Another traditional costume within St. Kitts and Nevis is the the national costume.  The traditional costume was worn by enslaved Africans in the 17th and 18th century; the style was influenced by the style of the Europeans.  

Lastly, the use of the feathers on the costume's in Caribbean festivals in today's society is a practice that was adopted from history.  The feathers have been used in the past by Africans to acknowledge their ability to rise above the pain, illness and hardship; it was a way for the Africans to get closer to heaven.

 The Caribbean can receive a portion of its identity through the fashion of the islands. Most of the traditional costumes that are worn throughout the Caribbean are connected to the  history of the island nations. The costumes are worn to respect, acknowledge and adore the history of the islands. The revelation that there is much similarity between the national costumes of the islands of the Caribbean it can be argued that fashion plays an integral role in the identity of the Caribbean It is because of the Western influence and urban popularity that many people of the Caribbean are attempting to create individuality in their style of dressing. Hence, the people of the Caribbean can explore individuality once there is dualism with regards to the traditional style of dressing and the modern style of dressing. 

 Before Africans sold into slavery were "brain washed" by the Slave Trade, to forget a pass life that existed and conform to a new way of life, there were established rights and beliefs that were practiced. Thus, rooted, there is a unique mixture of the epistemological religion and aforementioned practices and rites that are present and infiltrates what was known as traditional religion. 

 
Santeria being taught and practiced

How can we have an independent identity when our existence as a region is greatly determined by the super powers of the world i.e. The United States of America and Europe. Caribbean territories all have a shared history where they were once ruled directly by a European power such as Spain or England and many of their culture was brought here for us to adapt to. Moreover, many of the native folks to the Caribbean such as the neo-Indians no longer traverse the islands as they were overran by the slave industry. Here is our first cultural expression issue. Our culture is so very diverse that it is difficult to fit everything under one definition.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gTbGkop7mss 

In the above video “Jack,” The Mighty Gabby, a Barbadian artist, speaks out about the Government trying to privatize beaches where he argues that the beaches belong to the people and they should be allowed to use them freely. This is synonymous to the enslavement of many civilizations. Where the native were accustomed having their land to themselves to do with as they please. This however changed when European nations forced entry and took over the islands. In another video entitled “Emmerton” he speaks about the ways in which persons are displaced to facilitate industrialization. An ongoing issue here in the Caribbean and was recently seen in Rio, Brazil for the 2016 Olympics. Moreover, this speaks directly to the slave trade, where persons from Africa were made to move from their homeland. Therefore, the identity of the Caribbean is hindered by the fact that many of the native and true persons from the ancestral civilizations are extinct and have been replaced by East-Indians, Africans and even Asians along with Europeans. Moreover, how can we currently have an independent identity when there are many immigrants in our nations who, bring with them their cultural norms and influence our culture.

In all, the diversity of religion reflects the rich history of the Caribbean, where slave masters, colonialists, indentured workers and migrants brought their unique practices and faith to the various Caribbean Islands. As it was illustrated, depending on the ciivilization of the Islands we see a dominant religion which can allude to the fact of exactly which territorty they belong to (Britian, Spain, France).

Religion for the most part has given roups a sense of identity within a larger group (population) where individuals are able to freely practice their religion. Religion is important to the Caribbean because it tells a story that only could be told by examining the beliefs of

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kc-cnnubGWE
Above is a video link to an inside look of the crop over Festival in Barbados with background music from local artists.

      Festivals in the Caribbean may be used as an example of our cultural expression. Through festivals, we are able to display the music, dance and other forms of art which are a prominent part of Caribbean culture. Moreover, many of the Caribbean festivals do have an underlying meaning to them. For example, in Barbados, Crop Over is celebrated with the climax being the day of the Kadooment Parade where thousands of persons whether local, regional and international take part. Crop Over is literally the festival which celebrates the ending of the sugar cane crop season in Barbados and was started on the sugar plantations during colonial times. As we have read throughout the course, sugar cane was one of the prominent crops being grown and harvested throughout the Caribbean in colonial times and it is on these plantations where many of the enslaved engaged in harsh labour. Other examples of festivals in the Caribbean include Junkanoo in The Bahamas and Carnival in Trinidad. Festivals also influence our identity where persons often relate them to the Caribbean. Moreover, in present times these festivals have become huge foreign exchange earners in the Caribbean as persons from around the globe hear of the festivities and travel to be a part of them. Festivals help also to display our music and dance forms along with the creativity of costume making from local designers. Below is a picture of our local singing sensation Rihanna at the Crop Over Festival sporting her costume.

The languages spoken in the Caribbean are representative of the region’s rich and diverse culture and history. Dialect can be defined as the language spoken by a people that is a distinct variety of a language that differs from standard form. Dialect encompasses the phonology, spelling, pronunciation, vocabulary and grammar that is employed by particular groups of people which distinguishes their identity both socially and geographically. The linguistic territory of the Caribbean is defined the existence of a variety of languages, each has its own unique structure and origins.

