The Gombeys have become such an integral part of Bermuda?s heritage that it is hard to believe that just a couple of decades ago, many people were embarrassed to have them dance on the lawn.

To remind Bermudians just how far the community has come in terms of Gombeys, United Bermuda Party Health & Seniors Minister Louise Jackson has revised and re-released two Gombey books, ?The Bermuda Gombey - Bermuda?s Unique Dance Heritage? and ?Bermuda Gombey Boy?.

Mrs. Jackson said she first became interested in the Gombeys when she moved to Bermuda in 1952 from Philadelphia.

?I came to teach at the Berkeley Institute,? she said. ?The situation was that the Gombeys were basically a ragtag group of dancers that no one really paid much attention to. A lot of Bermudians seemed to be embarrassed by them or didn?t want them on their lawns.

?There were actually laws against them performing in Hamilton. They would only come out at certain times of the year.?

Mrs. Jackson, the founder of the Jackson School of Dance, was struck by the Gombeys and their unique dance style and musical beat.

?I was at a UNESCO conference in Jamaica on conservation of cultures,? she said. ?I had a chance to actually research all of the different dance styles through the West Indies and South America. It became very apparent that our Gombeys were unique to Bermuda.?

Mrs. Jackson wrote her books, and the government eventually began to realise that the Gombeys were an asset, particularly in the realm of tourism.

?Then interest in them began to really accelerate and now they are the apple of Bermuda?s eye,? said Mrs. Jackson.

?They are Bermuda?s national treasure. They have been on Good Morning America, they have travelled all over the world for Bermuda. You think of Bermuda you think Gombeys, but believe me, before this was not the case.?

She said she did not believe that the increased accessibility of the Gombeys had done any damage to their mystique or specialness.

?I don?t think we are over commercialising them,? she said. ?I don?t think that could ever happen.

Mrs. Jackson said she had just come from a special performance given by a troupe of Gombeys at City Hall and the audience couldn?t get enough of them.

?They can?t dance enough,? she said. ?They should be able to do that every week. Bermudians should be able to see them for as long as Bermudians are enjoying them, and the Gombeys are enjoying dancing. Dance is celebration. That is what it is all about. It is not something to be hidden away.?

She said she is happy that Bermudians are finally beginning to appreciate what a treasure they have in the Gombeys.

Mrs. Jackson decided to reprint her books, because people were constantly telephoning her and asking how they could get a copy.

?This is the third reprinting for The Bermuda Gombey. The book is at the printers now and I should have it in another few weeks,? she said.

?I just want Bermuda to know that I am so thrilled at their interest and excitement about the Gombeys. This is the third printing of it. I appreciate the fact that Bermudians want to know about their culture and what they really mean and what they are really doing.

?There are a lot of colourful cultures blended together to make the Gombeys - Native American, West Indian, African and Mummers.?

The Gombey Boy, her children?s book, was distributed to local schools after the first printing. She is hoping that this might happen again.

?I think it really should be in the schools,? she said. ?I put out the Gombey Boy book again because I wanted children to be able to appreciate the Gombeys. Children don?t know anything about it. They don?t know where it came from.

?They don?t understand that the troupes are often made up of separate families. You have to grow up in the neighbourhood and be related to join a troupe.

?Some children are very upset that they can?t be a Gombey. You just have to be born into the culture. It is one of those things.?