Canboulay Riots Essay

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Introduction to Canboulay riots. Carne Vale or known as Carnival was more of a European tradition amongst the Roman Catholics and was celebrated from after Christmas till Ash Wednesday. Carne means flesh and vale means farewell, which means farewell to flesh as Lent arrives. Carnival was introduced to Spanish Trinidad by the French planters (who where Roman Catholics) that came to Trinidad during the Cedula of Population in 1738.With the combination of the French planters and the whites Carnival turned in to “contagious gaiety, brilliant verbal sally and comic buffoonery” (Besson, Gerard A.). The white folks and French planters (upper and middle class) would wear disguises and would dress like the African slaves, servants and garden laborers where they frolic on the streets or visit friends home to “fete”. No slaves were allowed to take place in this tradition unless a couple may have special permission not to enjoy Carnival but to entertain the white folks by singing or dancing. Cannes Brulées (burning cane) known as Canboulay was a procedure were slaves were marched to neighboring plantation to assist in extinguishing fire to the cane. When slavery was abolished on 1st August, 1834, the freed slaves celebrated with their own traditions. The Kalenda, a stick dance was a popular entertainment amongst the male slaves as this was part of their tradition. The Africans called their celebration Canboulay where they would dress up like their former masters and imitated their lifestyle and also they would mimic the treatment they endured during the time of slavery like being chained and whipped. They would parade in the streets with lighted touches (flambeaux) that led the march followed by the stick fighting which was accompanied by a lead “Chantwell” singer, dancing, playing of the goat skin drums, rattles, conch shells and horns. White folks retreated and didn’t like
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