Discover Trinidad & Tobago 2016 — 25th Anniversary Edition

Tobago heritage:
folklore & traditions
Gang Gang
Sara & the
Witch’s Grave
in Golden
Lane
The story goes that
Gang Gang Sara
was a wise, kind
witch — or a soucouyant,
depending
on who you ask
— who flew from Africa
to Tobago centuries
ago in search
of her family. Some
say she landed after
being blown off
course onto the island.
In her old age,
after her husband
Tom’s death, she
climbed a giant silk
cotton tree (sacred
in many indigenous
religions) hoping
to fly back to her
homeland. But having
eaten local salt,
she was unable to
fly, and fell to her
death.
Moriah Wedding
Featuring groom in stovepipe hat and tailcoat, and
bride with trousseau on head, processing slowly with
the distinctive three-step “brush back”, accompanied
by fiddler and tambrin drummers. Tambrin is quintessential
Tobagonian music, driven by three shallow goatskin
tambrin drums (high pitched cutter, roller, and boom
bass), fiddle, and steel triangle.
Plymouth Ole Time Carnival
Featuring African stick-fighting, dancing masquerade
characters, Ju Ju warriors, Jab Jabs and devils dressed
in satin.
Reel, Jig and SaLaka
Indigenous dances from Pembroke, with roots in West
African rituals invoking the ancestors, and accompanied
by tambrin music. Libations are still offered at
the beginning of reels. The Salaka feast is also held in
Pembroke. While some Creole dances (like bele and
piqué) are found in both Trinidad and Tobago, the reel
and jig are uniquely Tobagonian.
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