Cut-eye and Kiss-teet: The African Connection

The Jamaican culture is characterized by influences from the various ethnic groups that came to settle on the island. However, the African-derived practices are most common because of the large number of Africans that came here during the time of slavery and afterwards. As a result, numerous researches have been done on African retentions in the Jamaican culture, including language, food, music and dance. Even so, there are many other aspects of the culture left to be explored.

One such aspect is the non-verbal communication system which exists in Jamaica, which has proven to be a very important part of the island’s overall communication structure. This system is made up mainly of gestures, posture and body movements; expressions through which Jamaicans sometime prefer to express themselves. In many instances, non-verbal communication is preferred to verbal communication as it seems to convey the intended message more effectively. Take for example, the gestures of “cutting one's eyes” and “kissing or sucking one's teeth”, generally used to convey feelings of displeasure or annoyance, have become common expressions in our communication system. But where did these gestures originate? How did they become such an integral part of our communication system?

The online West Indian Words dictionary defines cut-eye as an insulting gesture where one person catches the eyes or gaze of another then turns their eyes or gaze away in an exaggerated motion. Kiss-teet, in Jamaica, refers to a sucking noise made with the tongue pressed against the teeth. These gestures are not exclusive to Jamaica only, as they are observed in several other Caribbean territories such as Belize, Bahamas, Grenada, Dominica, Guyana and Trinidad. In the latter, kiss-teet is referred to as cheups, whereas in Dominica, it is referred to as steups. It is this commonality in the practice of these gestures amongst the various peoples of the region that has generated an interest in their origins.

Researchers have found that the practices of cut-eye and kiss-teet are mainly, if not only, evident among persons of African descent, not only in the Caribbean but also in North America. This led researchers to believe that these gestures had some African connection, so, they began to study various African peoples in their native environments. Their findings revealed that cut-eye and kiss-teet are examples of facial gesture Africanisms. Similar gestures were found in several areas of West and East Africa and similar terms found in the languages of the areas, such as Swahili, Yoruba, Igbo, Mende and Luo. Therefore, researchers deduced that Jamaicans’ everyday practices of cutting eye and kissing teeth are African survivals which are derived from their African ancestors who came to the island during the period of slavery.

So, here researchers were able to find another link to our African heritage in something that we normally would not have given much thought to. This indicates just how significant the impact of the African legacy is on our culture.