The bright, swirling costumes and the beckoning beat of Bermuda's Gombey troupes are guaranteed to draw big crowds whenever and wherever they appear.

It wasn't always so. When Louise Jackson first arrived from Philadelphia in the 1950s, she was astonished to see them chased off peoples' lawns.

Almost half a century later, the Gombey has finally been recognised as one of Bermuda's greatest cultural icons, a happy state of affairs brought about in great part by Mrs. Jackson's dedicated mission in educating Bermudians about the unique treasure in their midst. It should also be noted that it was for her services to the arts, but particularly for her work in connection with the Gombeys, that Louise Jackson received the MBE from the Queen -- "a great honour, of which I am very proud!'' Arising directly from her mission to rescue the Gombey from virtual obscurity was her inspired decision, after many years of research into their origins, to write a book about the Gombeys.

Published in 1987 and, for some time past, completely sold out, "The Bermuda Gombey: Bermuda's Unique Dance Heritage'' has now been re-issued.

Gombeys From Page 29 "When I saw the Gombeys performing in the streets the very first Christmas after I arrived in Bermuda, it was so thrilling to see this colourful, historic and ethnic dance and music. It was so unblemished in those days, completely natural in every respect, but I must say it was quite appalling to discover that the Bermudian community at that time had relegated them to a very low status. People didn't consider them to be Bermudian -- they felt that the Gombey tradition came directly with the slaves from Africa and then from the West Indies. Once the people had been brought here as slaves, they had been assimilated as Bermudians.

"Also,'' adds Mrs. Jackson, "the upper class blacks definitely looked down on these basically working-class people from `back of town' -- jumping around with feathers on their heads and banging tom-toms! Oh no, they were trying to rise above all that!'' Luckily for Bermuda, Louise Jackson, then a young teacher at The Berkeley Institute, immediately realised the full historical, cultural and social implications that the Gombeys represented.

"I felt compelled to bring them out of `back of town' and into the community for everyone to understand and to enjoy. This was not as easy as it may seem now, because laws had actually been passed in the 1920s to keep them off the streets. At that time, there were only a couple of surviving groups, although some of them did perform as part of the entertainment at Harmony Hall, but that was about it. The book really arose out a paper I had written for the Arts Council for a UNESCO cultural conference that was held in Jamaica.'' When she was appointed deputy chairman of the Bermuda Arts Council, Mrs.

Jackson persuaded the Council to sponsor a Gombey competition at City Hall, the prize being a trip to Cali, Colombia to perform at the UNESCO Cultural and Conservation Conference.

"That really got the ball rolling because City Hall was filled to overflowing -- the audience went crazy and it was just about the most exciting thing ever seen in that theatre! This was in the early '70s, with about four groups vying for the prize. So that was really the beginning of the renaissance of the Gombey.'' Subsequently, Mrs. Jackson and her husband accompanied the winning troupe to Colombia, where they were an instant hit.

When Mrs. Jackson brought out her book in 1987, it coincided with a demand for black history to be taught in the Island's schools. She notes that she put the doubting Thomases to rest about Gombeys not being Bermudian by reproducing a notice that was found by Cyril Packwood in The Royal Gazette for January 10, 1831 (three years before Emancipation), when a certain Mr. John Walker offered a $54 reward for the return to him of two slaves who had gone off "at Christmas, following that Idolatrous procession the Gumba''.

Her research, incidentally, has confirmed that the Gombey drum beat is indeed unique to Bermuda.

"I have been all over the place to get this verified. Also, I was able to establish that the costumes are very similar in many respects to those worn by some West African dancers, so it proves that the Gombey dance and music came from that area of Africa and then, of course, it evolved into something that was completely Bermuda by absorbing British military influences, such as the snare drum, and the bass drum being beaten with a stick instead of with the hands. Originally, there was influence from the tradition of the English mummers who used to perform at Christmas time, going from door to door, usually singing songs that often made social comment on the community around them. I also found a native American influence in the use of tomahawks, and bows and arrows.'' With students studying overseas making frequent use of Mrs. Jackson's book, it is not surprising that it soon sold out. Another booklet, entitled "Bermuda Gombey Boy'', written specifically for younger children, remains in print and will probably also be re-issued shortly.