Calinda is a martial art or rather martial dance from the Caribbean. It is a type of stick-fighting. These days it is still practiced at the Trinidad and Tobago Carnival. Calinda is usually accompanied by music (vocals and drums). The sticks (bois) are about 80 centimeters long, often oiled and hardened by fire (Traditional MAS Archive, n.d.; National Carnival Commission of Trinidad and Tobago, n.d.).
History/Development
Calinda, based on traditional African combat dances, was brought from Africa to the Caribbean through slave trade during the early 18th century (Green 2001; Traditional MAS Archive, n.d.). Thomas Green explains (Green 2001: p.130) that the loss of combative nature in these performances is due to the occasions in which the African American martial arts usually take place or are shown to public; they tend to be displayed at for example carnivals.
Transmission (Policies/institutions)
Relevant Organisations
- National Carnival Commission of Trinidad and Tobago http://www.ncctt.org/new/
Additional Materials
- Henry, Jeff (2008). Under the mas’: resistance and rebellion in the Trinidad masquerade. San Juan, Trinidad and Tobago: Lexicon. - Hill, Errol (1972). The Trinidad carnival; mandate for a national theatre. Austin: University of Texas Press.
References
- Green, Thomas A. (2003). “Surviving the Middle Passage: Traditional African Martial Arts in the Americas” in: Svinth, J. and Green, T. A., Martial Arts of the Modern World, Westport, Conn.: Praeger. - Green, Thomas A. (ed.) (2001). Martial arts of the world: an encyclopedia, Santa Barbara: ABC-CLIO, p. 9. - Traditional MAS Archive (n.d.), Calinda. https://www.traditionalmas.com/project/calinda/ - National Carnival Commission of Trinidad and Tobago (n.d.) Traditional Mas Characters - Calinda or Kalenda (Stick Fighting) http://www.ncctt.org/new/index.php/about-ncc/departments/regional/trad-carnival-characters/319-traditional-mas-characters-calinda-or-kalenda-stick-fighting.html