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The Introduction.
The following blog posts will discuss my view on the statement “All Ah We Is One”. This statement when translated to standard english means ‘all of us are one”. Using the topics of Caribbean folklore, the various carnival festivals within the region as well as cricket, more specifically the West Indies Cricket Team, to aid in the explanation of why I do believe that ‘all ah we is one’ as Caribbean people.

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Folklore is described by the Cambridge dictionary as the traditional stories, beliefs and customs of people. Within the Caribbean we have various traditional stories which stood the test of time and survived through the tradition of storytelling into contemporary Caribbean Life. Caribbean folklore contains elements from each ancestral group which inhabited the lands.Caribbean Folklore: A Handbook by Donald R. Hill explains this point by saying,  “The narrative of Caribbean culture consists of the lives of Creoles, Asians, American Indians, and others. Collectively, these people create and re-create lifeways that permeated by a serendipitous body of folklore.” (Hill pg 1) It also adds that Anthropologists view myths as the keystone of folk narrative that deals with the supernatural origin of the world and a people's place in it. (Hill pg 15) As a result of the Caribbean’s colonial history or past, english speaking and even french speaking Caribbean territories share various folktales. Anancy stories are told across the Caribbean in countries like Jamaica, Grenada, St.Lucia, the Virgin Islands, Suriname and even the Netherland Antilles. “Anancy'' may have been referred to by various names within the mentioned territories however he remained a fictional ‘spider-man’ or ‘spider’. Folktales of La Diablesse, Mama Dlo, Papa Bois and the Soucouyant were told in countries such as Trinidad and Tobago, St.Lucia, Guyana and Grenada.  In Guyana, the Soucouyant is referred to as the ‘Ole Higue’. As seen before, despite the name being different in various Caribbean countries, it is the same character. This is also seen in the case of the “Churail’ or “Churile” in Guyana ,which is a tale of the evil spirit of a woman who died while pregnant or during childbirth and haunts pregnant woman and newborn babies, and Mama Malade in Grenada as well as Trinidad. “..often, single elements of the myth would be related in folktales, proverbs and other short segments … If a myth is told as a narrative. Every storyteller has his version of the myths, and people from different villages or different cultures would have different versions, often ones that favoured them…” (Hill pg 16) This helps us see why the names of characters may be different in other Caribbean countries. However, predominantly english speaking countries such as Grenada, St.Lucia, Guyana and Trinidad still relay stories of characters with names of a french origin as seen in the case of Mama Dlo, Papa Boi and La Diablesse. Folklore helps us see that despite being separated by bodies of water as well as language barriers in the case of French speaking territories, Dutch, Creole, etc that we are still connected.

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These are illustrations that I drew of a Soucouyant to the left and La Diablesse on the right.

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This is a link where information and stories about Caribbean Folklore characters can be found.

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Caribbean Folktales, or 'Crick Crack Stories' ( Creighton. A., Stabroek News, 2009) are the essence of Caribbean culture. The stories may not be shared as they once were, but they are bound up in the breath and cadence of the islands, understood implicitly by those from there, the subtext to all that there is.

Traditionally, Rhythmically, a 'Crick Crack' storytelling holds to the African root. A griot (the Compere) and a chorus (the audience) who participate in the telling with questions and comments that colour and shape the 'tory. Many of the characters originate from west African culture, but the stories also hold true to European , East Indian and Taino folk traditions. The Lajabless for example is clearly a refection of 'Ciguapa' the Taino's 'beautiful woman beast with long hair and cow's feet' ( Untold Origins Exhibition, Cuming Museum, 2004 - 2005.)

Of course chorus participation today is not as it was, but it is there in the way Caribbeans speak, listen, watch. And a traditional Caribbean folktale, everyone knows, still begins with the Compere announcing his story by shouting "Crick!" to which the chorus response is always, "Crack!".

And so, with the "Crick-Crack" completed, the story unfolds.

Ananse is the best known character of Caribbean stories, and in the Caribbean he is a spider. Ananse hails from West Africa where he was once the trickster god. But he is no longer a god. Kidnap, enslavement and hunger reformed Ananse and to survive he became half-man, half-spider. In Caribbean tales he is either a lazy con-man or a tricky spider. The consummate survivor, he uses stories, wit, tricks, lies and wiles to ensure that he always gets the most out of the least.

