Chinee Chinee Worker Worker Look dem Look dem

How does a Chinee screw? - Like a sewing machine


The Chinese on a major construction in Port of Spain, Trinidad

If ever you want to know what makes a country a power house, just come down at noon, from Monday - Sunday and have a look at the work ethics of these Chinese construction workers in their blue overhauls and yellow hard hats.These men are from the Shanghai Construction Group International, and an estimated figure of 100 workers are on site over the construction of the Academies for the Performing Arts. A building that is costing US$100.000.000 dollars.

From a street that was empty, with no cars, no school, they just appeared, from nowhere and marched across Keate Street. But something was quite different here. They looked tick as if all of dem just bustup some good old Tani blue food. Provisions with stew salt fish, dumplings, calaloo and plantain, plus a big bottom woman on de side for dem nice looking ones.


The view of a very complex structure built by the Chinese facing the Queen's Park Savannah

Greater than our Constitution and Independence combined - Dictionary of the Creole

Decreed to a Canadian : The Trinity Cross (two), a house above Brian Lara, an imported Beast, the island of Tobago (Protected), rename as the Lise Winer Park Savannah...


Cote ci Cote la foreign mudda - Lise Winer's scholarly Dictionary of the Creole language of Trinidad and Tobago

Lise Winer, an associate professor in the Faculty of Education at McGill University, Montreal has published a Dictionary of the Creole spoken in Trinidad & Tobago. Based on the principles of the Oxford English Dictionary, Dr.Winer has compiled the first scholarly dictionary of the Creole of Trinidad and Tobago with over 12,200 entries on the languages derived through a linguistic history from ethic groups that made up the peoples of Trinidad and Tobago. These including Amerindians, Europeans (Spanish, French, English, Portuguese), Africans (Kikongo, Ewe, Yoruba), Chinese (Cantonese, Hakka), and Indians (Bhojpuri, Urdu), as well as the English and French Creoles of immigrants from elsewhere in the Caribbean. The words are traced to their source languages including definitions, etymologies, pronunciations, spelling variants, and an abundance of citations of usage including the earliest known usage for individual items. Citation sources include not only written, but recorded and oral language.

It is the core to our existence and greater than our Constitution and Independence combined as it records where we come from and where we are going- Dictionary of the English/Creole of Trinidad & Tobago- Edited by Lise Winer

Table of Contents

Foreword ix
Acknowledgments xi

I INTRODUCTION XIII
1 Purpose of this Dictionary xiii
2 Notes on Historical Language Background xiii

II HOW TO USE THIS DICTIONARY XVII
1 The Structure of an Entry xvii
a. How to Read an Entry xvii
b. Grammatical Labelling xviiii
c. Symbols and Abbreviations xviii
d. Phonetic Symbols xviii

3 Notes on Pronunciation xxi
4 Notes on Flora and Fauna Entries xxii
5 References Cited xxiii
6 Additions and Corrections xxiv

ENTRIES A-Z 1

Appendices:
A. Flora by Scientific Names 991
B. Fauna by Scientific Names 1003

Bibliographical References 1019

Meh blood take yeh

......My interest in the English Caribbean developed when I began tutoring students through the Jamaican Association of Montreal. These children were clearly intelligent, motivated, and highly frustrated. A lack of understanding of the nature of the relationship between their English Creole language and standard English, in addition to pervasive racial prejudice, led to an overwhelming majority of Caribbean-background students being assigned to and ignored in “handicapped” classes, as teachers ascribed persistent problems to lack of innate ability rather than to a complex linguistic and social collision. I was also fascinated by the speech of the Trinidadians and Tobagonians I began to meet. It was English, but a very different English, and I responded to it with great appreciation and curiosity; as Trinis say, “my blood took it” - Transcribed

Mug Shot Art for Detail Magazine

Mug Shot 1


Mug Shot 2 - Beauty in the eye of the beholder


Mug Shot 3 - A tribute to Andy Warhol

These stills and collages are actually mug shots of individuals who have been arrested. The study places the emphasis on the beauty of the subject and his composure whether he at the moment of being photograph realizes it or not. It also explains the sense of street style which fashion designers are eager to duplicate and thus spread between the covers of a fashion magazine. See the second series of mug compositions

Number 1 - Sanitation Workers

Posing for a snap, Port of Spain, Trinidad

If ever you are caught behind a sanitation truck and pondered to yourself, why dem have to pickup now, be very careful with what you say, because dem doing what you ain't want to see you doing, that is cleaning up your own shit. At one of the popular malls in Port of Spain, these two sanitation workers are proud of what they do and were ecstatic over being appreciated for that very fact.

