Research Topics for Trinidad and Tobago

 

    The beautiful island nation of Trinidad and Tobago has a rich history of music, arts, food, and historical events. Many research topics then blossom from these categories. One of the topics that come up is the history of Carnival. Carnival was suppose to be the 15th and 16th of February, however due to the pandemic it is now cancelled. Carnival first made its presence to the island when French settlers came around. These settlers were slave owners. The slave owners did not allow slaves to participate in these festivities. Because of this the slaves created their own version called Canboulay. Through this was born Calypso music which is a big part in Carnival for Trinidad and Tobago today. Calypso music was originally used to mock slaves owners and communicate between each other. Now it is more used to celebrate the island and life itself. When percussion music was then banned in the island in 1881, the slaves them started using things close to them for music. The mostly used items were pans, trash lids, and oil drums. This still created a beautiful effect of music that is used today. The people of Trinidad and Tobago even used this to teach the US Navy their music. J'Ouvert is the start of the 2 days that make up Carnival. People come and dress up in their favorite costumes as seen in the photo. They dress like this while playing Calypso up and down the streets. Through these you can really see how much Carnival is seen as a uniting event for the people. You put the hate and rivalry aside to come together as fun and have fun.

Bibliography:

“Home.” The Virtual Caribbean Library, ggccaribbean.wpengine.com/.

 User, Super. “History of Carnival and Its Elements.” History of Carnival, www.ncctt.org/new/index.php/carnival-history/history-of-carnival.html.

“TRINIDAD & TOBAGO CARNIVAL 2021: Events & More.” Carnivaland, 31 Jan. 2021, www.carnivaland.net/trinidad-and-tobago-carnival/.

The History Of Trinidad and Tobago

     In 1498 a man named Christopher Columbus was on his third voyage to the new world.

There he found a island that was inhabited by the Arawak Indians. Sadly as colonization continued the Arawak Indians were killed and colonized by the Spanish in 1592. Through the rule of the Spanish, there starts to be more of a Spanish influence through style of living, food, and even language. However, 205 years later the British captures this island. just 20 years before there French settlers arriving to start a new life. This causes a mass congestion of influence. You had Spanish sectors, French sectors, and English sectors. This is just the history alone for Trinidad.

 

   Tobago on the other hand has a bit more of a eventful start. Tobago goes through there own history of colonization through the years. Starting the same as being colonized by Spain, the same nation who controlled Trinidad to start off. Unlike Trinidad, Dutch settlers from Netherlands came to start their own life in 1628. after failed English colonies came through the years, Courland and Netherlands made successful colonies out of Tobago. The French 4 years later also build their own colony in it. In 1666 English-Jamaican pirates raid Tobago and actually successfully capture it. The area at the start of the raid was later on called "Pirates Bay" to remember this occasion. This was all surrendered to the French the same year. After a lot of back and forth between the French and English, including Sweden sending settlers but was kicked out by natives, in 1889 Trinidad and Tobago become one big colony. 73 years later this new colony will see Independence from the British in 1962.

    Because of a mix of colonization and new people coming in and out, Trinidad and Tobago became a melting pot of influence. Even trough British colonization, this island nation has seen as increase of population from India. It's a perfect pairing with both cultures bringing spices between each other. It reached to the point where a lot of Indians choose to move to Trinidad and Tobago as a stopping point out India and to America. You will also see Bollywood (India's Hollywood) is a very big thing in Trinidad and Tobago. They even had a Prime Minister of Indian descent before the current Prime Minister!

    The languages that take up this nation now is predominantly English, but mixed with Spanish, Dutch, French, and for a large part Hindi. The food is also a mix of Spanish, Indian, and Trinidad and Tobago influence such as Aloo Pie (translates to Potato Pie from Hindi). This is great for anyone who want to come and visit Trinidad and Tobago any time soon!

Resources: 

“Trinidad and Tobago Languages.” FamilySearch Wiki, www.familysearch.org/wiki/en/Trinidad_and_Tobago_Languages.

Traveling to Trinidad and Tobago? What to know!

    After receiving independence in 1962,  the beautiful island nation of Trinidad and Tobago has been a great tourist spot for all to see the history and the culture of the people. Although English is the official language of this island, the people of Trinidad and Tobago also speak Spanish, French, Dutch, Spanish, and even Courlander. This helps anyone from the majority of the world feel comfortable to speak their own language in this country. A big historical landmark to visit is the "Magnificent Seven" located on the corner of Queen's Park Savannah. It is a historical site dating back to 1904. Beautiful colonial buildings such as the Queen's Royal College show beautiful architecture to make you feel like you are in a Disney story. Another building near is the Royal Victoria Institute. This is home to the national museum. 

    

    The most famous thing Trinidad and Tobago is known for for any party goers is "Carnival". Mirroring the Brazilian Carnival and New Orleans's Mardi Grad, this is one of the biggest weeks of the year for anyone living in or traveling to T&T. The best time to experience the foods and music that the people of this island brings. The biggest style of music you will hear is Calypso. Artists such as Lord Kitchener and Machel Montano help bring the music to life to bring smiles to face alongside other local artists. For any avid fancy drinks drinkers, Trinidad and Tobago has a rich history of family cocktails that dates back to the 60s. Now all their favorite drinks are all family secrets and top alcohol they use is Angostura Bitters. This will be found in any bar you look for. A beer that is famous to the island Carib Beer. This is usually compared to a IPA in taste in context of bitterness. Now onto the famous dish to pair along side any drinks is Pelau. This consists of rice, pigeon peas, and your choice of chicken or beef. A simple dish is packed with many spices to bring the flavors to life.

    

A last few notes to remember before coming to the island. If you want to come to
the island always remember one thing....hurricanes. Hurricane season a big and horrible in the Caribbean. If you can plan your visit between January and May, you will not have to worry about this situation. Next, if you want to really enjoy this trip it is recommended to bring somewhere between 80-160 USD a day based off local restaurant prices and event fees. According to the CDC if you do not want to get sick, they say to get a hepatitis A and B, Yellow Fever, Rabis, and a Tetanus vaccine shots. Also do not forget your passport! We promise you that once you get on this island it will be the vacation for the books. We hope you can bring your family and friends to also experience this once in a lifetime experience! Thank you and enjoy.

References:

Surtees, Joshua. “Trinidad's Forgotten Architectural Gems.” The Guardian, Guardian News and Media, 16 Feb. 2015, www.theguardian.com/travel/2015/feb/16/trinidad-port-of-spain-architecture-tour.

“Trinidad Pelau.” Cooking With Ria, 3 Nov. 2020, cookingwithria.com/2011/07/trinidad-pelau.html.

“Trinidad.” The Virtual Caribbean Library, ggccaribbean.wpengine.com/listing/trinidad-and-tobago/.

 

About Me!

    Hello! My name is Archan Brahmbhatt. I am a pre teaching certificate history major. I am hoping to become a high school AP history teacher. I also want to become a coach for that high school, whether it is football, baseball, wrestling, basketball, or soccer. Off campus I work at a Amazon Warehouse as a Learning Ambassador. It's a tough job but Amazon is nice with their pay. My hobby is coaching youth sports. I coach U-13 football , U-15 baseball, and I also volunteer with the JV wrestling at Flowery Branch. I also work for a supporter group for the soccer team in Atlanta called Atlanta United. My group is named Resurgence and we work on making the supporter section the best in the league. We make banners, chants, songs, and try to make the game day atmosphere the best in the country and the world. This is the small tidbit about me! Hope you enjoyed!