Carriacou 1968

Christmas Festivities

Posted on March 18, 2010 by Bill Cameron

Festive Celebrations

Christmas

How do the celebrations over Christmas and New Year in Carriacou today compare with those pre- TV days of the 1960’s? Of course, everybody’s Christmas is different but here are a few of my recollections of Christmas 1967, Carriacou style.

Sunday 24^th December 1967

“We took things easy, pretty well all day. In fact in the afternoon we resorted to playing Ludo; a game I’d bought for Rufi (Alleyne). In the evening we threw dinner for ‘The Alleynes’ and afterwards they went home to prepare for Midnight Mass at the Anglican Church.

Later, after everyone had departed, we were inundated with Seranading groups; just one after the other. Each group entertained us with songs and music. Over the course of the evening we managed to give away 3 jugs of juice, about 2lbs of sweets, a tray full of biscuits and a few dollars.

At 11pm I went to ‘the Alleynes’ and we all trooped off to Midnight Mass. The service went on for 2 hours and by 1.15am I found myself dropping off to sleep with Rufi on my knee. I was surprised to find that anyone who wished to take communion had to have paid $3.00 in advance and be given a signed card which they had to hand in when they approached the communion rail.”

Monday 25^th December 1967

“When the service finally finished in the early hours we took Rufi to Leroy’s (Noel) and joined the ‘Jump-up’ in the Market Square. I’ve never seen so much excitement. Everyone was dancing and ‘jumping’ to a couple of steel bands. I joined in to the strains of ‘Fire, Fire’ (the year’s top calypso by the Mighty Sparrow). The whole crowd was laughing, singing and dancing for hours. Eventually, some of the more inebriated began to get a bit out of hand.

At 5.00am the fighting started. At first it was no more than a scuffle among a few guys who appeared to have had ‘one too many’. Soon, however, it escalated. People started rushing in all directions and bottles began to fly. We left soon after but not before another scuffle had broken out on the other side of the square. As far as I know no-one was hurt and it all calmed down as quickly as it blew up.

I finally arrived home around 6.30am but not before I’d ‘fired’ a couple of ‘jacks’ with Mr Joyette (the tailor) and wished him ‘all the best for Christmas and the New Year’. As I fell asleep I could hear one of the bands, still playing, making its way back from L’Esterre, having played all night.

Christmas Day

I woke around 10.00am. The sun was high and I felt in good spirits despite the ‘all night’ dancing session.

Marion (Alleyne) had prepared Christmas lunch for all of us. George, Cathy and I arrived around 1.30pm. Marion looked tired. She hadn’t been to bed. Cathy decided to take presents to Billy (Mott) and the lunch was put on hold until she returned. We eventually sat down to eat at 2.00pm. Marion had put on a fabulous meal; as usual.

Very soon afterwards Cathy and George left to join Father Fitton (Catholic priest) to help prepare their evening’s Christmas dinner. I stayed behind and had a ‘cracking’ afternoon, drinking and chatting with ‘Goot’.

I arrived at the Fathers’ around 4.30pm in time to go to the hospital to take the patients their Christmas meal. We arrived to find they had already eaten so the food was handed over to be kept for the following day.

The meal at the Fathers’ was superb; turkey, English potatoes, mixed vegetables and a ‘rare’ Christmas pudding. We spent the evening discussing politics and religion until my eyes began to close. A game of chess was suggested but by that time I had run out of energy and so I took myself home to bed.”

Tues. 26^th December – Boxing Day

“I managed to make it down to the beach this morning for a welcome swim. The surf was high. Rollers creamed in and crashed up the beach. The beach itself has changed over the last few weeks. Whereas there has been a gradual slope from the Manchineal to the tide line, today it is split into two levels. Father Fitton tells me that two years ago much of the beach outside the Catholic church was washed away and something like 12 feet of wall foundation was exposed.