Devious, Ananse may be, shameless, yes, irresponsible, definitely, but always admired for his ability to land on his feet, to survive his lowly and powerless position, to make opportunity out of chance. Across the islands, if a story is a lie or a tall-tale then, 'Is a'nanse story,' people say, dismissively.

Papa Bwa is the father of the forest. An African/French hybrid he is called by many names, including "Maître Bois" (master of the woods), father wood, and "Daddy Bouchon" (hairy man). Hunters' stories say that he is sometimes a deer, sometimes a tree, sometimes an old man in ragged clothes. Always very old, he is also always very strong , with cloven hoofs, like a deer, and leaves growing out of his beard. He is the protector of the animals and the guardian of the trees.

In many stories Papa Bwa lures hunters deep into the bush and then leaves them lost. Or some say, he makes a ruthless hunter pay the fine of being married to Mama Glo for all eternity - trapped forever, in the muddy depths of the river.

ADVICE 'If you should meet with Papa Bois, be very polite. - Bon jour, vieux Papa - or - Bon Matin, Maître - should be your greeting. If he pauses to pass the time with you, stay cool, and do not look at his feet.' (islandmix.com, empressdududalin, 2005)

Dwens (douens) are the lost souls of children who died very young or were still-born. Hoop-hoop-hoop, hoop-hoop. They are thought to be of West African Ibo, origin. Small children doomed to roam the earth forever, living in forests, swa

mps and near rivers. They are usually naked, though they wear big, broad-brimmed hats that hide the fact that, except for a small mouth, they have no face.

If you see a lost child in the forest you know they're a dwen by their awkward gait and backwards feet - the heels facing front. The old people say that you must never shout a child's name in open spaces because the dwens will learn the name and call to the child, stealing them away into the forest. Sometimes, late at night dwens venture into villages crying and whimpering outside of windows. Hoop-hoop-hoop, hoop-hoop.

Mam Glo is the mother of the river with the long, long, long hair and golden comb. She probably originates from the African Orisha goddess, Oshun. Instead of legs Mama Glo has the beautiful tail of a fish or some say a snake. It is believed that she is Papa Bwa's lover, and with him guards the forest, its rivers and its streams. If anyone is found destroying or disrespecting the forest, they could find themselves drawn into the river and drowned, or worse, married to Mama Glo for eternity.

In the quiet of the forest, the river is a mirror, reflecting the trees and the sky, and for a moment a beautiful face shimmers under the surface, and then, in a ripple, is gone. Country folk talk of the cracking sound from deep in the bush - her tail, slapping a still, mountain pool. You might come upon her, sitting on a rock at the edge of the river, combing her long, long hair, silently singing as the sun. Your footsteps alert her and in a blink, she is not there.

But she doesn't like to be seen and will punish anyone who disturbs her. So the old people advise; if you meet Mama Glo unexpectedly, take off your left shoe, turn it upside down and walk away backwards, as quickly as you can.

Lajabless or La Diablesse (she devil) is an old crone. She is also a seductress, who only shows herself on the night of a full moon. She wears the traditional Dominican dress - full white petticoats topped with a colourful skirt of greens, reds and yellows, a white bodice, probably laced, a shawl around her shoulders, matching colourful headscarf, hanging gold ear-rings and often a broad hat.

Lajabless waits on lonely roads, appearing as a young and beautiful woman, in the moonlight. She lures unsuspecting men deep into the forest. But her full white petticoats hide her secret; the cloven hoof. Some stories have her leading the man over a cliff-top to be swallowed up by the sea. Others have her lead him to the seashore where a wave engulfs and drowns him.

A blend of French, Taino and African folklore, it is thought that Lajabless was born in Martinique and travelled throughout the Caribbean on French ships.

Soucouya

( Soucouya: Soucouyantˌ suːkuːˈjɒ̃/ noun 1. (in Caribbean folklore) a malignant witch believed to shed her skin by night and suck the blood of her victims. en.oxforddictionaries.com)

Soucouya is a shapeshifter. Also known as Ole Higue , by day she is an old woman, a recluse who lives on the edge of the town or village. At night, she sheds her skin, and flies, as a ball of fire across the sky. She is reminiscent of The Adze, an organ eating vampire from Ghana and Togo, that appears as a firefly, but if captured reverts to human form.

In Caribbean villages, people talk of seeing a flame swooping round trees or darting up a lane. She can slip easily through key-holes, under doors or past the crack of an unlatched window. Then she finds her victim and sucks their blood as they sleep - from their arms, legs, stomach, back, anywhere that is soft or meaty. She can return, night after night until, covered in bruises, hollow-eyed and ashen, the victim becomes a soucouya themselves, or dies, leaving their skin behind for her to assume.

