Amerindians

The original inhabitants of the Caribbean islands, the Caribs and Arawaks. The Arawaks were wiped out after the arrival of Europeans but the Caribs survive up to this day in some areas.

Ash Wednesday

The first day of Lent when devout Christians begin fasting. Some people put ashes on their face to symbolise their humility before God.

Bass pan

Instrument in a steel band consisting of either tenor bass or low bass instruments in a group of 4.

Bat

A traditional Carnival costume. The wearer has to mimic the movements and facial features of a vampire bat (vampire bats live in Trinidad).

Bois

The wooden stick used in fighting.

Book Man

A traditional masquerade costume depicting a judge with a book, who writes down the names of the dead.

British colonial authorities

Trinidad was a British colony until 1962.

Burokeet

Traditional Carnival character in the form of a donkey costume.

Calypso

A type of song native to Trinidad in its musical form and rhythm, about the lives, struggles and loves of local people or about the failure of politicians. Calypsos often make serious political comment in the form of a song.

Calypso monarch competition

In which calypsonians compete against each other for the title, which is given to the winner (male or female).

Calypso tent

A shelter under which calypsonians and audiences gather for a performance. Originally makeshift, but now usually a permanent building.

Canboulay (Cannes brulées)

From the French for 'burning cane'. Canboulay is a celebration of the ending of slavery. People act out the times when slave masters drove enslaved Africans with whips from one plantation to another to put out fires on sugarcane estates. It used to be celebrated on 1st August, Emancipation Day, but was moved to coincide with the opening of Carnival (Jouvay q.v.).

Carnival

A street celebration involving music, masquerade and dance. It takes place in the Christian calendar immediately before Lent which involves 40 days of fasting leading up to Easter. Carnival in the Caribbean became associated with the celebrations of African Caribbean peoples at the ending of slavery and includes many African traditions.

Cello pan

Middle range pan, a musical instrument in the steelband often used to play chords to support the melody.

Chantwelles

Singers (always women) who sang traditional and praise songs and ribald ditties at dances.

Chromatic scale

The whole musical scale with all notes, as on a piano.

Chutney

A mixture of Indian musical style with Calypso. The songs often have lyrics in Hindi.

Cow head

A masquerade costume, which is African in origin as it depicts the animal, which was important in African farming

Creole

Local language of the Caribbean. In Trinidad it includes French, West African and Carib words mixed with English.

Damme Lorraine

Masquerade costume making fun of the clothing and behaviour of slave owners' wives.

Dimanche Gras

Literally means fat Sunday and is the Sunday before Lent when fatty food was consumed.

Double Second pan

The steelband with a similar set of notes to the double tenor pan but with a much deeper tone

Dragon Mas

A costume depicting a dragon. The person wearing this costume must be a very good dancer. Various beasts with tails and wings with chains attached to their waists may accompany him. They roll on the ground and writhe around.

Duppy

A ghost.

Emancipation

The ending of slavery and the beginning of freedom for the enslaved Africans.

Extempo

A Calypso made up on the spot, often sung about a topical matter or about rival calypsonians. Extempo can be very rude and critical and was used as a way of avoiding the censorship, which other Calypso often attracted.

Engungan

A masked festival from West Africa which celebrated the ancestors. Odun Engungan are celebrated in every region of Yoruba land. Engungan means masquerade and is always identified with masquerade for the ancestors who continue to influence the lives of the living. There is rich variation in costume and ritual. Some masqueraders are thought to bear the spirit of ancestors, others are designed to entertain through clowning, imitation and dancing. There is an Engungan Mas on display at the Horniman Museum. The information book says "Yoruba concepts of dance and masquerade remain an important element in Caribbean carnival".

Fascist

A racist person or group following Hitler's ideas

Festival of Britain

In 1951 a big festival was held in London to celebrate British and British Commonwealth industry and post war production.

Firemen Mas

Masquerades dressed in elaborate and fanciful firemen costumes.

Flag woman/flag dance

A woman dances in front of each competing steelband carrying a banner or flag announcing the band and the name of the tune they are playing and providing further entertainment for the audience.

Flambeaux

Lighted torches carried in night time processions

Griot

A highly respected member of West African communities who acts as community historian and news commentator.

Gown man

A traditional masquerader depicting a figure of authority.

Grass or Straw Mas

Masquerader dressed in straw or grass - West African in origin.

Guitar pan

There can be double or triple guitar pans in a steel band and they have an average of 20 notes.

High Life (or Hi Life)

A West African dance style music influenced by Calypso that is popular in Nigeria and Ghana.

Hosay

An Indian religious festival also associated with playing of drums. The colonial authorities also banned these drums.

Indenture

A period of semi slavery in which labourers are contracted to work for a number of years before they are released from their contract. The British brought Indians to Trinidad under this indenture system.

