Moko Jumbie

The Moko Jumbie is one of the most recognizable character costumes of masquerade tradition from the Trinidadian culture. Moko Jumbies are stilt walkers symbolizing gods or spirits. In fact, the word Moko comes from the Kongo language and is the name of a god—literally translated to the “diviner”—who, with conveniently towering height, watches over his village and has the ability to foresee whatever evil and danger may be afoot, thereby acting as a protector of said village. Jumbi is a West Indian term for ghost or spirit. So indeed the Moko Jumbie is a “god spirit.”

Many Moko Jumbies seen in Carnivals today—like the Notting Hill Carnival—are dancers on stilts as high as 10 or 15 feet. It is traditional for the Moko Jumbie’s stilts to be covered with brightly colored stripes, and for the masquerader to wear a mask and a hat with feathers around the rim. However, today, though many Moko Jumbies do follow the traditional costume, the Moko attire has become open for creative interpretation.

In Trinidadian culture, it is believed that any person (typically male) who plays the Moko role forfeits his own individuality to become this supernatural spirit.

Although the video above does not take place specifically at the Notting Hill Carnival, it is still a good representation of what Moko Jumbie stilt dancers look like in performance, and the male Moko Jumbies are good examples of the more traditional Moko masquerade.