Sanitation Workers should be the highest paid public servant for what they provide to society and that is to keep your city and town clean. Thank them sincerely

Poll: If the Prime Minister went on strike, not one will take notice or even care. If sanitation workers did the same, you bet the stench will get your ass into action

CARIFESTA X - An Alternative to the same old, same old

City of El Dorado, Guyana's buried gold

CARIFESTA 2006 held in Trinidad

CARIFESTA X took place in Guyana, South America this year, and it fell just in the middle of The Olympic Games in Beijing. However, the Guyanese Prime Minister did his best to draw as much excitement to and from it, that he could, and Guyanese people seemed genuinely roused by the festivities. After all, Guyana has gone through much economic and social hardship for decades. Yet some say that Guyana is on the rise, and I certainly hope so.

Meanwhile, in Trinidad and Tobago, the building of the Centre for the Arts is under heated debate, and leads me to ask the question, what can artists do to help themselves become more relevant to society? I ask this because, on the one hand, there are events that prompt the average person in society to say that artists need support. Yet, when a building is finally being erected to support those said artists, there are new issues.

On the one hand you have the gallery system, where artists show their work. You have private buyers, you have corporate buyers of work and you have the artists. I am quite loathe to say that in society today, many people have one of two views of artists. They either think that artists make a great deal of money or do not make money at all. This attitude leads me to conclude that artists need to make the public much more aware of why they are relevant to society. A doctor for example would not have to proove this, but an artist, sadly, does have to do so today.

I say this because I think that alternative art shows are needed in Trinidad and Tobago. A prize like the Hugo Boss Prize in America or an award for excellence in Art would be a great start to making artists relevant to themselves for a start.

I would also suggest prizes for different categories of art and a special type of prize for art that helps society. In Canada, there is the Nuet Blanche, a full on insomniac festival devoted to art. Yes, we have carnival, but carnival is not necessarily art!

One cannot help but feel that art is held as a fringe. That artists are at the edges of society, almost invisible, except for moments when society is engaged with it and comments on talent. It is always the same trite comment at that, that there is so much talent in Trinidad and Tobago…and? What are we doing about it?

The Trinidad Art Society continues to have its November show because it remains as the single most important suggestion of regard for art in Trinidad and Tobago. But the society is a tiny space, and can only do so much.

The corporate world is in need of a presence beyond big buildings with no art inside them to soften or bring a point of view across about itself and the country at large. Yet, what is being done with collections for many of these companies? Are there shows of these collections? Not often! Art always seems to be side lined. However ever so often, when art becomes a focal point, as the CLICO calendar shows, the prize money and the choice of works always cause pause.

So I am going around in circles with my point. The public need to be educated about what is happening in the arts locally and regionally. The corporate world needs to get more involved in the arts and make it much more relevant to their own business mandates, and the artists themselves must start to hold themselves to the highest standards, look at their profession as deserving of much more than handouts and government support and we need to be very loud and clear about just how much we mean to our society by having alternative spaces to show our work and encourage the society to see that we mean business and that it isn’t business as usual. - Adele

Salindra pick it

The flower of the citrus fruit


Miss Elianore was a Baptist and every morning she would sing, Jesus loves me. This I know, For the Bible tells me so., Yes, Jesus loves me. Yes, Jesus loves me. Yes, Jesus loves me. The Bible tells me so and so forth. Her neighbour would be irritated by her hymns because his children would began to sing the chorus, Yes Jesus loves me. For the Bible tells me so. He would say, All yuh better believed in what yuh singing. That would ended their morning prayers.