In the afternoon we paid visits to Lord Joseph, then to Uthan and Grace (Noel). Like most of these courtesy calls we seemed to drink a great deal and talk even more; mostly about nothing in particular. In the evening we finished off our tour with a visit to Goot and Marion (Alleyne) where we drank some more and discussed everything under the sun. At length, I made my way home and finished the day by developing a couple of films until 1.00am”

If anyone has any Christmas memories of Carriacou please do write in and share them.

: Carol singers on Christmas Eve.

: Foot behind head. Shoe on foot. Fire a jack.

: Patricia Levine in centre.

: Students at BC Christmas party. Names please?

: Cathy Touchton (nee Deppe), Laurel Martineau & Darleen.

: Winter surf near Amigo’s Bar.

: Winter surf in Hillsborough Bay.

: Surf in Hillsborough Bay.

: Hillsborough Bay looking south.

: Looking towards Hillsborough.

: Winter surf in Hillsborough Bay.

Posted in Christmas Festivities | 2 Comments

Archie 'A'

Posted on February 19, 2010 by Bill Cameron

Archie ‘A’
George and I had been talking for some weeks about buying a small dinghy. It seemed to make more sense than trying to buy a car; something we could never have afforded anyway. Paddy had news of a boat for sale on PM and we set off on a weekend ‘adventure’ to buy her and sail her back to Hillsborough. My diary entries read as follows:
Sat. 13th January 1968
‘I picked up Paddy early morning. It was raining as we caught the bus to Windward. Barnabus (Bethel) was on board and he tried to undermine my confidence by predicting (humorously) Paddy would never get us round Gun Point.
No boat was going over to PM from Windward and it seemed as if our venture would stall even before it had begun. However, we met Captain Bill and one of his men, Tom, offered to sail us over. At 11.15am we set off; the wind coming from the east and backing to north-east. We had to tack up to the reef, run down behind to the gap in the reef, then heave close to the wind and force a way through to open water. We all got soaked but it was great fun.
It took just over an hour to reach PM with Paddy and Tom chatting and laughing all the way. Once we had landed Paddy and I went to his dad’s house for a bite to eat. Tom left us just past the church and set a course up the steep path to his home.
It continued to rain and about 4.00pm Paddy and I set off to view the boat. Mrs Mitchell greeted us from her kitchen and came out prepared to do business. She made no messing and the deal was done quickly. In less than five minutes we were rigging ‘Archie’ ready for the sail to Windward.
‘Jack Iron’ Celebration
Archie seems to be a popular boat because a number of neighbours appeared to protest at her being taken away. Amidst the protests I picked up the word ‘celebration’ and I collared a couple of boys and sent them off to buy a bottle of ‘jack’. The gesture seemed to meet with everyone’s approval and after every plank had been wetted and toasted we were given a warm send off as we set a course for Windward.
We ran downwind all the way and it was almost dark when we arrived at the jetty. A number of people came down to greet us and help us haul Archie up the beach. From the comments it would appear Archie is considered a bit of a prize. Tomorrow she will have to prove her capabilities when we sail her round Gun Point to Hillsborough.
Sunday 14th January 1968
Gun Point
I was pretty tired this morning. I slept very little last night and when I woke up I had something of a bad head. Paddy, George and I caught the bus to Windward. Paddy sat beside me smoking a cigarette and George chatted to a lady opposite. The bus was packed with people on their way home from church. I tried to catch some sleep but, of course, with the noise and bouncing, that was impossible.
Archie lay down by the jetty and with three of us rigging her we were soon ready to launch. The wind was, again, blowing from the east, the sky was clear and it looked as though the weather might be on our side.
With the jib unfurled and the mainsail set we tacked our way beyond the reef into deeper water. We turned towards Gun Point and ran downwind. The wind filled the sails and the rudder vibrated as we sped along; most exhilarating. As we came up to Gun Point the waves seemed to come from all directions and our position became a bit more exposed. The waves that rolled up from behind seemed to pick us up and carry us along with a tremendous rush until they overtook us, leaving us feeling almost motionless in the valleys between. At the top of the waves we could see for miles, at the bottom we could only see the wave in front and the one behind. Every time a wave picked us up then dropped us I felt as though we were about to be swallowed up.
We were now well out to sea beyond Carriacou and I could see Paddy was trying to decide when to change course. The waves were still quite high and the currents strong so when he did finally give the command to ‘come about’ we had to be quick. In the end it was smooth and easy and we all breathed a little sigh of relief.
Bogles ‘Flaws’.
‘God was willing’ as Carriacouans might say and we ‘drove’ down to Bogles on a broad reach. Paddy was well aware of the ‘Bogles flaws’. Locals had, for days, been telling us that they were notorious in the Grenadines. Below the hospital is a narrow gap through which winds seem to be squeezed. They come down in swirls and strike from all directions. We ducked under the boom so many times my head began to spin. We could have been upside down for all I knew and Paddy just sat at the tiller and grinned.
With Bogles behind us the rest of the journey was easy and Paddy gave me the tiller for the last few miles to Hillsborough. I’m not sure if that decision won George’s approval.
Well, we now have Archie ‘A’ beached under the manchineal outside the house, with the mast tied to the veranda, the rudder hanging off the wall and ropes all over the place. We are feeling pretty good with our weekend’s work and look forward to sailing her in the months to come.’