In some islands they say that a soucouya trades the victims' blood with a demon that lives in the silk cotton tree. All agree that when she sheds her skin, she hides it in a mortar that she secrets away. It is difficult to say who is a soucouya, but there is one way to expose her. Heap rice in the middle of the road, because she is compelled to stop and collect every grain, one grain at a time. When dawn breaks, she will still be bound to her task and irrefutably revealed. But to destroy her, you have to find the hidden mortar or calabash where she hides her skin and pour some coarse salt into it. When she sheds her skin and stashes it inside, the skin burns up and the soucouya perishes.

Lagahoo

Lagahoo is the sound of chains rattling down the road at the dead of night. The sound of a cat crying in the darkness, or a pig squealing from the distant bush. He is mostly in Trinidad or Haiti. He's a shapeshifter; man by day, whatever form he wants by night - some say a headless man or dog. He roams the night dragging a coffin of souls behind him by large chains wrapped round his waist. Atop the coffin are three lighted candles that flicker in the gloom. As he approaches you will see him flicking the whip-like cluster of sticks in his hand. Lagahoo feeds on the blood or liver of any animal or man that crosses his path. Some stories claim that he is an obeah man who sold his soul to the devil for power.

Lagahoo is a blend of the European werewolf (Lou-garou) and the African Bowakazi or Ilimu that attacks livestock and can change form day or night. Lagahoo can make himself as small as a bush rat or as large as a giant dog.

Old people say, that if you want to see Lagahoo without being seen, you have to take the 'yampee' from a dog's eye, put it in your eye and peep through a key-hole at midnight. It is very difficult to defeat Lagahoo. The only known way is with holy water or holy oil. You must capture Lagahoo and beat him for nine days with a long stick that is anointed with the holy water/oil. After nine days of beating, while Lagahoo changes into all the animals he's ever shifted into, he will vanish into the early morning mist.
To signal the end of the story, the Compere concludes his tale.

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FOLKTALES noun: folktale (plural folktales) 1. A tale or story that is part of the oral tradition of a people or a place. https://en.m.wiktionary.org/wiki/folktale 2. A characteristically anonymous, timeless, and placeless tale circulated orally among a people. https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/folktale CARIBBEAN FOLKTALES Caribbean Folktales, or 'Crick Crack Stories' (Creighton.

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Further Information on Caribbean Folklore Characters

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Further Information on Caribbean Folklore Characters

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http://www.bestcaribbeanholidays.com/index.pl/article?id=526314 Jamaican Folklore

Anancy: Anancy, the spiderman, is of the Ashanti culture (Ghana). He is legendary for his trickery and cunning. Every Jamaican has memories of Anancy stories being told by some elder family member or friend. From Anancy and Dawg to Pig an Long-Mout. He can be God-like, being the reason why pig mout long, why rat live inna hole.... But Anansi can be a human figure, not only cunning, lazy, envious, and greedy, but also wickedly accurate about the pretensions of others.
Jonkonnu: Jonkonnu, a celebratory pageant which dates back to the days of slavery. Colourful Jonkonnu troupes usually perform in communities at Christmas time. However, they are seen less frequently nowadays. The characters, typically played by men in costume, include Pitchy Patchy (bits of coloured cloth cover the dancer from head to foot), Horse, Cow, House, the Devil, Bellywoman (Pregnant woman), Policeman, Actor Boy. They dance to the beat of drums (gumbay, congo) and other instruments like the bango, fife, and kitchen grater.

Gran' Market: Gran' Market, a community fair featuring plenty of food, crafts, street dance and music, is held just prior to Christmas. Like Jonkonnu, it is a tradition from the days when slaves were given time off at Christmas and they celebrated in the town square. Similar markets are now held before holidays like New Year's Day, Easter and Independence Day. Everyone comes to town for Gran' Market, even the elderly who are normally housebound. People meet, greet, purchase foods for the holidays, and enjoy themselves all day and, oftentimes, all night long.

Obeah: Obeah. Guzzu. Witchcraft, black magic, white magic or religion? To Jamaicans, it is a combination. To older rural Jamaicans, it is as real as the earth. The younger urban population regard it lightly. Everyone, though, has heard of somebody working obeah on someone else. And how you have to careful nuh fi eat from certain people. An' how yu need a bush bath now an' den. An' which obeahman have de good oil fi different tings. An' which duppy fi set pan who,....

