Canboulay riots

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The Canboulay riots were a series of disturbances in the British colony of Trinidad in 1881 and 1884.[1][2] The riots came about in response to efforts by the colonial police to restrict aspects of the island's annual Carnival festival. In Port of Spain, San Fernando, and Princes Town, angered Trinidadians rioted in response to the actions of the police. Several people were killed as a result of the riots. Canboulay music forms an important part the musical traditions of Trinidad. The "chantwell" or chantuelle who was also an integral part of the celebrations was the forerunner of the calypsonian and later soca music.

Background[edit]

The annual Carnival in Trinidad dates back to the 18th century, when an influx of immigrants from the French West Indies emigrated to Trinidad in the 1780s in response to encouragement from the Spanish colonial government. These immigrants included French planters (both white and Mulatto) and free and enslaved Blacks. Both the white and Mulatto planters staged elaborate masquerade balls at Christmas as a "farewell to the flesh" before the season of Lent, with each group mimicking the other in their masks and method of entertainment.[3] Over time, the traditions of the Carnival were merged with another tradition introduced by French immigration- the calinda, a form of martial art accompanied by music and dancing. Trinidad was captured by the British in 1797, and in 1834, the British government passed the Slavery Abolition Act which outlawed slavery in the British Empire. Slavery was fully abolished in Trinidad by 1838, and the Carnival, hitherto restricted to the island's planters, became a tradition among Trinidad's emancipated slaves, who created the jammette (underclass) masquerade to participate in the festivities.[citation needed]

The emancipated slaves first celebrated their freedom on 1 August the anniversary of their emancipation but soon participated in Carnival instead. As part of this transformation, they started carrying burning sugarcane or cannes brulees (French for "burnt cane")[4]—soon called Canboulay. This tradition may have come from a pre-emancipation harvest festival which enslaved Africans in Trinidad had celebrated with drumming, singing, calinda dancing, chanting, and stick-fighting.[5][6][7][8] The name Canboulay may refer to the putting out of cane fires,[9][10] the pre-harvest cane burning for pest control,[11] or the burning of cane as an act of sabotage[12] during the time of slavery. Cane harvesting was a labor-intensive process, involving forced marches of slaved Enslaved Africans from neighboring plantations in order to more efficiently harvest the cane.[citation needed]

The carnival soon featured dancing by men and women in masks. The people would also gather in "kaiso" tents where a "chantwell" or lead singer would lead them in song to vent their feelings. Kaiso music has its origins in West Africa and was brought over by the enslaved Africans who (in the early history of the art form) used it to sing about their masters. Confrontations sometimes started in song duels between the chantwells, they often worsened to physical violence.[citation needed] Carnival was often marred by clashes between groups of revellers carrying sticks and lighted torches.[citation needed]

Riots (1881-1884)[edit]

The British colonial authorities disapproved of Canboulay because of its bacchanalian overtones, but the festival was popular with the majority of the population on the island. [citation needed] Captain Arthur Baker became the head of Trinidad's police force in the early 1880s and was determined to end Canboulay, which he perceived as a threat to public order. [citation needed]

In 1881, the colonial police force clashed with revellers in Port of Spain who had banded together against them due to their restrictions. This caused resentment amongst the general public in Trinidad who valued the festival despite the clashes. Due to the feelings of the population, Governor Sir Sanford Freeling confined police to barracks in order to calm down the situation. However, after Freeling was recalled in 1883, Baker sought to crack down on Canboulay in the southern cities of San Fernando and Princes Town during the carnival of 1884.[citation needed]

In January 1884, the colonial government passed the Peace Preservation Act, in an attempt to prevent violence breaking out during the Carnival. The Act prohibited public carrying of torches, drumming, blowing horns, and stick-fighting (or the assembly of ten or more people with sticks).[13] It also established the official start of Carnival as 6:00 A.M.[14][15]

In Princes Town, the masqueraders attacked the police station after magistrate Hobson decided to confine the police to barracks because the crowd was too large. After Hobson was felled with a stone, the police opened fire on the rioters killing a youth and seriously wounding two others causing the crowd to flee. There were also serious clashes between police and rioters in San Fernando during Carnival, with the police eventually being able to suppress the riots and restore order.[16]

Legacy[edit]

The Canboulay Riots are an important part of Trinidad's history. The riots are commemorated annually via a Canboulay reenactment which marks the start of Carnival.[17][18][19] The reenactment is sometimes held in the summer, as well, during the Caribbean Festival of Arts (Carifesta).[20]

