GOOD MORNING P.O.U.!
We continue our series on Caribbean and African-American Ghost Stories…
DUPPIES
(Barbados)
First, a little background on duppies from All Things Jamaican:
Duppies’ are restless spirits of the dead that are believed to haunt the living. Though there are good and bad spirits, the ‘duppy’ is seen as malevolent because the good spirits cannot be seen. The good spirit is sometimes referred to as ancestral spirits, who are believed to be dead family members who still take an interest in the life of family members. Contrary to the good spirit, the ‘duppy’ is seen as the unnamed, unhappy, and restless dead human who is capable of doing harm. The ‘duppy’ can linger around or be summoned by an obeah-man or woman from the graveyard to do harm in exchange for payment of food or drink, especially rum. ‘Duppies’ are said to live at the roots of cotton trees and bamboo thickets, from where they emerge in the nights or at midday.
According to legend, one can tell if a ‘duppy’ is around if certain signs are observed, such as:
- If a dog whines or howls at night.
- A spider web across the face, especially at night.
- If a stick break at night (you must say good family it is me-that will ward the duppy off and it will not harm you)
- smell food at night and there is no food in that vicinity(you must say Jack mon ginger mi nuh choosy-this will also ward off the duppy and it will not harm you)
It is also supposed that certain precautions must be taken to ward off or to avoid trouble with a ‘duppy’. When throwing out water at night care must be taken to warn the ‘duppies’ before throwing the water. Stones must not be thrown at noon or nights and one should never sit at the threshold of a door as a ‘duppy’ will walk over and injure you. Methods of getting rid of ‘duppies’ range from cursing or calling “Jesus Christ” to nailing a horseshoe to the house.
THE DEBT COLLECTORS
Many, many years ago, it is believed that some islanders were scared by duppies into paying their debts. For on Barbados, if you had unpaid sums, a dark ritual was performed on your very street that forced you into submission. An old duppy tale passed down for generations, states that debt collectors dealt in the black arts and those who didn’t pay their debts would suffer with the terror of black magic. It is said that when collecting an outstanding debt, a group of men, the messengers of the duppies, dressed in black would come to where the street began that led to where the debtor lived. There in the darkness and still of night, they would perform a ritual and etch symbols into the ground. No one dared to stop them, but everyone knew what was coming. Nothing could be heard and everything was deathly quiet while everyone who lived on the street sat in fear. Then, the screeching sounds would begin. Chains rattled, the sounds of howls like devil dogs that sent chills down your body. The wiring to the lights would burn out and the smell of burnt wire would fill the house of the defaulter as screams of terror would fill the night air. But no one dared to help their neighbor. The sun would rise and the day would start again. Children would get ready for school and head out walking past the ones who had duppies befall them the night before. Outside, the coolie men, or human debt collectors who performed the ritual would be standing on the steps and money would be seen exchanging hands. The next night everyone would breathe a sign of relief because the neighborhood was safe once again. No one would speak of the night before where terror kept them frozen in their beds.
THE CHASE CRYPT
Some countries are home to a long tradition of ghost occurrences. But one of the most famous hauntings of the Caribbean, and perhaps the world, occurred at the Chase crypt in Barbados. Thomasina Goddard, a plantation owner who died in 1807, was the crypt’s first occupant. Ownership of the burial chamber soon passed to another plantation family, the Chases. Col. Thomas Chase, the head of the family, was reputedly cruel to both his family and his slaves. Two of his young daughters died (in 1808 and 1812), and their lead coffins were also placed inside of the crypt. A month after his second daughter, Dorcas’ death, Col. Chase died. At his funeral, when the pallbearers opened the crypt, they were shocked to see that the coffins looked as though they had been thrown around the small room. They rearranged the coffins, including the new addition of Col. Chase, and replaced the heavy slab at the crypt’s entrance. Rumors spread that Dorcas had starved herself to death, driving Chase to commit suicide. Over the next few years, every time the crypt was opened, the coffins had moved, apparently with violent force. Thomasina Goddard’s wooden coffin even splintered into bits. Thomas Chase had many enemies so at first, people suspected vandals. However, on two occasions the crypt was mortared shut. Sand spread on the floor of the crypt showed no signs of disturbance, even with the coffins in complete disarray. A thorough examination of the crypt for secret passageways, cracks, or other explanations yielded no answers. In 1820, ancestors of the Chase family removed all the coffins and reburied them elsewhere. Although several natural theories have been proposed, such as flooding or seismic activity, many believe that the Chase family duppies just couldn’t get along. The crypt remains empty to this day.
(SOURCE: Duppy Tales of the Caribbean)