Kumina: Kumina is an African-derived religious ritual practiced by sects such as the Pukumina or Pocomania. During Kumina, bands of people 'travail' in the spirit. With an intensifying frenzy, they dance in a circle to the sound of drumbeats and chanting. At the climax, the singing stops and dancers seem to be possessed by spirits. In this state, they give messages, warnings and other portent revelations.

Dinky-mini: Dinky-mini is a group dance and song ritual held to cheer the family of a dead person. Dinky-minis, African-derived traditions, were an integral part of the mourning process in rural communities. Nowadays, however, dinky-minis are performed mainly at cultural stage shows.

Digging songs & Folksongs: Folksongs tell the story of life's happening. They tell of the history of a people. The building of the Panama Canal- '1-2-3-4 Colon man a come' ; World War II- 'Fan me, soldier man fan me'; Timeless worries- 'Shine-eye girl is a trouble to a man, cause she want everyting'. Digging songs, worksongs of the farm or plantation, enabled slaves to communicate while under the watchful eyes of the overseer and also helped to lighten the work. This tradition has been retained by subsistence farmers working each others field (grung') and swinging their hoes in unison. A lead singer sets the pace and the others respond in a chorus. Many digging songs have common masculine like nagging wives; (Lead) 'Woman is a people, (chorus) 'grumble too much'. Other manual labourers, like river rafters, have adopted the tradition- 'We'll be rafting down the Rio Grande, uh huh, uh huh'.
Guyanese Folklore
Bacoo: A spirit of small stature that pelts stones at houses and moves objects within a house. He is supposed to live on banana and milk. Stories abound of the existence of bacoos in Georgetown and other areas in Guyana. Could have come from Surinam and are said to be trapped in a corked bottle unless released. Active mainly at night, it is said that a satisfied bakkoo will answer the wishes of its owner. 'Baku' in many West African languages means 'little brother' or 'short man'. It also is related to the word the word 'bacucu' meaning 'banana'. In West Africa, the short races (such as the pygmies) were believed to have magical powers. This seemed to have been brought to Guyana, where the short races, or 'bakus', were still regarded as having magical powers.

Cumfa: A possession dance of West African origin; a dance characterized by the possession of spirits summoned by the drumming known among the Ndjukas of Surinam. In the 1930's in Charlestown, Georgetown, the Cumfa Dance as practiced there (La Penitence, Albouystown and Charlestown) was characterized by 4 main features - (1) the dancers danced barefoot on broken bottles scattered on the ground (2) they lighted a piece of wood and pushed the lighted fire into their mouths (3) plunging into the trench water under a high tension of elation (4) some of the spectators would often be possessed by spirits and stagger, like the mentally insane, and butt their heads on the ground. It is said that the Cumfa ceremony grew out a dance of praise to King O'Cumfa on the Congo River. The African ancestors of the slaves used to worship him for days and nights by the river.

Ob eah: In Guyana the practice emerges as (1) the religious rites of certain traditional African mysteries brought to South America and the Caribbean by the slaves and frowned upon by slave owners as devil-worship and calling up spirits from the dead. (2) The rites attached to poisoning, administered in secret by slaves on their European masters, in a deeply motivated urge to freedom or (3) spells against other slaves for money, or to gain love, or in revenge for wrong, real or imagined. Obeah men or women were often individuals with powerful personalities and with a desire to dominate, who used a paraphernalia of materials for the purpose of harming others e.g. a compound of dirt from a human grave and the blood of a black cat mixed with a paste and kept in a goat's horn, a dried frog, the tail of a pig, feathers from a white sensa fowl, various herbs to induce trances, etc. In Guyana legal history, many murder cases involving obeah have been tried to the amazement and terror of a partly superstitious populace. In recent times, the Prime Minister of Guyana stirred regional emotion by removing certain laws involving obeah from the statute books.

Ole Higue: The story is that the ole higue, the Guyanese form of a human vampire, capable of discarding her skin takes the form of an old woman living in a community. At night she transforms herself into a ball of fire, flies from her own house up into the sky and then lands on the roof of another house where there is a baby in a cradle underneath a sheet whose blood she will suck dry and then go home. The suspicions of the community are soon aroused and the school children cry "ole higue" at her; they make chalk marks, on the bridge to her house, the door, the jalousie window. But the legend goes that she crosses these marks bravely. Then the community sets a trap. When the ole higue flies abroad another night she finds that the baby in the cradle is clothed in a blue night gown. There is a heap of rice grains near to the cot and the smell of asfoetida. These cast a spell on the ole higue who has to count the grains of rice, and if she loses her way, she has to start counting again. The light of morning comes and the ole higue still has not finished counting the grains of rice. People burst into the room pick up cabbage broom and begin to belabour the ole higue. They beat her to death, with great emotion "You gwine pay for your sins before you die" they say.

