PETER ROBERTS


 form a circle around the dancers and the drums. As to the dancers, they
 hold their arms almost like people who dance and play castanets. They
 jump, spin around, go forward two or three feet from each other, then
 withdraw until the sound of the drum tells them to touch each other by
 bumping their thighs against each other, that is the men's against the
 women's. On seeing them do this, I thought it was their bellies they were
 bumping, but it was only their thighs. They withdraw immediately
 pirouetting, to begin again the same movement with totally lascivious
 gestures, as often as the drum gives the signal, which it did several times
 one after the other. Occasionally, they would hook their arms and do two
 or three circles always bumping their thighs and kissing. (Labat [1722]
 1724 2:51-2)'

 The notable features of the calenda, as described by Labat, were: (i) the
name of the dance itself, calenda; (ii) men and women in two lines respectively
facing each other surrounded by spectators in a circle; (iii) the dancers
jumping into the air with arms half raised and spinning around;(iv) the
approach of the dancers; (v) the bumping of thighs on the signal of the drum
and then the withdrawal; (vi) the pirouetting and other movements; (vii) the
hooking of arms and dancing briefly as couples; (viii) the repetitions of the
procedure. The dance involved physical prowess and an element of display.
It was controlled by the rhythm of the drums. It was seen to have a strong
sexual element in it.
 As to the musical accompaniment, Labat said the following:

 To give rhythm to this dance they use two drums made of tree trunks
 hollowed out to unequal thicknesses. One end is open, the other is covered
 with a sheep or goat skin with the hair removed and scraped like parchment.
 The bigger of the two drums which they call simply the big drum, can be
 about three to four feet long by fifteen to sixteen inches in diameter. The
 small one which is called the baboula is about the same length by eight to
 nine inches in diameter. Those who beat the drums to control the dance
 put them between their legs, or sit on them, and beat them with the flat of
 the four fingers of each hand. The person who plays the big drum produces
 a measured and steady beat; but the person playing the baboula beats as
 fast as he can, and without regard to the beat, and as the sound which he
 produces is much less than that of the big drum and higher pitched, it only
 makes noise without following the rhythm of the dance or the movements
 of the dancers. (2: 51)

 The notable features of the musical instruments were: (i) there were two
drums of about the same length but different in diameter; (ii) the small drum


I This passage and others in this paper have been translated by the author.