Miss Elianore also had a orange tree where a few branches overhung in her neighbour' yard. The children were forbidden to pick any fruit although if they asked their neigbour, she would kindly give them. One morning, their father heard some branches rustling and then caught a whiff of a orange rind followed by someone saying, Dat orange sweet, Ah feel to pick more and this commotion made him fly off the spring bed and pelt down stairs to see who had picked the fruit.

I smell orange, he said, who pick de orange? I hope Miss Elianore put poison in de soil, who pick de orange? Is aunti Salindra muttered one of his children. Well this just enraged him even more. Salindra, a big hardback woman like you sucking odder people orange, I hope Miss Elianore poison de tree this morning, I hope she put plenty so yuh go dead. How could you teach meh children to tief.

The elder of the village, Miss Elianore carried a shiny brown leather belt around waist to keep her blossoms in place and many people in the village believed she polished it every day with caster oil, but they knew her reasonings. At every party in the village, Miss Elianore was in attendance and at 6pm she would say, Alright, all children time to go home, is big people time. No one would appose her, not even the host. And by six o'clock, the room was empty of the rascals.

.................................................................................................................
There is an example of the rich traditions from Trinidad and Tobago remembered by your tanti or elder. It was a time where morals and behavior where set in stone, both by the head of the household and the community. Salindra was his sister in law and the village is Mayaro, Trinidad,

Beauty and Trinidadian woman

Miss Universe 1977, Janelle (Penny) Commissiong

One of the greater moments in Trinidad and Tobago's history since its independence in 1962 and that of Hasely Crawford's gold medal win (100 meter dash) at the Montreal, Olympic games in 1976.

It is said that the women of Trinidad and Tobago possess a beauty which is unmatched. On closer examination, the similarities between the facial structures of Janelle (Penny) Commissiong and Wendy Fitzwilliam's face bears a distinct similarity in its mappings. Wendy Fitzwilliam was crowned Miss Universe in 1988. As with Penny Commissiong, it was her grace that clipped the title.
...................................................................................................................
Please note, the Far East is not a country

Far East: A expression for the countries of eastern Asia including China, Mongolia, Taiwan and Japan.

Embroidered emblem

An hand embroidered emblem where every stitch forms the fabric of a nation, Trinidad and Tobago, West Indies

The Coat of Arms of Trinidad and Tobago has motifs which represent the indigenousness of its people, landscape and history. Design in 1962 for the country's independence, its bears the motto; Together we aspire, Together we achieve. These words instilled a vision where a people were foreseen to work towards an universal goal.


An illustration showcasing the Neal & Massy company and the vision of Trinidad and Tobago working towards a common goal of industrialization.1972

Searching for Steelband archive - Kim Johnson

Pan reach

The National Pan History Project

The author Kim Johnson is on a mission to amass as many photographs capturing Trinidad and Tobago's national musical instrument, the Steelpan. The material is for a coffee table book entitled the National Archives of the Pan. The project is a thorough history of the steelpan's beginning from 1939 to its present day. The two hundred and fifty page document will examine the culture behind the only musical instrument invented in the twentieth century and its foundations integrated within Trinidad and Tobago.

An unknown steelband from San Fernando, Trinidad, courtesy of Kim Johnson

Mr. Johnson is appealing to the public for any photographs of the steelpan they may have of Trinidad carnival during the 1940 - 90s. A gem from those old steelband snapshots could find its way between the pages of the National Pan Archive Book. If you can contribute to this project, Kim Johnson can be emailed for further details.

Pan Am North Stars on the Ed Sullivan Show in 1964. courtesy of Kim Johnson

The young masqueraders

It looked like carnival Tuesday with the streets filled with people, music trucks and masqueraders lining up to be judged. From a distance, young kings and queens danced while combating the cool breeze at the Queen's Part Savannah, Trinidad, West Indies. This is what Mas is, said someone, Big people play carnival.

Playing yuh self - Trinidad Carnival 1950's

The keepers of our past...



