‘El Sebucan’ is a really interesting dance. In most countries with a ribbon dance tradition, there is a lot of variety between individual performances. In the case of ‘El Sebucan’ this is still the case, (though I’ve yet to see one without a plait), but El Sebucan is almost always danced to the same piece of recorded music – which can be bought from Amazon for less than a pound (in 2023).
Why is it called ‘El Sebucan’, as oppose to some variation of ‘ribbon dance’?
That’s because a plaited pole looks very like a sebucan. A sebucan is a 8-12 foot long tube woven out of palm leaves, traditionally used for squeezing the poisonous liquid out of cassava.
Cassava is used to make casabe (a kind of flatbread). The starchy root of bitter cassava is ground to a pulp, then squeezed to expel a milky, bitter liquid called yare which carries the poisonous substances with it out of the pulp.
As you can see from the photograph, the weave of the sebucan looks very like a maypole plait – hence the name of the dance.
In this video, you can see the whole process of preparing cassava. If you just want to see the sebucan and how it is used, jump to the two minute point.
So, how does the music affect the dance moves?
Because there’s a traditional song for this dance, called, ‘El Sebucan’, and it describes plaiting a pole.
First of all, it describes weaving a sebucan (plait), then unweaving the plait. I love that the song says that unweaving the plait is the hard part, because that’s very true. Mistakes only show when you undo it, and an unnoticed mistake while weaving the plait will usually result in a tangle when undoing it!
‘This beautiful sebucan opens out like an umbrella’, is in my imagination a description of a web. And several versions of the dance do incorporate a figure of 8 web – though not necessarily at that point in the music.
When is it danced?
El Sebucan is often danced as part of Tamunangue – Tamunangue is a folk dance (celebration) in South America primarily Venezuela. In Lara State in Venezuela, it is celebrated on June 13 every year as part of the festival to St. Anthony of Padua the patron saint of Lara. Tamunangue usually begins with an invocation to Virgin Mary. It is a combination suite of music, dance with drums, etc. It is a mixture representing native Indians, the Spanish and African traditions.
Should we be calling them ‘Indians’ or ‘indigenous people’?
I use ‘Indians’ in the translation of the song, even though I’d normally use ‘Indigenous People’ in other contexts.
The Spanish words to the song use ‘Los Indios’, and ‘Indians’ is closest to that.
Some Venezuelan costumes for the dance, have a very ‘Indian’ flavour.
This is the notation for my favourite version of the dance. (This is taken from the video at top of this page. Observe how they hold the ribbons to emphasise some of the moves)
Ribbons are held in two hands, hand furthest away from the pole has the end of the ribbon. Ribbon tension is always maintained.
Motion should a very quick even walk with small steps – as though you’re skimming quickly across the floor – especially in the plait.
Dancers start by the pole and step back with their ribbons as the music begins. Make sure you know who your partner is before you start.
1. Plait, go twice round the pole, then face partners for the next move. (If you don’t have 8 couples, stop at end of phrase)
2. Web – Go twice round partner, then twice round corner, twice partner, twice corner. (there seem to be no hard and fast rules on the direction of the going round partner, it looks like a bit of a free for all. But if you want to be flash, you can do clockwise with partner and anti-clockwise with corner) Face mostly towards pole while doing this.
Pause briefly to show off figure, then undo it.
Now undo the figures.
Brief pause. All ‘women’ go into centre and go round anti-clockwise. At the same time, all ‘men’ stay on outside and go clockwise. Go once round pole. Reverse direction and go back again.
When back to place, all ‘men’ go into centre and form a ring facing out.
All ‘women’ move out and form a ring facing outside the men. Everyone, Hold ribbons above head, with hands apart so the ribbon is horizontal above your head. (Which should coincide with the end of the music)
El Sebucan lyrics
Nosotros somos los indios, We are the Indians
Los indios de Pariaguan The Indians of Pariaguan
Nosotros somos los indios, Los indios de Pariaguan.
Que venimos a bailar Who have come to dance
este lindo Sebucán. The beautiful Sebucan
Que venimos a bailar, este lindo Sebucán.
Que venimos a bailar, este lindo Sebucán.
Que venimos a bailar, este lindo Sebucán.
Aquí estamos las guarichas, Here are we, the maidens
tejiendo este Sebucán. Weaving this Sebucan
Aquí estamos las guarichas, tejiendo este Sebucán.
Y si nos equivocamos, If we make a mistake
mal tejido quedará. The weave will be bad.
Y si nos equivocamos, mal tejido quedará.
Y si nos equivocamos, mal tejido quedará.
Y si nos equivocamos, mal tejido quedará.
El que quiera aprender If you wish to learn
a tejer el Sebucán. To weave a Sebucan
El que quiera aprender a tejer el Sebucán
Fijándose de nosotras Watch us closely
enseguida aprenderá. And you will learn
Fijándose de nosotras enseguida aprenderá.
Fijándose de nosotras enseguida aprenderá.
Fijándose de nosotras enseguida aprenderá.
El tejer el Sebucán Weaving a Sebucan
es de gran facilidad. Is very easy
El tejer el Sebucán es de gran facilidad.
Pero para destejerlo But unweaving it
esta la dificultad. Is the difficult part.
Pero para destejerlo esta la dificultad.
Pero para destejerlo esta la dificultad.
Pero para destejerlo esta la dificultad.
Este lindo sebucán This beautiful Sebucan
se abre como un paraguas, Opens like an umbrella
Este lindo sebucán se abre como un paraguas,
Tiene cintas de colores It has colourful ribbons
y en el medio la encarna. And the pulp in the middle.
Tiene cintas de colores y en el medio la encarna.
Tiene cintas de colores y en el medio la encarna.
Tiene cintas de colores y en el medio la encarna.
Y ya estamos destejiendo Now we’re unravelling
este lindo Sebucán This lovely Sebucan
Y ya estamos destejiendo este lindo Sebucán
Señores y señoritas Lords and Ladies
complacidos quedarán. Will be pleased
Señores y señoritas complacidos quedarán.
Señores y señoritas complacidos quedarán.
Señores y señoritas complacidos quedarán.
(Thanks to Patsy Rose for the translation)
‘Guarichas’ means ‘women’. In many parts of south America it’s a slang derogatory term, but in Venezuala (where the song comes from) it apparently means young, single and indigenous.
Pariaguán is a city in Venezuela.
‘Tiene cintas de colores y en el medio la encarna’ has been translated in several ways on other web sites. eg. ‘It has many-colored ribbons, And in the middle a red one.’
A middle red ribbon makes no sense to me in a dance context and, besides, Google Translate doesn’t even offer ‘red’ as an option. It gives Encarná as: ‘incarnate’, ’embody’. ‘personify’, so Patsy and I read it as meaning: in the middle of the coloured ribbons is the pole personifying what you’d expect inside a sebucan – the cassava pulp.