Queh Queh: Pre-nuptial dances and songs bordering on the sensuous from West Africa rehearse the bride's part and a help to prepare her for the future -'Lend me our mortar" is one of the queh queh songs. Some of the songs inclued "Oman a Heavy Load", "Gal you glorious marnin come", "Buy me lova wan shut, Me go wash am." These dances and songs often end in sessions of wild abandon.

Tocouyaha: Monster in river opposite Timehri Airport. It is supposed to be found in the deeps of the Waratilla Creek opposite Timehri. In an answer to a signal from a macaw this monster rises from below to attack the occupants of any boat which happens to be passing. This is an Amerindian belief and they say bubbling water can be seen over the spot where the monster is located.

Kanaima: The spirit of vengeance or justice believed in by Amerindians. Death is caused by a knot in the intestines or in some mysterious fashion. Also a person who carries out acts of vengeance.

Makanaima: The Great Spirit of many Amerindian tribes. The Amerindian legend of the Patamona tribe has it that Kaie, one of the tribe's great old Chieftains, after whom Kaieteur is named, committed self-sacrifice by canoeing himself over the falls in order that Makonaima, the great spirit, would save the tribe from being destroyed by the savage Caribisi.

Churail: Churail (or Churile) is supposed to be the evil spirit of a woman who had died in childbirth. She haunts pregnant women and attacks women and and newborn children. It is also a vampire-like creature of East Indian origin.

Dai Dai: Amerindian spirit of the forests who protects the gold and diamond treasure - short, squat, resembles a moving tree.

Fairmaid: Female water spirit - fed by food without salt - left on foreshore, edge of trenches.

Jumbie: Generic term given to a spirit, ghost or any sort of supernatural being.

Masacouraman: Powerful spirit of rivers - he pulls down into the water at rapids, the boats carrying pork knockers into the bush.

Moongazer: Tall, white and misty figure in legend, habitually gazing at the moon. May kill children. Unusually tall person.

In Trinidad & Tobago, the roots of many of the folklore legends can be found in the animist traditions of West Africa, from where thousands of slaves came during the colonial era. Other ethnic groups, such as the Europeans, Hindu and Muslim East Indians, brought their religions but, for the most part, left their folklore behind. In Africa, where animist beliefs imbued trees, wildlife and the forces of nature with supernatural significance, religion and superstition were, to a large extent, synonymous and thus, both were transported effortlessly accross the Atlantic into the New World.
The folklore of Trinidad & Tobago, therefore, is one rich in colour, humour and grotesquerie. The best concoctions from the most imaginative would find significant difficulty in trying to beat it. Couched in the terms of the French-Creole (Patois), for most slaves arrived with the French planters and were therefore french-speaking, the characters that inhabit these darker reaches of our collective imagination run the gamut from seductive to surreal.

PAPA BOIS: Papa Bois, the Father of the Woods, is known by a wide range of names, including 'Maitre bois' (Master of the Woods) and 'Daddy Bouchon' (Hairy Man). He has the ability to appear in many different forms, sometimes as a deer, sometimes hairy and, though very old, extremely strong and muscular, with cloven hoofs, leaves growing out of his beard and small horns sprouting from his forehead. As the guardian of the animals and the custodian of the trees, he is known to sound a cow's horn to warn his friends of the approach of hunters and is highly intolerable of wanton hunters who kill and destroy without reason. Offenders beware! Papa Bois has been know to lead hunters deep into the forest, leaving them lost or perhaps compelling them to pay a fine of some sort, such as to marry 'Mama Dlo'.