The still of the masquerader sitting on the back of a donkey during Trinidad and Tobago's carnival was filmed by an American visitor from 1956-7 according to Ray Funk. It shows the track to the Queen's Park Savannah's stage, and how masqueraders played their mas as they marched across the stage recorded with a 16mm home movie camera.

Recently, a discussion on the preservation of Trinidad carnival stressed that footage such as the sample may have been taken by members of the society who were wealthy enough to own recording devices, and there is the likelihood the spools of film may be tossed in some cardboard box gathering dust from the grandchildren of people who filmed the festival over fifty years ago. Thanks to Ray Funk, the archivist of Trinidad and Tobago's Steelband, Calypso and Carnival, he is preserving a collection by seeking out finds as with this footage.

The youtube is a commentary by Ray Funk, Allyson Hennessy and Holly Betaudier on local television.

Christmas in St. James

Christmas is a season where many people in the Caribbean do their general cleaning. Homes are freshly painted and people like in Trinidad and Tobago get into the mad rush of last minute shopping or stocking up with grog.

And with grog in mind, this bar located in St.James, Trinidad, West Indies is celebrating Christmas by placing a large tree at the front of the property. The owner says its best to come back at night to see it all lit up with lights, but at daylight it has an aesthetic of its own. Constructed from the branches of a coconut tree, the cone shape reaches over twenty feet high.

The wonderful part of Trinidad and Tobago is that its people of all religious backgrounds celebrate the Christian holiday. The owner of this particular bar may be Hindu or Muslin or even Christian himself, yet it is in its recognition thats speaks a truth of brotherhood and union.

Meh wife like meh sweet water

Listen nah I marry twice
The portrait of this older gentle-cold-nuts-man brings a feeling of homesickness to Trinidadians who live elsewhere in the world. He is situated around the Queens Park Savannah, Port of Spain and sells his cold nuts from a decrepit van which believably moves.

At the time, a coconut was being cut-open for its jelly. Mr. Saga boy was sweet talking his lady client about the natural healing benefits of his particular water, in its grade of sweetness which his wife could not handle too much fresh water in her system. More foretelling was the way his hacked at the shell with brutal cutlass force.



In certain cultures, the coconut tree is considered as the tree of life because very part of the palm can be used.

Grade of water
Young Coconuts - Sweet, no jelly
Older nuts - Tart, moist jelly

The passing of Lord Kitchener,s Rainorama

Is sweat-rice make he so...

This is Rain-O-Rama, a property once occupied by the family of calypsonian Lord Kitchener, Aldwyn 'Roberts to which he bequeathed to someone else other than his wife and children. Since his death in 2000, a battle has ensued for ownership of the property.

Rain-O-Rama is a landmark in the area of Diego Martin, Trinidad, West Indies and the ongoing dispute has raised the question of preserving the founders of the island's irreplaceable culture such as this. It is only the people of Trinidad and Tobago who are responsible to uphold.

The lyrics to the benefactor of Lord Kitchener - Mark his words
Sweat-rice - An incantation which woman use to induce pheromones. It is a form of local voodoo or obeah in the Caribbean.

SUGAR BUM BUM

Audrey, where you get that sugar
Darling there is nothing sweeter
You make me scream, you make me bawl You make me feel like ten foot tall
Sugar bum, sugar bum-bum , Sugar bum, sugar bum-bum, Sugar bum, sugar bum-bum

Audrey, every time you wiggle
Darling, yo u put me in trouble
You torture me, the way you wine I love to see your fat behind
Sugar bum, sugar bum-bum , Sugar bum, sugar bum-bum, Sugar bum, sugar bum-bum

Darling, I don't want to lose you Honey, like you give me voodoo Give way me land, give way me car But let no man touch my sugar Sugar bum, sugar bum-bum

Whe de asse...whe de mas? - Ashraph

A Carnival Art Band

Richard Ramsaran (Ashraph) has been working on a show that is related to the state of Carnival in Trinidad and Tobago. This is his band launch set for the National Museum of Trinidad and Tobago in February 2008. Mr. Ramsaran has approached the subject with a panache we can call totally kitsch with puns on contemporary carnival designers. He has used materials such as paper, wire, beads, feathers and glitter purchased from the King of Carnival suppler, Samaroos in Port of Spain, not China to produce the miniature costumes. All of his work are for sale, in many sections of cause. Ashraph has also casted in Papier-mâché the shape of an urn, and it acts as the body for his blue devils. His small kraft Paper bags are covered with glitter and layered with colours are his exclusive mas pieces that are not cheap, and they are also all inclusive with special dainties for the buyer.

