Traditional wisdom for safety and productivity

Cultivation was such an important activity in Tobago, that land use was organised to facilitate the different requirements of the household. Both food cultivation and consumption were serious activities that were guided by specific rules and even children were taught the uses and dangers of plants and foods.

The traditional practices were of three types – safety precautions, planting and fishing practices, and cooking and eating practices.

There were two important safety measures for children and visitors. Firstly, they were cautioned not to make any contact with the manchineel tree or the “poison tree.” Its leaves contained toxic irritants which, on contact with the skin, caused blisters, and its fruit was poisonous.

People in and around Scarborough often heard the story of one tragic example of a British soldier who fell victim to manchineel poisoning. He came to the island and was attracted to the fruit on the tree. He assumed it was an exotic tropical fruit, and before he could be warned, picked and ate it. He died within hours of his arrival on the island and was buried at the back of the St Andrew's Anglican church. For years he was remembered by his colleagues who came to play the last post at his grave side.

Secondly, the sea has always been a popular area of recreation for the island’s population, making water safety measures very important. People were warned not to enter the sea when their “skin was hot” and after eating a heavy meal, as both could cause cramps and result in drowning. In fact, food consumption on beaches was frowned upon and children were encouraged to cool off on the beach before entering the water. Adults were cautioned about the risk of drinking alcohol before entering the sea.

There were regulations for gardeners, hunters and fishermen who were advised to make use of guidance from Mother Nature, in particular the moon. All planting was to be done with the full moon which equated full growth. It was believed that then the soil was more pliable for planting and would permit a more bountiful crop. It was also the best time to trim trees to ensure they spread in the desired manner for maximum production.

When planting pigeon peas, gardeners would ensure they had a full meal before starting to plant. It was believed that planting with “hungry belly” would result in a crop of flux (small under ripe) peas. When harvesting pigeon peas a pair of scissors was used to cut off the parts of the plant with the pods to be picked.

The plant would respond by producing a set of young leaves in the areas that were clipped and ultimately yielded a full second crop. There are people who continue this practice today.

When shelling the pigeon peas, care was taken so pea worms and half eaten or immature grains from the collection would not end up in the packages of shelled peas to be sold.

Whenever there was a horse racing meet on the island, racing fans who wanted to gamble would not shell peas before races because they said it would bring them bad luck. It is interesting that horse racing coincided with the pigeon peas season and the racing fans were mainly male.

Hunters were advised to follow the moon in the early morning to be guided to the location of tattoo and other game. Fishermen would look to the sky for the clouds called fish clouds. Their wavy shape was interpreted as an indication that there would be a bountiful supply of fish on that night. The best time to fish was said to be three days after the full moon. During the era of turtle fishing, the turtle hunters would look for the turtle star which, it was said, used to “bob up and down” in the sky guiding hunters to the location of turtles.

Despite reports by some colonial officials claiming the illnesses that plagued the African population on the island were caused by their penchant for consuming under-ripe fruits, there was strict adherence to fruit consumption regulations. Some fruit, such as the sapodilla, were only harvested when they were fully mature. The maturity test was to lightly scrape the skin with the fingernail. A green colour indicated the fruit was not ready for picking and a yellow tone meant the fruit was mature and ready for ripening. When picked for sale, sapodillas were washed and scrubbed with coconut fibre to remove the rough skin covering, dried and put to ripen. Traditionally, Tobagonians only consumed, sold or gifted washed, smooth ripened fruit.

Care was taken when harvesting bananas. The fruit would not be exposed to the sun because it was believed sun-heated fruit should not be eaten until the following day, after they had been left to cool off. Farmers who harvested bananas usually covered them with damp crocus bags.

Some fruits were not be to be eaten in the sun or when an individual had just come out of the sun. It was believed that fire bananas, the red variety, and ping wing would cause stomach pains if eaten in the sun, and mammee apple would cause liver damage. Alcohol drinkers were warned that a combination of whisky and mammee apple could be deadly.

When meals were being prepared, it was customary that cassava be boiled with salt or be eaten with something salty. As a result, cassava and salt fish or pig tail were among the popular dishes on the island. When boiling green figs a little oil would be added to the water to prevent the residue from the skins from sticking to the sides of the pot. They were not boiled with any other food item because they would cause the other item to become discoloured. Cucumbers or boiled eggs were never eaten at night time because they would “ride your stomach” (cause upset stomach).

The Tobago night time meal was usually very light – mainly bread and butter or fish with bush tea.

Planting, fishing, reaping and food preparation were guided by beliefs and practices considered to be in the best interest of the health and safety of the population. This was also reflected in the way land was used and the types of plants that were cultivated in yards, as will be discussed in the next column.