The unique village of Culloden

Dr Rita Pemberton

Nestled between Culloden Bay and the villages of Seaview, Mt Thomas and Golden Lane, the village of Culloden was one of four communities which developed after Emancipation on land previously part of the Culloden estate. Culloden developed on a track which veered off the main road between the other three settlements.

This village presents an unusual weave of history which is reflected in its place names and the practices of its inhabitants.

The Scottish-owned estate was named after a village in Scotland and reflects the prevalence of Scottish estate owners in Tobago during the British establishment of plantations after 1763.

This Scottish district featured in the wars for the British, and was the scene of Jacobite (a radical French-supported group) attempt by James Edward Stuart to obtain the throne of England, Ireland and Scotland for the exiled Stuart dynasty in 1715.

The area called Killiecrankie is a very steep, uninhabited area in Old Culloden, between Culloden and Arnos Vale, named after a district in Scotland with similarly rugged terrain which was also the scene of a brutal battle of the Jacobins in 1689.

The name hints at the plantation owner’s loyalties and helps to explain the heavy Scottish presence among plantation owners in Tobago: it was the practice for those defeated in the wars to be sent to the colonies, where they could pose no further threat to the British royal family.

This village possesses some very interesting place names. There is a Majuba Hill, reminiscent of the disastrous British defeat in the 1881 first Boer War in South Africa, and Coco Gully carries the African name for the calabash, in an area where the plant is prolific. Sandy Hill is believed by some to be named after the enslaved man who led the quest for freedom at Courland and other estates in November 1770.

The prominence of female street names in the village is also very striking. The entry to Culloden is at Salt Fish Junction, which leads to Sandy Hill Road. Along this road are several street markers unofficially named by the villagers after the women of the area, who were usually at home during the day, when the menfolk attended their gardens. The first street marker is Belle Allen Street, which leads to Christiana Hill, Alphosene Flat, up Katie Hill, Audrey and Winne Hill, Evena Flat and Belle Hamlet.

At the end of the village is the lone street with a male name. Smith Hill was named after the man who worked his garden at the end of the road to Culloden Bay.

Also named after women are the areas which were used to carry out traditional funerary practices. Ma Lucy Bay, on one side, and Washer Woman Bay, on the other end of Culloden Bay, were used for washing in the deathbed rites. At a distance from Washer Woman was Pickaree Bank Hill, an area known to be the home of the wild pig (peccary).

One interesting geographical feature of Culloden is an area where, during low tide, the retreating sea leaves a number of small ponds called Peas Grain, at Culloden Point. These ponds are popular bathing areas between the rocks; one is named Bacchus Pond after someone who drowned in the area. Fishermen also obtain small fish to use as bait from these ponds.

This village developed in isolation. Until the 1960s, the roads, which were tracks, could not accommodate vehicular traffic, and villagers had to walk to Golden Lane to get transport to other parts of the island. For this agricultural community, the round-the-island boat was a welcome connection with the rest of the island. This event is celebrated by resident calypsonian Tobago Crusoe, in his account of the first voyage of the Kennet around Tobago.

None of the western religious groups in Tobago established a presence in Culloden, and as a result, there were no schools in the area. Children attended school in Les Coteaux and, since the 1970s, in Golden Lane.

The spiritual life of the community was provided by the two Baptist churches in the village and others some distance away: the Spiritual Baptist Church in Mt Thomas, the Moravian church in Moriah and the Anglican church in Les Coteaux.

Life in the village was dominated by tradition best symbolised by the venerated silk cotton tree which served as a centre of spiritualism and cultural life. The tree, said to be over 100 years old, was believed to house the spirits of the ancestors, and was the site for communing with them to ask for favours and to seek advice. Based on the folklore, this is the tree from which Gang Gang Sarah took flight in her attempt to return to her homeland in Africa, but fell to her death because she had consumed salt.

The life of the community revolved around the tree, because it was believed to possess medical powers. Many ventured there to find cures and resolutions to their problems. The reel dance was performed to invoke the ancestral spirits expected to provide these solutions.

This tree, which was an important tourist attraction, was uprooted during heavy rains in December 2020.

The villagers of Culloden held on to their African, particularly Ghanaian, cultural traditions, which helped to create strong bonds within the community, which were demonstrated by treating everyone as family. Adult males were called Bro and women Ti.

Isolation dictated that the village operated as a self-supporting unit. The villagers supported each other through len’ han’, still practised in present-day home construction in the area.

Because of lack of medical services, the community was dependent on the midwife services provided by TA Leith, and herbal healers like Ivrit. Other services were provided by Mr Dan the shoemaker, Ti Bud the village baker and Harold Balfour, the village tailor. Miss Chrissy ran the only shop, and other items had to be sourced from Golden Lane and transported to the village by box carts.

The hilly terrain did not offer much scope for sporting activity, which was not a central feature of community activity; but music, song and dance were important. Van Dyke ran the village choir and Albert Bacchus controlled singing meetings, which were held to mark the nine days, forty days and first anniversary after a death.

The village is famous for its tambrin bands, and one of the most famous was the one led by the talented Benjamin Phillip. Entertainment also included storytelling, calypso and folk songs and African-influenced music and dances.

Though Scottish in name, Culloden, with its unique history, is distinctly African in nature.