Ashraph has played with the concept of deconstruction, and the fluidity of movement made from Papier-mâché plates to describe the traditional Carnival characters such as Bat and Fancy sailor dance. He has clearly streamlined his pieces which the nuances represent an informal take on the characters. A Jab Jab to him could be a simply mesh wire enclosed by a feather boa, with the shape of a heart at the centre. To add to the piece, small bells are attached.

An exhibition of recent works, Whe de asse...whe de mas- Richard Ramsaran proposed for the National Museum of Trinidad and Tobago, Trinidad, West Indies. Please note the dates are not officially confirmed.

Win Lose or Draw

A Nation decides on her future


It may not have come from to place of the heart, but it brought a sense of debate at a moment in Trinidad and Tobago's history. On the wall of the old racing paddock at the Queen Park Savannah, a graffiti artist has painted quite crudely a four letter word with significant meaning to citizens of any country who have constitutional right too.

Esta is a little diluted

The phrase, Esta is a little diluted is what can be deciphered from this wall scribbling of text written in blue crayon. The artists has accompanied the script with a drawing of a nude woman with a fairly wide hip. Her hands are clasped in front of her vagina as an indication of self-protection, and If she is homeless, she is exposed to a hard street-life. Only the artist knows of her troubles.

A large cannabis leaf is drawn next to her, and a figure of a crude face are both illustrated in with a light pencil. There is much more to this photograph which is located in heart of Port of Spain, and like the artist it is the reality in which he lives, the manner in which he tells his story and the proverbs he leaves behind.

A man asleep on a cardboard box in Port of Spain, Trinidad, West Indies superimposed with a Baptistery Mosaic which dates from about 500 AD.

Martins at School Street Carenage

A old bus as a Bar, Martins near School Street, Carenage

Since Eric Willians, sometime in the 1960s, Martins has been in operation. The owner, a quaint hostess describes the place as a tourist attraction but not as one of the more popular bars from Carenage. It is of cause a converted bus with red seats that run along the side. The large port windows are burglar-proof in the shape of hearts and wrought iron chairs covered with red upholstery are set along black tables. Christmas lights loop from post to post, and the interior of bus is decorated with an assortment of newspaper clippings and pinups of popular local celebrities.

Today, the bar has its regular customers just after a laborious day of construction. Three middle aged men sit and discuss about owning a piece of land, and about its importance. Money could done, but land remain for generations. They speak about education, and fondly of Eric Willians, the first Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago still believing he is alive somewhere.

Saga Boy

Sa-ga boy or Sweetman

Definition: A Caribbean playboy: a man primarily interested in following fashion and seeking the attention of pleasure, namely women. Spotted at Ariapita avenue in Woodbrook, Port of Spain, Trinidad, West Indies.

Taximan to a Red woman: So is you who have to place so hot...

Beyond the earth - Eid-ul-Fitr

Beyond the earth to the skies, and to a new moon

Eid is recorded to be celebrated in 624 by the Prophet Muhammad after the victory of the battle of Jang-e-Badar. Muslims are not only celebrating the end of their fasting, but thanking Allah for the his help and strength throughout the previous month in practice and self-control in fasting.

The festival begins at the first sighting of the new moon. The holiday, Eid-ul-Fitris in celebrated in Trinidad and Tobago and Muslins gather at their homes to give prayers and to have a festive full meal marking its end. Eid is also a time of forgiveness, and making amends to each other.

So look to the skies this evening a see the cycle of the history of man and the earth's satellite, planets and stars.

Photographs: A Mosque in Princess Town and graffiti of the Muslim faith drawn on a wall, Green Corner , Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago.