African Folklore: An Encyclopedia - Marshalls University

African folklore 98
moonwalk were performed by males between the ages of twelve and eighteen. Through
aesthetic competition they were expressing publicly their participation in a broader world
culture of young black youth and their competency in a non-indigenous cultural
expression.
Costumes
Carnivals in the African Americas exhibit an enormous variety of traditions, yet
individual eclecticism fits into a relatively standardized norm for each national carnival
tradition. One of the best ways to understand this twentieth-century hybridity is by a
small case study of carnival costumes. In many cases there are rather strict rules
governing costume design. For instance, in the Bahamas, all costumes are made from cut
and fringed crepe paper molded with wire and pasted onto a cardboard frame. In Trinidad
band leaders and designers meet well in advance of the pre-Lenten celebration to hold
“mas launchings,” when themes and designs are presented. Each band supports a King
and Queen who compete in distinct categories. Trinidad is best known for its King and
Queen costumes which are designed larger and larger in recent years. Poles are attached
to the body to support the costume superstructure. Carnival regulations allow wheels on
the costume base, as long as the performers’ feet and torso are free enough to “dance”
across the Savannah stage during the competitions.
Trinidad Sailors are one of the many traditional characters of “Ole Time Mas” and are
predominantly Afro-Trinidadian. Within the confines of traditional Sailor masques there
is a broad area for experimentation. Costume by costume a good deal of individual
ingenuity is apparent. In 1984 Extra-Terrestrial Voyage included Stray Sailors, Flying
Saucer Sailors, and Launch Pad Columbia spaceship costumes. The 1988 Mystical and
Legendary Voyages of Old Fashioned Sailors included headdresses based on royal
regalia and costume decorations derived from military dress.
Other important Trinidad costumes related to the “Ole Time Mas” tradition include the
African-derived Moco Jumbie, or stilt dancer and the Midnight Robber with his fringed
cowboy-like pants, long-sleeved shirt, decorated cape, dark glasses, and fringed widebrimmed
hat or fancy headdress. Another character, the Pierrot, wears a costume
decorated with cloth strips and a heart-shaped breast plate. Although the name is French,
Pierrot is based on a famous Afro-Trinidadian character, the stick fighter. Today the
Pierrot carries a staff in recognition of his former role as the competitive and sometimes
dangerous stick fighter, who is no longer allowed in carnival.
Both the cloth-strip costume and costumes based on the Amerindian model are
ubiquitous in Caribbean festivals. The Amerindian costumed character unites most
Caribbean carnivals and is portrayed by men of African descent. In Trinidad there are
two types of Amerindians: the bare-chested Red Indian who wears a loin cloth and
miscellaneous feathers, and the male or female Fancy Indian whose costume consists of
elaborate variations on a vague Plains Indian model.