SOUCOUYANT: Essentially a merging of the witch and vampire, the Soucouyant, or "Old Hag", is usually a lonely, anti-social old woman living on the outskirts of a village. At night, she sheds her skin and transforms into an animal, bird or her customary form - a ball of fire - and flies through the night in search of a victim's blood, which she needs to refresh her spirit for the following day. She has to return to her skin, which usually she hides in bushes, trees or inside an overturned mortar, before the sun rises or she shall be trapped in her transformed state, without the benefit of her powers, until the sun goes down again. Filling the shed skin of a Soucouyant with salt causes it to shrink, thus impeding her return to her skin as it can no longer fit, or inflicts severe pain unto the Soucouyant, consistent with that of salt on an open wound. To expose a Soucouyant, one should pile heaps of rice or sugar about the house or at the village crossroads, where she will be compelled to pick them up one grain at a time, an impossible task to complete before the rise of the sun.

LA DIABLESSE: La Diablesse or "Devil Woman" roams at night. She has eyes like burning coals and a face resembling that of a corpse, which she hides under a beautiful wide-brimmed hat and a veil over her face. She is dressed exquisitely in a blouse with puffy sleeves and long, petticoated skirts, which she uses to conceal her cloven foot. She lingers on dark, lonely roads and occasionally turns up at village dances, where she is immediately disliked by the women present. She utterly charms the men and asks one of them to take her home. He follows her, totally under her spell, deep into the woods where she suddenly attacked by wild beasts. To discourage the attentions of the La Diablesse, the potential victim should wear his garments inside out. The reasons for this are believed to be a result of her being such a stylish dresser, that she will lose all interest and seek her victim elsewhere.

MAMA DLO: Mama Dlo, also known as "Mama D'Leau" or "Mama Glo", whose name is derived from the French "Maman de L'eau" which translates roughly into "Mother of the Water", is to the rivers and lakes what Papa Bois is to the woodlands. A hideous creature with the torso of a woman and her lower half being that of and naconda, Mama Dlo is said to be the wife or lover of Papa Bois. Careless or mean-spirited men who commit crimes against nature (such as starting a forest fire, polluting the waters, poaching, or needlessly putting a significant number of animals to death) could be taken by Mama Dlo, who will claim them as one of her husbands for two of their lifetimes. These men are forbidden to leave her realm and can take no other mate but her for the duration of their "marriage". The only hope for a man who finds himself in the presence of Mama Dlo is to remove his left shoe, place it upside-down on the ground and leave the scene with haste, walking backwards the entire way home so as not to turn his back upon her.

DOUENS: Douens are the spirits of children who have died before they were baptized and as such, they are fated to roam the forests of Trinidad, practising their wide repertoire of pranks. They take the form of naked children, never growing in excess of two or three feet in height. Their faces, which are featureless with the exception of a small mouth, are hidden behind a large, floppy, straw hat but, you can identify a Douen by his feet, which are turned backward, heels facing forward. Malicious little creatures, Douens take pleasure in luring normal children away from their homes and deep into the woods until they become lost. Parents are advised not to shout the names of their children in open places as Douens use this knowledge to entice young ones away. However mischievous they may be, Douens do have a good natured side. They have been know to aid Papa Bois in the forest by leading him to injured or trapped animals and imitating animal calls to throw hunters off track.

LA GAHOU: The La Gahou's name comes from the french "Loup Garou", which means werewolf. Like the Soucouyant, he is a shape-changer as well as a blood-sucker, although he is less particular about his source of food, being quite content with the blood of a goat or cow if a human supply is unavailable. This shape-shifting ability is usually passed down through the generations of old Creole families and, again, like the Soucouyant, he takes the form of an old village man - a wizard or witch-doctor who instills both fear and respect, not only for his facility to change his form to that of a vicious animal, but also for his power over nature. He can lay curses and extended protection and from him, charms and bush medicine are also readily available. Villagers can protect themselves from the La Gahou by carrying crucifixes on their person as well as receiting the special prayer, or L'Oraison, used to ward off evil. A pair of scissors, open in the shape of a cross, placed on top of an open bible at the head of a bed can be used to trap a La Gahou, as it it forces him, with a howl of pain, to revert to his human form on the spot.

PHANTOME: This spectre stands at the crossroads, with his immense height and long legs wide apart, straddling the road. As a victim approaches him, he slaps his legs shut, squeezing him to death like an anaconda. His only warning is a shrill, a spine-tingling whistle which the Phantome emits prior to his assault. It is difficult to escape an attack from a Phantome as potential victims encounter grave difficultes with outrunning his enormous strides. When he disappears, a thick vapour lingers on the spot where he last stood.

