Lokono song, mari-mari and cali-mari

Summary

Lokono song, mari-mari and cali-mari is a community-specific route into Lokono musical practice and its documented Guyanese popular adaptations. The terms identify related but different repertories, not all Indigenous music in the Guianas.

Contemporary and trending

Neville Calistro, known as Mighty Chief, the Kabakaburi Indigenous Dance Band and related musicians connect community song with contemporary performance. Cali-mari explicitly brings mari-mari into dialogue with calypso.^[1]

History

Lokono communities maintain songs, dances and language transmission across northern Guyana and neighboring countries. Calistro’s career documents a particular history of musical adaptation rooted in Kabakaburi.^[2]

Musical characteristics

Singing, dance rhythms and community participation remain central; modern band settings add guitars, keyboards and amplified accompaniment. A traditional vocal song need not share the arrangement of a cali-mari recording.

Geography and communities

The Pomeroon–Essequibo networks around Kabakaburi, Wakapoa and nearby communities are central here. Pakuri provides a separate connected Lokono route; this geography is not extended over the Macushi or Wapishana Rupununi.^[3]

Artists

Neville Calistro/Mighty Chief, Phillip Calistro, Kabakaburi Indigenous Dance Band and credited Lokono tradition bearers are entry points. An unidentified “Amerindian dance” is insufficient evidence for inclusion.

References

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Source: Lokono song, mari-mari and cali-mari — https://wiki.muglobe.com/wiki/Lokono_song,_mari-mari_and_cali-mari

[1] Music through the ages: Neville Calistro and cali-mari.

[2] Music through the ages: Neville Calistro and cali-mari.

[3] Music through the ages: Neville Calistro and cali-mari.

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