Tug-of-war in Tobago: Church vs Carnival

Dr Rita Pemberton

During the closing years of the 19th century, Tobago experienced a number of changes. In addition to the political change it mandated, union with Trinidad provided opportunities for several other changes which increased in intensity during the 20th century.

Among the change-drivers were returning migrants, who included those who saw duty during World I and those who went to Maracaibo, Venezuela; Curaçao; Grenada and Carriacou; Panama; and Trinidad.

Those Tobagonians who went to Curaçao and the Spanish-speaking countries returned with considerable savings which enabled them to take advantage of the sales of dormant sugar estates and purchase significant land holdings. Thus they affected the island’s land-owning patterns by increasing the number of black land-holders and the size of the holdings of this class.

Migrants from Grenada and Carriacou made an impact on both the economic and cultural sphere but the most significant impact came from Trinidad.

The Carnival culture, which was introduced to Tobago from Trinidad after the union of the two islands, made its first appearance in Scarborough during the last years of the 19th century. From the 1890s it stimulated dissension, with strong opposition from two main sources.

Firstly, it emphasised the divide between social groups. The upwardly mobile group distanced itself from the practice and as a result Carnival in Tobago began as a labouring-class affair which was initially integrated with some of the established musical traditions on the island. A custom of using local materials to produce costumes was established in these early carnivals.

However, the second factor, which was most influential, came from the established churches. Although, ironically, they were competing with each other to augment the size of their congregations (and with that labour and financial contributions), they were able to muster a unified frown upon the presence of Carnival on the island. They used the pulpit to wage war against Carnival by convincing their followers that Carnival elements such as stick-fighting, calypso and tamboo bamboo were contrary to the principles of the Christian church, in order to tug them away from practices to which they would be naturally inclined.

The resident missionary of the Anglican Church, who later became an archdeacon, was particularly vociferous in his incessant condemnation of “the evil practices” and urged Anglicans to resist participation in these despicable acts that came from Trinidad. He went further, saying Carnival celebrations in Tobago should be stopped.

These and other similar admonitions served to make some church members hesitant to participate in Carnival for fear of losing the privileges associated with church membership.

This put a damper on Tobago’s Carnival celebrations in Scarborough, which, after its initial introduction, entered a period of fluctuation between 1903 and 1920, and there were no celebrations at all from 1907-1909.

The first Carnival with organised bands took place in Scarborough in 1902, with the appearance of dressed-up characters who sang patriotic songs. The presentation grew the following year, when people from all parts of the island congregated to witness the parade of bands. Five bands, each with a king and queen and attractively costumed characters, paraded around the market square on Monday and on Tuesday.

After this, as a result of church-stimulated prejudice, interest in the Scarborough Carnival waned through to the 1920s. However, there were sporadic celebrations in communities such as Moriah, Charlotteville, Roxborough and Delaford, where the first Carnivals in the Windward area occurred. Some of Tobago’s early Carnival bands had chantwells and disguised bands, while others, like those in Scarborough, had no chantwells.

Despite the pressure imposed by the churches, Carnival became well established in Tobago by the 1940s and 1950s. This resulted from the increased number of returning migrants from Trinidad, particularly after World War I, and as a result of the input of individuals including George Leacock (Snr), Carl Sardina and Grenadian immigrants who had been involved in carnival in Grenada.

The bandleaders who produced mas on the island included, Wilton Nancis, Earnest Lyons (Beng) who also played King of the Bands, Errol Campbell, Wilma Bedlow, and later Gloria Stoute.

Music was provided by steelbands such as Symphony Stars, led by Wilton Nancis, which provided music for his band, and Rhythm Tigers, led by Neville Moraldo (Bassa), Boys Town and Harmony Hall from Speyside. A split in Symphony Stars resulted in the formation of Our Boys, led by Patrick Arnold and Lennard Nancis.

Subdued as it was compared to that in Trinidad, Carnival in Tobago was strong in its creativity. Continuing the tradition established in the incipient years, all costumes were made on the island with local materials. Papier mâché, glue from the cedar tree and the wire used in the construction of that essential piece of kitchen furniture, the safe, were used to create headpieces for the major bands, and roucou was the dye for disguise and for colouring costumes.

There were some outstanding characters in Tobago’s Carnival, some distinguished by the terror they inspired. There was not a Carnival without the devil mas, which was portrayed by Abyssinia Nichols, a very tall gentleman costumed totally in black, with his visible body parts totally blackened. He flicked his red tongue (which was coloured with roucou), through the space created by missing teeth, in stark contrast with his two elongated, fanglike whitened eye teeth and his jet-black face.

His was a realistic portrayal of many people’s image of the devil. Armed with a whistle, a forked stick and a receptacle for collecting money, and dragging the proverbial devil chain, he paraded through the communities around Scarborough beating the “Pay the devil” chorus while blowing his whistle and he stopped at every household to be paid. Such was the fear he instilled that many mortified children, hearing the approaching whistle, sought refuge under their parents’ beds.

Also terrifying were the jab jabs portrayed by Carnish Wolfe and “Sabooge” Sampson of Bacolet, whose menacing whips crackled on the ground.

Other popular portrayals in the Tobago Carnival included Wild Indians. JuJu Warriors, Apache Indians and Cowboys, The main mas players included Arnold Alleyne, Charlie Leith and Kurland Brooks.

By 1950, it became clear the churches had lost the tug of war they initiated with Carnival. While the population remained active in their churches, a growing number, including members of the upper class, was tugged in a different direction. Tobagonians embraced the Carnival culture, which was infused with its unique traditions.

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