: Windward boats at anchor.

: Looking towards Petit Martinique and Petit St Vincent.

: Grand Bay.

: Skiff in Grand Bay.

: Sailing from Windward to PM.

: PM anchorage.

: Norris Roberts house on PM.

: Tom’s route home on PM.

: Looking towards Union Island from PM.

: From Petit Martinique looking towards Union Island.

: Gun Point. (On Carriacou but part of St. Vincent.)

: Near Bogles.

: Hillsborough from Top Hill.

: The Airstrip, Mabouya and Sandy Isle.

: Archie ‘A’ with Barnabus, Raphael and George.

: Launching Archie ‘A’ with Amigo’s bar in the background.

: Fishing on Sandy Isle.

Posted in Archie 'A' | Tagged 1968, Archie A, Bishop's College, Bogles, Carriacou, Franklyn (Paddy) Roberts, Gun Point, Hillsborough, Jack Iron, Petit Martinique, Windward | 7 Comments

Zepherine McLaren and Mermaid.

Posted on January 14, 2010 by Bill Cameron

Boat Building at Windward. Shot Feb. 2014.

Sea and Ships

Zepherine McLaren and ‘Mermaid’.

It seems appropriate that I should be writing this now as I just heard the other day that Zepherine McLaren passed away on Dec 29^th 2009. This was incredibly sad news for all who knew him. He takes with him a wealth of knowledge and expertise about vernacular boat building techniques used in Carriacou. His vessels still sail the Caribbean and he has left many wonderful memories for those who knew him. He will be sadly missed.

The photos I have put up show the stages of construction in Zeph’s most famous sloop, ‘The Mermaid of Carriacou’. I reckon most people know the story of Linton Rigg’s inspired idea to build a sloop and set out a bet of $500EC to any locally built boat that could beat her. His intention was to revive the flagging boat building industry of Carriacou and that’s exactly what happened.

Zeph constructed a ‘sloop’ of stylish proportions and sleek lines. It took a number of years before anyone managed to build a boat to beat ‘Mermaid’ in the ‘large working boat’ class and by that time the industry had revived and Carriacou regatta had become a regular annual event.

Mermaid was purchased and restored by Capt John Smith in the 1970’s. She is still his permanent floating home and he and ‘Winger’(his dog) continue to brave wind and tide in the southern Caribbean. John is currently holed up in Punta de Toro in Panama. His latest expedition without engine or mechanical aids took him 22 days. During the voyage ‘Winger’ fell overboard and John had to launch the skiff to rescue him.

‘Mermaid’ is a testament to Zeph’s boat building skills and John’s determination to keep on sailing and keep ‘Mermaid’ afloat.

The following text appears on a plaque above the hatch on Mermaid:

‘God does not deduct from our allotted life-span, the time spent sailing.’

