electronic Dictionary of Bahamian English (eDBE) with wiki

/gumbéy/; gumbee /gúmbiy/; gambee [cf. Kongo ngoma, nkumbi drum DJE; Swahili ngoma idem (Perrott); Twi gumbe Ghanaian drum music (K. Aboagye p.c.); the form gambee may have been influenced by DAE Gambia designating slaves brought from Gambia, Africa; cf. also Brazilian Port. ingome tambor sem pintura, feito de barril...usado em Xangô (Mendança 1973: 141)] n. 1. [Atlantic] a goat­skin drum: 1978 Goombay drums.. have sheep or goatskin stretched and nailed over one end. . . of discarded wooden barrels or kegs (Bethel 40). (Black)

2.    [cf. DJE gombay 1774 quot., idem] a musical instrument resembling the WASHTUB BASS: 1788 The instrument called Gambee; a notched bar of wood, one end of which he placed against his breast. In his right hand he held a small stick of wood, split lengthwise into several clappers... his left hand also a small, thin wooden stick, un­split. Beating and rubbing both of these, vigor­ousely and in time, over the notches of the first stick, he produced a hollow, rattling noise, accompanied by a song in the Guinea tongue (Schoepf 261). Gumbee (lieu.). (Eleu., Exuma)

3. a particular drum rhythm: 1936 D' pleecemun hit off wun goombay on d' drum (Dupuch 42). (Black)

4. any non-religious song. (San Sal., Mayag.)

5.a particular dance: I go shake my belly and do the goombay (Nassau)

6. [Vir. idem obs. (Highfield); cf. Bermudian "On Boxing Day I saw the gutnbays ['gambe:s], said to be West Indian Negroes, parading in feather headdresses" (Ayres 1933:5)]

Also goombay summer, a summer festival recently introduced for tourists, with drums and dancing traditionally associated with JUNKANOO. (Gen.)