Nyabinghi is a legendary Amazon queen, who was said to have possesed a Ugandan woman named Muhumusa in the 19th century. Muhumusa inspired a movement, rebelling against African colonial authorities. Though she was captured in 1913, alleged possessions by Nyabinghi continued (mostly afflicting women).
The Nyabinghi resistance inspired a number of JamaicanRastafarians, who incorporated what are known as nyabinghi chants (also binghi) into their celebrations (grounations). The rhythms of these chants were eventually an influence of popular ska, rocksteady and reggae music. Three kinds of drums are used in nyabinghi: bass, funde and akete. The aketa plays an improvisedsyncopation, the funde plays a regular one-two beat and the bass drum strikes loudly on the first beat, and softly on the third (of four) beat. Count Ossie was the first record nyabinghi, and he helped to establish and maintain Rasta culture.
One of the sects of Rastafarianism is called the Nyabinghi. These Rastafarians are the strictest out of the six or so major groups. They pledge "death to black and white oppressors", though they do not believe in violence, because they believe that only Jah has the right to destroy. They make this pledge because of the power of words, believing that only when all of Jah's children make the pledge together, the oppressors will be destroyed.
The name Nyabinghi comes from an East African movement from the 1850s to the 1950s that was led by women who militarily opposed European imperialism.
This form of nyabinghi was centered around Muhumusa, a healing woman from Uganda who organized resistance against German colonialists.
In Jamaica, the concepts of Nyabinghi were appropriated for similar anti-colonial efforts, and it is often danced to invoke the power of Jah against an oppressor.
Another really cool and extremely heavy band I want to mention is Thee Plague of Gentlemen, who are a Belgian doom metal band.
I had the opportunity to meet the vocalist/guitarist Steve, on a trip to the Nyabinghi Club, Ohio (back then) based festival called Stoner Hands Of Doom, who was a cool cat.
A huge records collector as myself, maybe a bit more on the metal side compared, well okay, a lot more, and a regular walking metal encyclopedia in his own right.
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