by Thomas Altmann » Fri Aug 25, 2006 12:14 pm
Thank you for your comment, Guarachon. It is well received.
My interpretation is probably a bit shaky, and I think I should just omit this passage in my article.
Please let me shortly explain how I came to my idea.
While the word "tumba" (like in the Tumba Francesa) is certainly one African word for a drum (like bongo / bonko, too), the ending "-dor" or "-dora", like in "tumbadora", hints to a Spanish word, describing someone or something that executes a particular action. This action is mentioned in the root of the word, in this case "tumbar". Now, if you want to "knock down" sugar cane with a machete, or chop down a tree, you are doing this with a striking motion, like beating a drum (sorry, musicians!); or like handling a hoe. So I was just trying to make sense of an apparently Spanish word and looking for an English example of how a "hoeing-down" action eventually became the name of a folk dance, and an agricultural term can become a musical term.
Greetings,
Thomas
Edited By Thomas Altmann on 1156508187