Gombey Festival Honouree, September 22, 2012
The Department of Culture salutes a brother and sister team who learned their art growing up as a part of the Warner Gombey Troupe. Mr. Llewellyn “Termite” Warner dedicated more than 70 years of active performance with the Warner Gombeys and Mrs. Janice Warner-Tucker has been a Gombey troupe suit maker for just as many years.
Mr. Llewellyn “Termite” Warner began dancing at the age of four, at a time when his father – Mr. John James Warner – was leader of Warner Gombeys. Mr. Warner and his siblings were born during the era when families proudly upheld the tradition of Gombey dancing.
Mr. John James Warner was the leader of a Gombey troupe and that meant that the whole family got involved. His sons danced or beat the drums, his wife and daughters helped to make the suits and fed the troupe. Today the influence of the Warner family can be felt throughout the Bermuda Gombey tradition.
Mr. Llewellyn Warner took over the leadership of his father’s gombey troupe and was assisted by Mr. Frederick “Blue” Lodge as well as drummers such as Sadie Wellman, Stevie Liburd, Shorty Maynard and his nephew, Allan Warner. He reported with pride the discipline the Gombey dancers of his era displayed. With a blow of his whistle, order and attention was achieved – all who participated understood there was a time for socializing, but there was a time for performance when all were expected to dance from one part of Bermuda to the next.
His Gombey troupes performed in an era, too, when Gombeys were in high demand for entertaining at the various hotels, at swizzle parties, on Easter Monday, Christmas Day, Boxing Day, New Year’s Day and College Week parties at Fort St. Catherine. Mr. Warner would relish the challenge of a “battle” with competitive troupes and was always willing to take on any challenge to showcase his skill as a dancer – evidence that Gombey music lurked deep in his blood.
Mrs. Janice Warner-Tucker, like her brother, has totally dedicated her life to the art of the Gombeys. Today she is the grande dame of Gomeby suits. Mrs. Warner-Tucker watched her mother make suits for her father’s troupe; and although she was fascinated with the colourful beading and stitching work, she worried about the strain this amount of work was having on her mother. Eventually she was allowed to help and when her mother saw her work, she was delighted and relieved to pass this responsibility on to her daughter. To this day Janice continues to custom-make the regalia of the Gombey troupes. Much of the stitching on the beautiful Gombey capes is done by hand. She makes the full regalia – hats, capes, skirts, pants; and like her mother, she continues to pay attention to details as she creates her art.
Mrs. Janice Warner-Tucker prides herself on making unique regalia and there is little doubt that she is talented. Today, her suits are displayed in art galleries and purchased by many locals and dignitaries.
In 2001, Mrs. Warner-Tucker travelled to Washington D.C. to participate in the 35th annual Smithsonian Folklife Festival held on the National Mall, along with a large contingent of Bermudians who were invited to display aspects of Bermuda’s culture. In 2009, Mrs. Warner-Tucker was presented the Queen’s Certificate and Badge of Honour by then Governor Sir Richard Gozney for her valuable service in the preservation of Bermudian culture. She is also the recipient of the 400th Anniversary Award for Craftmaking and has been given a Lifetime Achievement Award. Today Mrs. Warner-Tucker has expanded her craft making to include Gombey masks, hats, and souvenir Gombey dolls.
On behalf of the Department of Culture and the people of Bermuda we are honoured to salute Mrs. Janice Warner-Tucker and Mr. Llewelyn “Termite” Warner as cherished champions of Bermuda’s folk art and Gombey tradition.