: New sloop at Windward. Shot Feb. 2014.

: Zeph and me at Windward

: Mermaid’s Ribs

: Mermaid in Cladding

: Stitching Mermaid’s sails

: Zeph McLaren at Mermaid’s helm.

Posted in Zepherine McLaren and Mermaid | Tagged 1968, Bishop's College, Carriacou, Carriacou Regatta, John Smith, Linton Rigg, Mermaid, Windward, Zepherine McLaren | 19 Comments

Big Drum in Carriacou.

Posted on November 27, 2009 by Bill Cameron

Big Drum in Carriacou

Many well researched articles and books have been written about the origins and culture of ‘Big Drum’ in Carriacou. For detailed information I suggest ‘Big Drum Ritual in Carriacou’ by Lorna McDaniel and ‘African Themes in the Paintings of Canute Caliste’ by Donald R. Hill. I have no intention of trying to emulate such expert writings. I would simply like to show the few photographs I took of Big Drum at Harvey Vale. I wish now that I’d taken a lot more. I would really like to know the names of the drummers and, if possible, the names of the dancers in the photographs. My assumption is that the drummers could be from the following names: Haynes Williamson, ‘Sugar’ Adams or the Lambert brothers. These were the main drummers on the island at that time (according to Christine David in her booklet, Folklore of Carriacou).

Big Drum at Harvey Vale

My first introduction to Big Drum came soon after I arrived in the island on Sat. Sept. 23rd 1967. Part of my diary entry for that day reads much as follows:
“After writing letters home we (George, Cathy and I) waited for Mackie to take us to Harvey Vale for ‘Big Drum’.

We heard the drums about half a mile from our destination. We stopped and began to walk. The noise of the drums became louder and louder as we followed the lantern through the corn. Finally we reached an opening. In the middle there was a fire and around the fire sat a circle of people singing to the drumbeat in a language I didn’t recognise or understand. The beat came from three drums at the far end of the circle; so loud and so rhythmic that everyone was becoming extremely animated and excited. In the centre were the dancers. They performed what appeared to be highly ritualistic steps and moves. Men danced with towels in their hands. Ladies had skirts held high; in fact everyone seemed high. The drums quickened. The dancing became faster. The climax came – then silence.

We looked around. The crowd began to chat and talk. The ‘jack’ was then passed around; some of it being poured on to the dancing arena. As I watched, George approached me and informed me that food was being prepared by the host. Cold pork and bread and butter, washed down with more ‘jack’.
Once we had eaten, the drums started again and the dancing re-commenced. Some of the dancers seemed to dance to a point where they became completely overwhelmed.
Inside the main house I was surprised to hear records being played. I looked indoors to see a number of teenagers dancing to music coming from the record player. They appeared to totally disregard the ‘Big Drum’ going on outside.”
This ‘conflict’ of cultural interests only really struck me as I read my diary years later. Here was a juxtaposition of cultures expressed, on the one hand, by the old traditions and, on the other, by modern influences from abroad. Was this evidence of a move towards a more cosmopolitan musical and cultural era? In 1968 ‘Big Drum’ was still alive and still being actively used as a meaningful celebration for ‘Maroons’ and ‘Tombstones’. During a later visit to Carriacou in 2003 I was invited to see to ‘Big Drum’. This time the performance was rather different. Drummers performed, and dancers were choreographed, not in the villages and homes, but on a stage in a Carriacou musical festival. However, it still remained a wonderful spectacle and had not lost its vibrancy and energy. It was, in fact, brilliant to see that such a great effort had been made to keep a unique cultural heritage alive and kicking, regardless of it being performed in a completely different context and despite so many modern day pressures.

N.B. If anyone would like to add their experience(s) of Big Drum please just send.

: Sugar Adams on Cut Drum (front left). Prince Lawrence on Bula (back).

: Big Drum dancer, Eustass Samuel.

: Dancers at Harvey Vale Big Drum.

: Astor Andrew and self.