JUMBIES: A generic name given to ghosts, spirits and anything else that might be wandering about in the ether; The local version of the Bogey-man.
Tobagan: Folklore & Superstitions
Tobago shares the same folklore legends as her sister island Trinidad. However, there are some characters, like the Mermaids and Fairy Maids, that are not included in Trinidadian folklore. These legendary creatures are exclusive to Tobago alone. One can only assume that their lineage is purely European in nature.

MERMAIDS : Mermaids are, strangely enough, male. Why they were not simply called mer-men is anyone's guess. They inhabit the turbulent waters from the St. Giles Islands at the north end of Tobago, down the windward coast to Fat Hog Bay. Riding upon the crest of waves, they are handsome men like kings of old or warriors of long ago, beplumed and richly garbed. They are capable of granting wishes or showing the way to sunken treasure. However, their bounty must be accepted with coution, since they are also capable of bestowing evil.

FAIRY MAIDS : The Mermaids mate with the Fairy Maids, who inhabit the rivers and hidden mountain pool areas. Very beautiful, with long flowing hair and one tiny deer's hoof, the Fairy Maids have been know to "turn" men's heads, stealing their shadows and leaving them demented. If this is the case, accompanied by friends and family and with the help of a "workman", the cursed man must go to the river and address the water pleading for the restoration of his lost shadow. With this done, he must leave the water's edge and not look back. To end a relationship with a Fairy Maid will cost a man two pairs of shoes: The first must be burnt on the beach and the second, when the Fairy Maid appears to inquire about payment for services rendered, must be thrown into the water.

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http://www.bestcaribbeanholidays.com/index.pl/article?id=526314 Jamaican Folklore Anancy: Anancy, the spiderman, is of the Ashanti culture (Ghana). He is legendary for his trickery and cunning. Every Jamaican has memories of Anancy stories being told by some elder family member or friend. From Anancy and Dawg to Pig an Long-Mout.

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“Secondly, much attention has been devoted to the manner in which the West Indies’ growing prowess in international cricket has not merely reflected but may actively have simulated the rise of nationalist (and, to some extent, racial) self-consciousness in the British Caribbean. It was, some have argued, only when they saw their cricket team locked in combat with that of their English colonial masters that Jamaicans, Barbadians, Trinidadians and Guyanese came to see themselves as West Indians possessing a common historical, cultural and political identity transcending the insularity, isolation and inter-territorial competitiveness that many West Indians see as among the most baleful legacies of British colonialism in the Caribbean. In this view, the key date is without question 1950, the year that, to the accompaniment of steel bands, calypsos and mass enthusiasm among the newly installed West Indian migrant population, the West Indies defeated England in England for the first time, ...thereby emerging as a world cricketing power on par with England, Australia and South Africa.” (Beckles and Stoddart pg 89) This was an excerpt from the book Liberation Cricket: West Indies Cricket Culture by Hillary Beckles and Biran Stoddart. This reveals the importance and significance of this match against England in 1950 as it was the match which truly unified the team as well as the Caribbean despite the team being formed about 70 years earlier in the 1880s. The documentary Fire In Babylon directed by Stevan Riley captures the history and the personal experience of the very cricketers who formed the West Indies team during its dominance from the 1970s and its significance to Caribbean people in that post-colonial era and the point made in the excerpt. In the documentary, Antigua’s Vivian Richards states that cricket (at that time) was about showcasing that you were equal to your past colonial ruler. Fast bowler Michael Holding from Jamaica reinforces this point by adding that it was more than simply cricket as it represented a region and ‘a matter of feeling of worth.’ Michael Holding later makes the point that the West Indies is made up of a host of different islands, governments and attitudes but despite these things the ‘islands come together under the banner of the West Indies Cricket Team’. Unit 8 of the Caribbean Civilisation course, titled Caribbean Cultural Expression: Festivals, Music and Spor, serves to bolster the previously stated views as it states “...sports have served to bind and promote island and regional nationalism, The pride taken in a national or Caribbean team, for example, is not only a personal identification between Caribbean individuals and the team; it also encompassess political considerations for the region.”

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Greatest cricket team of all times.
Record-breaking West Indies cricket team of the 1970s and 1980s. Featuring stock footage and interviews with several former players and officials, including Colin Croft, Deryck Murray, Joel Garner, Gordon Greenidge, Desmond Haynes, Michael Holding, Clive Lloyd, Viv Richards and Andy Roberts.
West Indians earned the respect, admiration, and love of cricket fans and even opposing teams from across the world. Between February, 1980 to March, 1995; the West Indies Cricket Team did not lose a single Test series.

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Cricket's Greatest team in history: Fire in Babylon 1.

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Greatest cricket team of all times. Record-breaking West Indies cricket team of the 1970s and 1980s. Featuring stock footage and interviews with several former players and officials, including Colin Croft, Deryck Murray, Joel Garner, Gordon Greenidge, Desmond Haynes, Michael Holding, Clive Lloyd, Viv Richards and Andy Roberts.

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Rally Round The West Indies by David Rudder.

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Rally Round The West Indies by David Rudder.

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RALLY ROUND THE WEST INDIES ~ DAVID RUDDER.

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The Carnival festival is celebrated throughout the Caribbean region. ‘A Brief History of Carnival Celebrations in the Caribbean’ written by Christopher Curley states that “It’s tied to colonialism, religion conversion, and ultimately freedom and celebration. The festival originated with Italian Catholics in Europe, and it later spread to the French and Spanish, who brought the pre-Lenten tradition with them when they settled (and brought slaves to) Trinidad, Dominica, Haiti, Martinique, and other Caribbean islands.” Carnival festival is one of the most unifying festivals or cultural events celebrated within the Caribbean region. Unit 8 of the Caribbean Civilisation course, titled Caribbean Cultural Expression: Festivals, Music and Sports states that “Many writers agree that Trinidad and Tobago Carnival brings together people of diverse backgrounds.” A common practice is island hopping where West Indies and even foreigners or tourists go from island to island within the region to partake in the carnival festival and events. Soca music ,which adds to the experience of Carnival, promotes a sense of unity among West Indians. Songs like ‘Represent’ by Machel Montano and Freetown speak on the vibe at carnival with lyrics like “People everywhere, love and unity is there. It’s not time yet but we don't care. It don't matter where are you from put your flag in the air”.Another song by Farmer Nappy titles ‘Family’ also exudes this spirit of unity and love as it says, “Any stranger that we bounce up on from any land see we socializing.. And shouting that's my family cause we link up and get on like we is Family. That's my family. Don’t care where you come from, all ah we is Family. See that gyal in de band? Family. Stranger you whine on? Family. Dj right there? Family. Spreading love in the air. Family any name you call? Family. Could be big or small? Family. Liming whole day. Cause that's my family.” “From Trinidad and Tobago, Carnival spread to many other islands, where the tradition fused with the unique local cultures, such as salsa showcases on Antigua, and calypso in Dominica. Some celebrations have even moved off the Easter calendar and are celebrated in the late spring or summer.” (Curley pg 1) Despite Carnival having different titles in other islands as well as the date, the theme of unity still prevails. Whether it be Crop Over in Barbados, Vincy Mas in St.Vincent or Batabano in the Cayman Islands, it remains a unifying event of culture and creativity.

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Machel Montano & Freetown: REPRESENT (REMIX) Music Video

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Director - Damian Marcano Producer - Alexa S.

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Farmer Nappy - Family (Sando Riddim) [Soca 2014]

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Despite our differences, that being racial or political and languages, we as West Indians are all very much connected. Our colonial past connects us through its influence on our folktales. This allows us to share common experiences about folktales growing up. Persons from Grenada are able to relate to or identify with the folklore of St.Lucia and so on with the other islands. These differences were set aside inorder to form our West Indies Cricket Team. As Michael Holding said, the various islands within the Caribbean region came together under the banner of the West Indies undeterred by those differences that they had. This enabled us to dominate a sport which was once dominated by our past colonial masters by uniting as one. Our Carnival festival and events promote a sense of unity as all persons from all walks of life are welcomed. In the words of Machel Montano in his song ‘Bring the Beat’ featuring Tessanne Chin, “One love. One beat. That’s the dance of victory. One love. One soul. One people.” This truly represents and conveys the true meaning of ‘All Ah We Is One’.

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Bring the Beat - Machel Montano ft. Tessanne Chin

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Bring the Beat - Machel Montano ft. Tessanne Chin

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Tessanne Chin Performed by Machel Montano & Tessanne Chin Intro

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Barnwell & Precision Productions Machel Montano

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Bring the Beat (Official Lyric Video) - Machel Montano ft. Tessanne Chin

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Buy - https://smarturl.it/BringTheBeat Official lyric video for "Bring the Beat" by Machel Montano ft. Tessanne Chin LIKE, SHARE, and comment to blow SOCA MUSIC up! Digicel's Bring the Beat campaign represents the culture of the Caribbean and the irrepressible spirit and passion which unite and ignite its people.