Black History Month — Spotlight on DeMarcello Funes

February is Black History Month, and we are excited to share a short interview with DeMarcello Funes (Dancer in Reindeer Games, Ensemble in The Unfinished Work of Camille Claudel).

In ‘Reindeer Games,’ you performed a Hambone Act. Tell us about the history of Hambone.

Hambone Body Percussion is an African American art form about strength, community, and making something from nothing. Hambone was created by enslaved Africans in America who were stripped from their drums by the enslaving Masters. The Masters took away the drums because they found out the enslaved Africans were celebrating and communicating through the rhythm of the drums. Instead of just giving up, the enslaved Africans created different rhythms: Pattin Juba, Hand Jive, Rhythm Hand Clap, Flippady-Flap, and now what we called Hambone.

How did Hambone get its name?

400 years ago in the time of slavery. The slave masters would give the enslaved Africans the scraps of their foods, small leftovers. One of the scraps of food they’d throw over to the enslaved Africans would be a bone from a pig. Well, that pork bone would still have a little bit of meat and bone marrow, in and on the bone. The enslaved Africans would place that bone in a pot of water, boil it, and the juices from the bone would fill the pot. They’d add herbs and spices, creating a whole new meal, but they wouldn’t just keep it for themselves. They would give that pot to another enslaved family. That family would add their own flavors and ingredients, and it would become a whole new dish. But that enslaved family wouldn’t keep it for themselves, they’d give it to another enslaved family and that family would add their own herbs and spices. And this would continue, passing from family to family until it came back to the original enslaved family that started the pot. But this time the pot had an entirely new flavor to it. Like the different rhythms we have that make up Hambone, you have the different enslaved family with the added spices and herbs. That’s why in the Hambone song, we sing: “Hambone Hambone where you been?… Around the World and back again” Around the World, around the community, around our family and back again.

How did you learn Hambone?

I learned Hambone from my mentor Lance Derique McGee, through a youth circus program called Prescott Circus Theatre, at the age of 10. It was important not only learning to play and perform Hambone, yet to know the rich history of where Hambone originated from and the meanings behind it.

How does this rich history play an important part in your work as an artist?

The history of Hambone has played an enormous role in my life. From performing professionally on stage to every day life. The History of Hambone fills me with a sense of pride. Knowing what my ancestors had gone through, having nearly everything taken away and being dehumanized, yet even in the most unbelievably devastating moments in their lives, they found a way to move forward by “making something from nothing.” It makes me realize how much freedom I actually have to create and has inspired me to never give up in the toughest time.