The Jumbies
Across the Caribbean, people warn about jumbies: spirits that roam at night, live in silk cotton trees, and must never be invited in.
What was reported
In the folklore of the English-speaking Caribbean, from Antigua and Montserrat to Trinidad and Guyana, jumbies are spirits, often of the dead, who wander at night. They're said to live in the great silk cotton trees, and to be kept away by leaving shoes at the door, or by scattering rice or sand, which they feel they must count.
Jumbie stories vary from island to island. Some are mischievous, some dangerous, and the word appears in names like jumbie beads, the red-and-black seeds used for jewellery, and the jumbie dance in Montserrat.
Explanations offered
Jumbie beliefs blend West African traditions brought by enslaved people with European and Indigenous influences. They're part of living Caribbean culture, in storytelling, music and festivals. The counting trick is found in vampire and spirit legends worldwide.
- When
- Told for generations
- Where
- Antigua and Barbuda
- Witnesses
- Caribbean folklore
- Status
- Folklore
Famous cases are real, widely reported events. Each file sets out what witnesses said and the explanations that have been offered, without taking a side.