Indian (Fancy Indian)

Masquerade depicting the elaborate feathered costumes associated with different Native American Indian nations. Native Americans (Caribs and Arawaks) were the original inhabitants of Caribbean Islands.

Jab Jab

A traditional masquerade depicting the Devil (from French diable). There are many kinds of devils, e.g. Blue Devils, Jab Molassi (smeared with blue and black respectively), Red Devils, etc.

Jouvay (J'ouvert, Jour Ouvert)

Literally 'open day' - the opening day of Carnival which begins at 2am on Monday morning and ends in the daylight. Associated with wearing of many traditional Mas costumes.

Ju-ju/Zulu Warrior

Traditional Mas depicting famous African warriors.

Junkenoo (or Jonkanoo or John Canoe)

Jamaican carnival held around Christmas time.

Kaiso

The original name for Calypso thought to derive from a Hausa word meaning praise.

Kalenda

In stick fighting special songs encouraging the fighters.

Lavue (Lavway)

Traditional call and response songs often sung by women.

Lucifer

Another name for the Devil.

Mardi Gras

Literally 'fat Tuesday' - the Tuesday of carnival - when the main street celebrations take place. This is the last day of the carnival festival which stops abruptly in time for Ash Wednesday. In Britain it is called Shrove Tuesday and pancakes are traditionally eaten and games played in the street.

Mas camp

Where costumes are made and bands organised up to a year before carnival.

Masquerade

Often shortened to 'Mas' - is the costume aspect of carnival involving dressing up in elaborate, beautiful, simple, scary, funny or disgusting disguises.

Midnight Robber

Masquerader dressed in huge cowboy style hat, with cloak and gun who challenges passers by and forces them to listen to long and boasting speech about his character and deeds and will only release them on payment of money. The language is mocking the exaggerated style of pompous English officials.

Military Mas

Mas depicting soldiers and sailors with exaggerated and highly decorated uniforms.

Moko Jumbie

Masquerade which is African in origin meaning a ghost on stilts.

Mockery

Behaviour which copies someone else in order to make fun of them.

Negre Jardin

Traditional masquerade making fun of the white masters who dressed up and blacked their faces in carnival to act out being black.

Orisha

Means god in Yoruba language. It is the name of the religion people descended from the Yoruba in the Caribbean and Brazil.

Pagan

Those religious practices that were celebrated before Christianity and which still survive in many cultural and religious forms.

Pan

The usual name for the steel drum. The instrument was invented in Trinidad in the 1930's and made from empty oil drums. It was refined many times over the rest of the century and has become an international musical instrument capable of playing many styles of music.

Pan yards

Where steelband practice for the carnival festival every night in the period leading up to carnival.

Panorama

Steelband competition held once a year.

Pitchy Patchy

Traditional Carnival costume in Jamaican Junkenoo. The costume consists of pieces of colourful cloth torn into bits and sewn onto a vest and trousers. See also Pierrot Grenade.

Play Mas

Means to take part in a carnival band in costume. Also means to join in and enjoy the carnival.

Poui

A tree that has pink or yellow flowers. The wood from the tree makes good sticks.

Road march

The Calypso tune that most bands choose to dance to in carnival wins the Road march competition.

Rapso

A song which is a mixture of rap and Calypso.

Shango

One of the most important Yoruba gods in traditional African religion.

Shrove Tuesday

The Tuesday before the beginning of Lent. Associated with eating, drinking and festivities. Pancake Day in Britain.

Sound system

The combination of a D. J., speakers and amplifiers who tour clubs and outdoor music events such as Carnival. Each sound system develops its own style and type of music and a group of loyal fans.

Satire

Language which uses humour as a form of sharp criticism.

Slavery

A system in which one group or person legally owns another person. Slaves have no freedom to go or live where they want or with whom they want. They are forced to work for their masters without pay and were often treated very cruelly.

Soca

A fast version of Calypso associated with dance tunes

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Steelpan combo

A small group (combination) of steel pan players.

Stick fight

Fight between two men with long sticks. Traditional in both African and Indian cultures.

Tamboo Bamboo

Percussion band using lengths of cut bamboo cane to make the different notes when struck on the ground or with a stick.

Tassa Drum

An Indian drum which is often held around the neck and played with hands or stick.

Teddy boys

Gangs of working class young men who dressed in a particular way and were often associated with street violence (cf skinheads today).

Tenor pan

The steel pan that has the highest pitch sometimes called the Ping Pong, and which carries the tune. The double tenor pan consists of two instruments tuned one octave lower than the tenor pan.

V.E.Day

Victory day at the end of the second World War.

Yoruba

An African people with a strong civilisation who originally came from West Africa (Nigeria, Benin, Ivory Coast, Cameroon, Congo, and Zaire). Many Yoruba were seized as slaves.