 

 

There are diverse forms of English spoken throughout the Caribbean. The origin of English creole began with a pidgin language that was form during the beginning of the plantation era where millions of native Africans were transported to various Caribbean islands to be exploited as slaves. A pidgin language can be defined as contact vernaculars, the use of this language arises when two speakers of a different languages require communication, therefore the pidgin utilizes elements of the native languages as well as simplified grammar in order to allow some form of communication, pidgin however, is not a native language. However, the pidgin language used initially on the plantations remained the main form of communication between the settlers and the slaves, becoming the first language spoken by children, shows that its evolution and development of its structure, grammar and vocabulary into what is known as creole. English Creole language is predominant in islands that were conquered by the British such as Barbados, Trinidad and Tobago, British Virgin Islands, Grenada, Guyana and so on.

 

For example, in Trinidad and Tobago, English is the official language of the islands, however, the use of both Trinidadian and Tobagonian Creole English are more predominantly spoken. The creole language in Trinidad and Tobago also has origins from other language such as Spanish, French, native west African languages as well as Dutch.Trinidadian English Creole is considered to be the language of national identity throughout the country as well as the diaspora that exists in other countries. It served to the main means of informal communication across all ethnic and racial groups that co-exist in the country. Trinidadian dialect is described as “sing-song”, which is a rising and falling inflection or intonation as well as its dropping of final consonants and lack of pluralization. The below picture illustrates phrases and meanings that are popularly used throughout Trinidad and Tobago. 

 

Papiamento is described to be a creole language that encapsulates elements of various languages such as Portuguese, Spanish, French and Dutch, English as well as Arawakan and African influences. Papiamento is widely spoken by the islands od Curacao, Bonaire as well as Aruba, it is considered to be an official language alongside other languages such as Dutch and English throughout these islands. This language is employed in the use of literature, and is used in published medium such as newspapers and magazines. Despite Papiamento being characterized as creole, it is widely recognized as in August 1987, the elementary level school that employed Papiamento as the medium of instruction was established. It is described to be a tonal language, i.e., there is great use of low-high tones as well as high-low tones, the word stress falls on the main syllable and departure from which are marked with an accent.

 

The following is a poem, “KAIDA” written by Dwight Paul Isebia who illustrates his Curacaoan identity with the use of the Papiamento dialect. 

 

 

The term creole comes from a Portuguese word meaning "raised in the home.’

Since 1987, Haiti, French creole has been established to be the co official language of Haiti, along with standard French, patois is recognized to be a full language therefore this allows for the majority of Haitians whose only language is patois to participate in social, political and economic affairs of their country. The creole language in Haiti is spoken widely by over eight million citizens, the creole language is based heavily on French and entails the influences of Western African languages such as Ewe, Wolof and Fon. The Africans that were enslaved in Hispaniola, the previous name for Haiti, originally came from the west African region, hence the slaves adopted the French vocabulary used by the slave owners and modified it with their version of ewe, creating a French- African hybrid or creole language. The western part of Hispaniola was conquered by the French hence French was the primary influence of Haitian creole. 
Below is a poem, entitled “ La Havanaise” wriiten in French creole by Thales Manigat which extracted from the book “Open Gate: An Anthology of Haitian Creole Poetry.”

 

Patois can be defined as a regional dialect and form of language, derived mainly from the French language, it differs from the standard form, i.e., it is considered to be substandard.

Patois is relatively predominant in islands such as Dominica, Trinidad and Tobago as well as Haiti. Patois of the Lesser Antilles are dialects of French which contain some Caribe and African words. Patois is also described to be a vernacular form of English that is spoken in the Caribbean, for example, the existence of Jamaican patois. Jamaican patois exists entirely through spoken word, the standard form of English is used for writing however the use of Jamaican dialect in the literary arts have been significant in showcasing Jamaica’s cultural identity to the world. Jamaican patois consists of words that are of West African descent, particularly the Akan language of Twi, but the entire patois language takes origins from other languages such as Spanish, Hindi, Portuguese as well as Arawak. The link below is a video that allows one to learn the native Jamaican patois slang that is commonly used and how the use of this patois has grown in its popularity around the world.

 

Mento calls upon the musical traditions brought by West African slaves.They also absorbed European musical traditions, creating a new form. Slaves who could play musical instruments were often required to play music for their masters and often rewarded for such skills. The Africans created a creole music, incorporating such elements of these traditions. Some of the major mento artist are Lousie Bennett, Count Lasher, Harold Richardson, Lord Flea, Lord Fly, Alerth Bedasse with Chin's Calypso Sextet, Denzil Laing, Lord Composer, Lord Lebby, Lord Power, Hubert Porter, and Harry Belafonte.

Calypso is a style of Afro-Caribbean music that originated in Trinidad and Tobago during the early to mid-20th century and spread to the rest of Caribbean Antilles and Venezuela. Its rhythms can be traced back to West African Kaiso and the arrival of French planters and their slaves from the French Antilles in the 18th century.

Calypso called upon African and French influences, and became the voice of the people. It was characterized by highly rhythmic and harmonic vocals, which was most often sung in a French Creole.