Gombey Festival Honouree, September 26, 2010
The late Mrs. Mabel Cecilia Place was born on 20 June, 1924. With her marriage to Reginald “Scranny” Place at the age of 21, Ma Place became dedicated first to her family and later to Place’s Gombeys after her husband formed the troupe. We recognize posthumously the mammoth contribution and support Mrs. Place gave to the successful development of the Place’s Gombey Troupe.
When Place’s Gombey troupe was formed in 1957 by Mr. Place, it became (as are all Gombey groups) another family project. Everyone had a task to complete and it was the women who seemed to have the greatest responsibility for making the suits. Ma Place did more than make the suits; she organised tasks for her 10 children as well as the adults. Mrs. Place and her sister Louise Hughes got busy measuring the men and boys for the custom-made suits; each took about three weeks to complete. Every piece was designed, crocheted and sewn by hand. All of this was done while Mrs. Place worked and raised the family. Every member, from the youngest to the oldest, was involved in preparing for a performance; whether it was crocheting wool chains for the suits, making the gombey hats or sacrificing a pet goat, (the goat’s skin would be shaved using Magic Powder; it was then soaked, stretched and nailed up for drying) in order to make the drums.
When performance day arrived, Ma Place was as excited as the children, but in true motherly fashion, she made sure that every member of the troupe, who gathered at her house, got a bowl of her homemade soup before the drums and the dancing began. The Place’s siblings describe a typical Boxing Day; “After all the late nights and the preparation, the day finally arrived. First thing Boxing morning, the dancers arrived early to be fitted with their regalia. The drummers began to fine tune their drums and of course all the neighbours gathered. By 9:00 a.m. the area of Government Gate, where the Place’s family lived, was crowded; and the excitement and dancing had already peaked. When Daddy Place walked out in his long black velvet cape, followed by his sons, Dennis in his red velvet cape, Leon and Reginald in their purple velvet capes, all the Place ladies had reason to stand proudly and watch the Place’s Gombeys set out in fine regalia. In the 1950s Reginald “Scranny” Place was the Captain, Bob Woods was the Chief, Joe Rhoda was the Lead Indian and Ma Place was the designer and inspiration behind this family troupe. It was midnight sometimes before the troupe arrived back at Government Gate having danced through neighbourhoods from one end of the island to the other. The money collected was counted and evenly distributed to the dancers with Ma Place exerting her authority.”
Mrs. Place’s dedication to her family and to her community did not go unnoticed. On 14 June 1997, Mrs. Mabel Place was rightly awarded a Certificate of Honour and placed on the Queen’s Honours’ List for her contribution to Bermuda’s vibrant artistic life through Place’s Gombeys. She received many other awards. Posthumously, the Department of Culture is honoured to salute Mrs. Mabel Place for her lifelong dedication to the Place’s Gombeys which today is known as Place’s New Generation Gombeys and is led by one of her grandsons. Hats off to a lady who has made an invaluable contribution to Bermuda’s folk art and gombey traditions – Thank you, Mrs. Mabel Place!
Note: Mrs. Place passed in 2008.
