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 Clued in to Culture
The interplay of a large number of communities has resulted in a cultural mix that is uniquely
Trinbagonian. This heady brew is now topped off with a heavy dose of American influence. INDIA EMPIRE that has published a special souvenir on the occassion of T&T’s 44th Independence Day brings excerpts from the publication
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The culture of Trinidad & Tobago is more than a blend of cricket and calypso. The culture of this country reflects the influence of Indian, African, French, Amerindian, Chinese, British, Spanish, Portuguese, Venezuelan, Caribbean, and American cultures. Since the histories of Trinidad and Tobago are different, there are differences in the cultural influences which have shaped each island.
Trinidad and Tobago is famous for its pre-Lenten Carnival. It is also the birthplace of calypso music and the steelpan, which is claimed to be the only acoustic musical instrument invented during the 20th century. The diverse cultural and religious background allows for many festivities and ceremonies throughout the year. Other indigenous art forms include soca (a derivate of calypso), Parang (Venezuelan-influenced Christmas music), chutney, and pichakaree and the famous Limbo dance.
The artistic scene is vibrant. Trinidad and Tobago can claim two Nobel Prize-winning authors, V. S. Naipaul and St Lucian-born Derek Walcott.
The most influential single factor on the culture of Trinidad and Tobago is Carnival. Carnival was brought to Trinidad by French settlers in the latter part of the eighteenth century.
The cuisine draws upon the varied origins of its people. Three influences predominate—Creole, Indian and Chinese cuisine. Creole food commonly includes callaloo, macaroni pie and red beans. Indian food is based on curries.
Despite their small size, the two islands pulsate with activity and display a zest for life that could be the envy of larger nations. For, when it comes to culture T&T has a king-size menu.
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CULTURES OF T AND T
INDIAN CULTURE
When one thinks of the exceptional journey undertaken by Indians in Trinidad & Tobago, it is the manner in which Indians as a whole, against heavy odds, have been able to retain their self-dignity, preserve and enhance their culture, and enrich themselves by a selective engagement with other cultures. The landscapes, art, music, cuisine, and religious edifices and customs of Indians in Trinidad provide an illuminating testimony of the manner in which Indians have been able to inscribe themselves into the psyche of Trinidad. It was all the more imperative, in an alien land, that Indians be able to inhabit a space which they could claim as their own, and to which they could offer their attachment.
Those who came from the Gangetic heartland named many of the streets after the principal areas from where they had been recruited, such as Mathura, Kanpur, and Lucknow. Those hailing from Basti in Uttar Pradesh created Basta Hall, while Faizabad became transformed into Fyazabad; indentureds from Barrackpore and Chander Nagar, both in West Bengal, retained these names for the villages in Trinidad to which they were despatched. Indians in Trinidad have shown an extraordinary pluralism. Diwali, the Festival of Lights, is one of the most anticipated events in Trinidad. Although it is a Hindu festival, in the island’s multicultural and multi-religious society it is a national holiday observed by people of all denominations. The day is marked by prayers, feasts and the lighting of thousands of lamps all over the country.
In food and patterns of eating, Indians were to show their capacity for adaptation. Caste distinctions that ruled the community living in India were, in the conditions of migration, broken down, and vegetarianism was to have little appeal among Indo-Trinidadians. Tandoori cooking remains unknown among Indians in Trinidad and the Caribbean, and curry is made with a curry powder, rather than by mixing a curry paste.
English is the country’s only official language, but Bhojpuri, locally known as Hindi, is also spoken by a few Indo-Trinidadians and widely used in popular music. Trinidadian English, however, is also largely influenced by French and French Creole and by Bhojpuri/Hindi. (The creole languages and other vernaculars are normally spoken in informal situations, and there is not yet a formalised system of writing (other than as in standard English). Due to Trinidad’s location on the coast of South America, the country has been slowly redeveloping a connection with the Spanish-speaking peoples, but has been impeded by the fact that in 2004, only 1,500 of Trinidad’s 1.3 million inhabitants spoke Spanish.
The year 1970 would mark perhaps the biggest turning point in Indian music. In this year, a young man out of Barrackpore, Trinidad, by the name of Sundar Popo leapt to fame with the song “Nana & Nani.” The song, almost comical in nature described the affairs of a grandfather and grandmother, perhaps his own. Sung in Hindi and Trinidadian Creole, and backed up with the music of the dholak and dhantal as well as that of the more western guitar and synthesizer, the song instantly became a hit. Sundar soon became known as the King of Chutney, the name given to this new popular form of music. The word chutney was derived from the Hindi word that was used to describe a hot peppery mix of Spices.
In Trinidad, chutney is not only a condiment, but a form of music that Indians have made their own. In music, there appears to have been a divide between Afro-Trinidadian music and Indo-Trinidadian music. Calypso, which occupies the mantle of the ‘national music’, complemented by pan, came to be seen as the exclusive preserve of Afro-Trinidadians, though Drupatee and a few other Indians came to acquire a considerable reputation as calypsonians. Likewise, Indians never made the music of steel bands their own, though today an Indian, Jit Samaroo, is probably the most well-known orchestrator of pan music. But it was in the creation of chutney songs and rhythms that Indians found their own soca or soul music. Taking with easy abandon rhythms from pan and rap, and drawing from the well-springs of Indian folk and even more so film music, Indians evolved a distinct musical form.
The chutney artist writes lyrics in either Hindi, Bhojpuri or English and then lays it on top of beats that come from soca and Hindi film songs.
Pichakaree is another Indo-Trinidadian musical form. Pichakaree songs are generally social commentary, and are sung using a mixture of Hindi, English and Bhojpuri words. The musical form was devised by RaviJi, spiritual leader of the Hindu Prachar Kendra, as an Indo-Trinidadian counterpoint to calypso. Pichakaree competitions are an integral part of Phagwa celebrations hosted by the Hindu Prachar Kendra.
True to their sun-loving nature, Tringobagians have a passel of holidays to celebrate a variety of occassions and festivals. May 30 is celebrated as Indian Arrival Day, making T&T the first country in the world to recognise Indian Indentureship.
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Clued
in to Culture, Swinging
Tobago, Dash
Of Africa, & Taste
Of China
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September 2006
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