Tobago
Newsday
DR RITA PEMBERTON
It is generally accepted that change is an inevitable feature of culture and these changes can be observed in any society over time, especially as culture has been shaped by the course of history.
It is possible to identify some of the forces that have influenced cultural practices in Tobago, which was colonized by Europeans and populated by Africans. The combined influence of these two forces resulted in the island’s cultural heritage.
In more modern times, other forces stimulate change, and in the minds of some, these changes raise questions about what should be the best direction for the island: to stick to its traditions or to surrender to new influences.
At the heart of the matter is the fact that traditional practices have been passed down orally, which has caused the number of people with accurate knowledge of these practices to decrease over time. Consequently, there is a generation that is not familiar with some of the traditions and has become more oriented towards what is trending on various media platforms.
Unfortunately, until now, it has not been considered important for the development of the island to preserve its traditions of empowering the population through the school system. It is ironic that an island that claims its uniqueness for marketability as a tourist destination leaves its population open to the cultural erosion that can be caused by this very tourist movement. The older ones remain steeped in the traditions they grew up with, while the younger generation, who have little familiarity with old practices, are more oriented towards newer and more modern global influences, which spread easily in the age of communication.
Tobago’s culture reflects input from the countries from which its population was drawn, European religion and other influences have fused with the majority African traditions to create a distinct Tobago cultural tradition.
Regardless of the purpose for which European-influenced practices were used in their home bases, cultural practices in Tobago were more than avenues for entertainment and leisure activity; they provided the means for a strong assertion of identity for the oppressed African population of the island during and after emancipation.
They were also tools for community building and strengthening, which were recognized as essential for overcoming the mechanisms used to control and exploit the population. Above all, cultural practices were expressions of resistance to European subjugation.
An examination of Tobago’s cultural practices shows two characteristic community activities which were mixed with European influences and religious practices which were influenced by later population movements.
Reflecting the influences of religious bodies, Christmas, Easter and harvest were important events in the cultural calendar. Christmas was the most important holiday during the post-emancipation years until the first part of the 20th century. The Christmas season was family time, with activities such as flying kites, visiting relatives and friends, and door-to-door visits by carolers accompanied by brass bands, some of which were family groups.
It was also a time for community bonding, reflected in the communal cooking exercise that took place around the village’s clay oven. Passover was a time of harvest festivals, which were community building exercises. The result was the development of a very close-knit society.
An important cultural practice, the speaking groups, which reflect a European influence, was the house-to-house performance of a folk drama, entertaining residents with news, gossip and jokes (usually aimed at the ruling class) in rhyming form. The bands, complete with dancing swords, were accompanied by musicians playing fiddles, flutes and tambourines (cutters and rollers).
While humor was a dominant feature of the talk groups, there were coded messages about issues on people’s minds: poverty, low wages and repression.
However, another feature of the island’s history that exerted a great influence on the culture was migration. Limited employment and earning capacity stimulated emigration as the population sought better opportunities.
A major receptor of this movement of people was the nearby island to which Tobago had been yoked, and as a result carnival culture was introduced to Tobago by returning immigrants who had lived and worked in Trinidad and learned stick fighting, archery of wires, suits. -making and playing with steel. In the early 20th century, carnivals became a fixture in Tobago, despite strong opposition from some of the religious bodies and skepticism from a section of the population, particularly the aspiring upper class, who initially functioned mainly as spectators.
But the island attracted the participation of Venezuelans, who came by boat every year in costumes depicting indigenous peoples.
It then became a village event, with each village bringing out its own band, which paraded through Scarborough. Tobago’s early carnival groups were very small and according to Shadow:
“A long time ago in Tobago/Carnivals weren’t like that/It was a lot of kicks and the devil…”
Punches were popular because spectators had the opportunity to beat them and reward them for the privilege by throwing money on the ground, which the punches would pretend to ignore until they thought no one was watching: then they would catch them and move on.
Other characters included moko jumbies, midnight thieves, black devils and wild Indians. The speaking groups easily fit into the carnival culture and formed their own groups.
With the development of carnivals came the formation of steel bands that accompanied the maskers. One of the earliest was Lucky Jordan, who started in Scarborough and was followed by the Rhythm Tigers and the formation of steel bands in every community.
But migration also served to refine African traditions. Immigrants from Grenada and Carriacou during the late 19th and early 20th centuries brought with them traditional African practices, which added to those already on the island. In particular, from the Temne peoples, who made up the dominant population of Carriacou, the well-known Saraka festival and the Nation dance were introduced.
It remains for the merits of the island’s traditions and heritage to be properly assessed to determine their potential value to Tobago’s development, the preservation of its identity, its role in the school curriculum and of course whether and how culture should be preserved.
