 445–475.

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