A Historical Perspective
There is no doubt about it. Junkanoo has evolved into our “Super Bowl” of the Bahamas.
Due to the participation of all the current groups, there is no local event that matches it in terms of intense preparation, spirited competition, media hype and spectacular color and performances.
That was not always the case, for at one time Junkanoo was not widely accepted. Participation and attendance was sparse and while the costumes of long fringes and tossil hats exhibited color, there was no true artistic content.
The Valley Boys Est. 1958
In 1958, a visionary in the form of Winston “Gus” Cooper formed a Junkanoo group along with friends from the Centreville area of New Providence, all mere teenagers at the time. Ms. Gwen Fountain, mother of one of the members was employed with Malcolm’s Garage and obtained sponsorship for the small group in the amount of fifteen pounds for the Boxing Day parade. The group received a consolation prize.
In 1959, Gus’s recruitment efforts continued and he attracted Doyle Burrows and Edward Fritzgerald two personalities who contributed significantly to the group’s initial stability and growth. In fact Doyle’s brother Deyanza, gave the group its name The Valley Boys, as the area from which the group originated was “a valley” between three hills, Centreville, Hawkins and Sears Addition hills.
The late Mr. Lenny Bartlett was an invaluable source of ideas and design concepts for Gus. He encouraged the use of crepe rather than tissue paper cut into three strips, for costumes and also advised on construction techniques.
The structure was established for The Valley Boys and at the Boxing Day 1960 parade, the group got its first taste of many victories with its theme Scottish Highlanders. With this victory, the group had changed the face of Junkanoo forever by cementing in the minds of competitors and judges alike the theme concept in Junkanoo, the artistic nature of crepe paper, and dance and performance movements, never before witnessed on the parade route.
Source: Government of The Bahamas. Excerpt from an article on www.bahamas.gov.bs