Posted in Big Drum in Carriacou | Tagged 1968, Big Drum, Bishop's College, Canute Caliste, Carriacou, Christine David, Cotta drum, Donald R.Hill, Haynes Williamson, Hillsborough, Lambert Brothers, Lorna McDaniel, Maroon, Prospect, Sugar Adams, Tombstone | 31 Comments

Carriacou Livestock Exhibition

Posted on May 27, 2009 by Bill Cameron

Carriacou Livestock Exhibition.

Tuesday 19^th March 1968

On the same day as the opening of Lauriston airstrip a grand Livestock Exhibition was held. It was organised, largely as I recall, by the Exhibition Committee. Mr. Barratt, the Chief Agricultural Officer, called me and asked if I would set up an exhibit for Bishop’s College.

Bishop’s College Exhibit

It so happened that the Geography class had been on a ‘Field Day’ around the island on February 1^st. We had also been working on an exhibition for Presentation Evening and we were able to put together a comprehensive exhibit covering, soil (erosion), reefs, vegetation, livestock (distribution and numbers), population figures and local produce. A number of students from my Geography class in 5A and my Biology class from Form 4 put the whole thing together in their spare time.

(It would be nice to hear from anyone who can remember being involved in that project.)

Exhibition Timetable

12.00 noon Opening speech by Hon. Premier, E.M.Gairy.

Tour of exhibition stalls.

12.15 – 12.45 Show ring judging of Dairy Cattle.

12.45 First DONKEY RACE.

1.20 – 1.30 Show ring judging of Beef Cattle.

1.30 – 1.40 2^nd DONKEY RACE.

1.40 – 2.20 Show ring judging of Sheep and Goats.

2.20 – 2.30 Tug of War.

2.30 – 2.40 3^rd DONKEY RACE.

2.40 – 3.30 Parade of Winners.

3.30 Prize Giving Ceremony.

Address: Chairman of Exhibition Committee, Mr. Nelson Cox,

District Revenue Officer.

Address: Chief Technical Officer (Agricultural Research).

Presentation of Prizes by Honourable Premier.

Vote of Thanks by Mr. Sydney Cudgoe, Member of

Committee.

4.45 State Anthem by Carriacou Steel Band.

Premier leaves (to open Lauriston Airstrip).

The Exhibition

In the morning everyone worked frantically to put up the exhibits. Just as we finished the rain poured down filling the canvas sheeting and running into the stalls. Luckily, the weather cleared after lunch and enough of the exhibits survived to make a very presentable exhibition.

Everest Alexander and Nell Gabriel acted as representatives for Bishops College. Nell and Mr Alleyne met Mr Gairy and the other dignitaries and explained each of the exhibits. We took the opportunity to emphasise the problems of soil erosion especially on the eastern side of the island. Our models showed how ‘gully’ erosion was destroying good agricultural land and the efforts that were being made to try and resolve this problem.

Soil Conservation Project

George Touchton and myself set up a working link with Mr Barratt and the Agricultural Department. The officers came in to college to give talks on soil erosion and conservation. Mr Barratt arranged for the College to take over a piece of eroded land so we could work on a reclamation project. Unfortunately, I left before the project could be fully initiated.

Donkey Races

The Donkey Races were great fun. I seem to remember, though my memory may be suspect, that one was a ‘Slow’ Donkey Race and the winner was the last one over the line. As I recall each contestant tried to hold his own donkey back whilst ‘encouraging’ the opposition donkeys, by whatever means, to go faster. (Does anyone have any recollections of such an event?)

Sheep & Cattle Distribution in Carriacou for 1968.

Someone, somewhere may be interested in these figures.

District Sheep Cattle

Sabazan-Kendace 200 50

Mt. Pleasant 510 130

Grand Bay 205 65

Bay-a-leau, Belvedere, & Limlair 195 85

Dover 110 50

Windward 75 35

La Pelle & Petit Carinage 95 42

Bogles & Cherry Hill 60 35

Craigston 140 18