A ghost or spirit in Caribbean, especially Jamaican, folklore; a malevolent supernatural being that haunts the living.
From West African languages, possibly Akan or Kikongo roots, brought to the Caribbean during the transatlantic slave trade. The term entered English through Jamaican Creole and is now part of Caribbean English.
Duppies reveal how African spirituality survived colonialism—these aren't European ghosts but distinct spirits from West African belief systems that enslaved Africans brought with them and kept alive for centuries!
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