In May 1974, the Drama Society at the University of the West Indies Mona campus in Jamaica brought to life Dennis Scott’s An Echo in the Bone. This play delves into the lasting damage inflicted by slavery upon Afro West Indians. Scott’s intention in creating this play is to recover and revive the history that our ancestors lost, along with the voice that was stolen from them, which now only remains as an echo in our bones.
While he desires to recreate the history of the enslaved, he also recognizes that the past should not control one’s identity but should serve as a lesson to avoid repeating previous errors. Aiming at the time of enslavement and its aftermath, he incorporates subjects of racial bias, the supernatural, societal gender roles, and the consequences of history. He perceives the past as a means to fully comprehend one’s genuine identity and culture, a perspective shared by many in his generation instead of the contemporary mindset that favors leaving the past behind.
Scott uses intricate oral traditions and folklore to bring the period of enslavement to life in a emotionally and spiritually meaningful way, despite the limited and biased credit given to it. The play, titled “Nine Nights,” cleverly plays on words and is written in colloquial language using Jamaican dialect. It revolves around the murder of Mr. Charles, a white estate owner, that takes place nine days before the events of the play, with the presumption that it was carried out by a black peasant farm owner called Crew.
Crew’s shirt and machete, both soaked in blood, were discovered by the river bed. This evidence convinces Rachel, Crew’s wife, that he has perished. In line with her cultural customs, Rachel chooses to observe a nine-night funeral ritual for her deceased spouse. The play takes place in Jamaica during the post-colonial era of 1937, specifically in a deteriorated sugar barn situated behind Crew’s house. The italicized text throughout the play serves as an introduction to the upcoming events and provides stage directions.
The celebration of life and death is represented by a nine night or set up, which is a ceremonial ritual. According to Martha Beckwith in her book Black Roadways, Jamaican Negroes believe that the ghost of the deceased rises from the grave and revisits their familiar places for nine nights. This ritual has African origins but also includes Christian elements and aims to help the spirit of the departed move on. Rum holds great importance in a nine night as it is utilized to calm the restless spirits of loved ones, as mentioned by Nadya-Kaye Phillips, a writer for Mango Salute.
Scott employs the nine night as a means to address the unanswered queries Crew has left behind via spiritual possession. He skillfully manipulates the play’s characters to transport the audience to both the past and present, enabling them to fully comprehend the history of the enslaved and his compulsion to recreate and reclaim it. Through this possession, the deceased’s voices are heard through the living. It is in the opening scene that Crew’s spirit emerges through Dream Boat after rum is spilled at the house of the departed.
According to Jamaican folklore, breaking glass is considered a bad sign. When dreamboat is possessed by a spirit, Madam uses a candle and oil to free dreamboat from the phantom. Scott uses stage conventions and props to depict the contrast between light and darkness. Light symbolizes life and nature, while darkness represents death and the unknown. Sonson, Crew’s eldest son, becomes a vessel for his deceased father after wearing his father’s clothes. These props help to authenticate the play and its connection to the financial circumstances of the main characters in the current timeline.
Primogeniture is the practice of giving the firstborn child the right to inherit the family estate, instead of his siblings. This is commonly done in African societies. The firstborn male is treated with special importance, as he will become the head of the family if the current patriarch dies or becomes unable to fulfill his duties due to mental or physical health issues. This aspect of African culture is why Sonson is the best character for Crew to communicate with. After Sonson is possessed, the audience is taken to a ship off the coast of Africa, transcending through time and space.
The play consistently utilizes auditory imagery, such as the sound of the drum being beaten by Rattler and the distant sound of the dock on the African coast during time travel. In this particular scene, Scott successfully portrays multiple characters without additional cast members, effectively integrating them into the story. Through this enactment, we are able to witness the contrasting perspectives on slavery. We see the ongoing silence and lack of agency experienced by the enslaved individuals, as depicted through the historical perspective of tribal warfare amongst rival tribes in Africa who sold prisoners of war into slavery. Additionally, we gain insight into the viewpoint of their white oppressors in European society, as expressed through the writings of Bryan Edwards and witnessed by the slave traders aboard the sea vessel in this scene.
The use of characterization in this scene is a genius way that Scott illustrates the irony of the voicelessness of the enslaved. Rattler’s tongue being cut off in the past and his current muteness highlight this irony. Additionally, through visual imagery, Scott vividly depicts the harsh reality that the enslaved faced – being captured, bought, and sold like animals. It is this reality that European authors water down, thus creating a false preconception.
The play effectively connects historical events with fictionalized subjective accounts, vividly portraying both the visible and the hidden elements, the audible and the silenced. Some of the characters’ names reflect their personalities, such as the strong and resilient “Stone” who is comparable to “Crew.” Nonetheless, all ten characters were depicted with multiple personalities, resulting in a lack of individual characterization. This concept becomes clearer in the actual performance of the play, where exclusively black actors would wear white masks to represent white characters.