Today, Canboulay music forms an important part of Carnival and the musical traditions of Trinidad. As a result of the prohibitions of Peace Preservation Act and riots, many new musical instruments were created. The tamboo bamboo was introduced in the 1890s as a substitute for the drums and sticks. Tamboo bamboo bands were formed, consisting of three different instruments, each cut from bamboo: boom, foulé, and cutter. The boom serves as the bass instrument, is usually about five feet long, and is played by stamping it on the ground. The foulé, which is a higher-pitched instrument, consists of two pieces of bamboo, each about a foot long, and is played by striking these pieces end to end. The cutter, which is the highest- pitched instrument in the ensemble, is made from a thinner piece of bamboo (of varying length) and is struck with a stick. These three types of instruments combined to beat out rhythms that accompanied the chantwells and were a staple of carnival celebrations for many years (they were gradually rendered obsolete by the steel band).[citation needed] The bottle-and-spoon joined drums as percussion instruments. In the 1930s, steel pans became widely used, and remain an integral part of Canboulay music contests.[citation needed]

References[edit]

  1. ^ Webb, Yvonne. "Canboulay riots in Sando this year". Trinidad Guardian. Retrieved 2024-05-29.
  2. ^ "Canboulay Riots to head to San Fernando". National Carnival Commission of Trinidad and Tobago. Retrieved 2024-05-29.
  3. ^ "'Mama Dis is Mas': A Historical Overview of the Trinidad Carnival, 1783 – 1900" Archived 2014-12-15 at the Wayback Machine National Library and Information System Authority
  4. ^ La Rose, Michael (2019). ""The City Could Burn Down, We Jammin' Still!": The History and Tradition of Cultural Resistance in the Art, Music, Masquerade and Politics of the Caribbean Carnival: Caribbean Quarterly". Caribbean Quarterly. 65 (4): 491–512. doi:10.1080/00086495.2019.1682348.
  5. ^ Cowley, John (1998). Carnival, Canboulay and Calypso: Traditions in the Making. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-0-521-65389-3.
  6. ^ "J'ouvert: Genesis Immersive Experience (booklet)" (PDF). City Lore. October 2022.
  7. ^ La Rose, Michael (2019). ""The City Could Burn Down, We Jammin' Still!": The History and Tradition of Cultural Resistance in the Art, Music, Masquerade and Politics of the Caribbean Carnival: Caribbean Quarterly". Caribbean Quarterly. 65 (4): 491–512. doi:10.1080/00086495.2019.1682348.
  8. ^ Riggio, Milla Cozart (2004-10-14). Carnival: Culture in Action – The Trinidad Experience. Routledge. ISBN 978-1-134-48780-6.
  9. ^ "Canboulay's freedom cry rings out on 50th Black Power anniversary | Loop Trinidad & Tobago". Loop News. Retrieved 2024-05-25.
  10. ^ Turner, Victor Witter; Bruner, Edward M. (1986). The Anthropology of Experience. University of Illinois Press. ISBN 978-0-252-01249-5.
  11. ^ Riggio, Milla Cozart (2004-10-14). Carnival: Culture in Action – The Trinidad Experience. Routledge. ISBN 978-1-134-48780-6.
  12. ^ Thomas, Cathy (2021). "Black Femme Rising: Cosplay and Playing Mas as New Narratives of Transgression". American Journal of Play. 13: 320–355. ISSN 1938-0399.
  13. ^ "Submits Ordinance No. 1 of 1884: Peace Preservation. To empower the Governor to prohibit the public carrying of lighted torches at the Carnival, and for the preservation of the peace. Proclamation approved". UK National Archives. Jan 30, 1884.
  14. ^ "Immigration and the Political Economy of Home". publishing.cdlib.org. Retrieved 2024-05-25.
  15. ^ Onyebadi, Uche (2022-09-06). Political Messaging in Music and Entertainment Spaces across the Globe. Volume 1. Vernon Press. ISBN 978-1-64889-471-8.
  16. ^ Anthony, Michael. "1881-4: Canboulay Riots".
  17. ^ Bartlett, Joey (2024-02-09). "Canboulay re-enactment thrills audience". Trinidad and Tobago Newsday. Retrieved 2024-05-29.
  18. ^ "Pictured: Kambule re-enactment heralds start of T&T Carnival 2024 | Loop Trinidad & Tobago". Loop News. Feb 9, 2024. Retrieved 2024-05-29.
  19. ^ "Canboulay Reenactment At Picadilly". Caribbean Communications Network. 2016-02-06. Retrieved 2024-05-29.
  20. ^ Philip, Dexter (2019-08-24). "Canboulay riots reenactment at Carifesta XIV". Trinidad Express Newspapers. Retrieved 2024-05-29.
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