Capeyuye - Jaded Joys

What are the Capeyuye?

One of the best examples of the Negros Mascogos' cultural fusion are the capeyuye, Spirituals sung in Creole English with a clapping beat and call and response style brought by their ancestors from the cultures of West Africa. Blending the traditions of clapping and a cappella singing, the capeyuye are still sung in English despite the tribe no longer understanding that language. The continued use of English in these songs is part of the legacy of honoring those ancestors who escaped from slavery in the United States.

The above video titled "Black Mascogos preserve Afro legacy in Coahuila is by Enlace 13 Televisión.

Gertrudis Vásquez

The most celebrated matriarch of the capeyuye is Gertrudis Vásquez. Her image appears on murals in El Nacimiento and her voice survives in at least two known recordings of her singing the capeyuye and giving interviews. The murals, created specifically to capture the culture of the Negros Mascogos, most prominently feature women as the proponents and protectors of that culture. The artwork celebrates women as the most prominent proponents of tradition.

Close up of a mural by Irie and Natalia Alejandro Blanco in honor of Gertrudis Vázquez. Gertrudis is depicted wearing the long-sleeved workshirt and long skirt sitting among melons and grains in front of a sky painted with the pink and orange tones of a sunset. Click photo to read an article by anthropolgist Karla Rivera about the murals.

The above mural is an excellent example of the literal centrality of older women to the culture. Photos of the full mural can be viewed in this article and show men working in fields off to the left of Gertrudis while women prepare food to the right. Gertrudis is larger than all other people depicted in the mural and placed in the center and almost enthroned by the melons and grain she sits in front of.

Sharing and Betrayal

Few recordings of Gertrude leading the capeyuye exist, and fewer still of the traditional songs exist since her passing. The video above, "Gertrudis Blues" is one of them.

Following the recordings of Gertrude singing for which the elders were reportedly promised 500 pesos for the performance, the documentarians ultimately refused to compensate them. This was during a time of severe drought and before the town had electricity. Even that small amount of reimbursement would have done a lot of good. The documentary below features interviews with the community testifying to this. It includes English subtitles.

Mural in El Nacimiento featuring Getrudis Vásquez and local flore and fauna — A mural depicts important flora and fauna of the landscape that is home to the Negros Mascogos. On the far left, surrounded by flowers is the only human and only black and white image in the mural, a depiction of Gertrude Vásquez.

This betrayal of outsiders, alongside the subsequent passing of Gertrude Vasquéz, has led the community to safeguard their culture and traditions more closely. This safeguarding led some of those outsiders to claim the culture of the capeyuye has come to a sad end. According to the protectors of the tradition, however, the sacred songs are not gone--most just aren't often performed for people outside their community anymore.

Click the videos above to go directly to their original postings on YouTube. From there more videos and examples of the capeyuye will no doubt be recommended.

For further academic reading about the capeyuye, I recommend "Transnational Identity, the Singing of Spirituals, and the Performance of Blackness among Mascogos," by Alejandro L. Madrid, my primary source for the history of the capeyuye and its function as a sort of cultural embasador to the outside world.

For further reading about Gertrudis Vásquez (also sometimes referred to as Mamá Guecho) and Black Seminole matriarchs in general, I strongly recommend Shirley Mock's books Dreaming with the Ancestors: Black Seminole Women in Texas and Mexico. In it as several interviews with Negras Mascogas and their hermanos, Gertrudis included.

For those curious about which outsiders I'm referencing when I refute their claims the capeyuye is no more, for that I have two specific sources. The first is one I already mentioned, Alejandro Madrid's "Transnational Identity, the Singing of Spirituals, and the Performance of Blackness among Mascogos." Upon traveling to Nacimiento, he was very disappointed to be told the capeyuye was no longer performed by outsiders and goes on to explain the reasoning behind the community's decision.

The other is a piece by CNN reporter that essentially claims Gertrudis' sister is the last of the Negros Mascogos, a claim ademently refuted by people like Laura Herrera who've taken to social media to showcase their culture to the world.

Speaking of Laura, niece of Gertrudis, she helped to facilitate the mural project in honor of her aunt, which can be read about here.

Another Herrera, Dulce Herrera, founded a restaurant in honor of Gertrudis, which can be read about here.