HISTORY OF THE HILLS (The Journey from Drums to Steelpan) I

The drums have long held an important steeple in Afro Trinidadian culture. It was one of the few traditions the slave were able to retain after slavery stripped them from the motherland and forced them to discard their culture, religion and rituals. 

On July 31, 1834 as the stroke of the clock herald in a new day, it ushered with it the end of slavery in Trinidad. On August 1st, no longer bondage, ex-slaves celebrated their freedom by re-enacting “Cannes Brulees” the French burning of the canes festival. To these ex-slaves, “Cannes Brulees”, soon to be Canboulay, to these ex-slaves a symbolised their liberty from plantation life, and all the evils that came with it. To them, Canne Brulee represented the dawn of a new era. To celebrate their freedom, the ex-slaves would turn to the drum.

Fearing revolts, the ruling class soon banned the August 1st Canboulay celebrations. Ironically, it was this ban that caused the the ex-slaves, with the tenacity of freed men, to protest forcing the ruling class to reconsider. Thus, on August 1st 1884, the ex-slaves were once again allowed to hold their Canboulay celebrations. Still fearing insurrection, the beating of drums were banned as they believed the Africans would use it to communicate their coded messages. However, in the hills of Laventille, where there the Shango religion strived, the Africans were openly resistant and continued with their drumming, a vital part of their rituals. 

Re-enaction of the Canboulay Riots

The people of Laventille, the driving force behind the Canboulay celebrations, unable to bring their drums, turned to the tamboo bamboo instrument, “tambour” being the French word for drum, to accompany their celebrations. They quickly learned that the constant hitting of the bamboo on the ground necessary to produce the drum like sounds, causes several injuries to the “drummer”, and the bamboo itself, ill suited for this type of pounding, split easily. They would need another instrument.

(To Be Continued In Next Post)

N.B Much of the information obtained for this post, including the quotation in the last came from the following website: http://www.steelisland.com/history.asp