tuk

In this feature we take a look at "Tuk" a form of music, and rhythm that is indigenous to Barbados.

ORIGINS  Drum music was brought to Barbados by the first Africans who arrived as slaves in 1627. At that time they had to fashion substitutes for the variety of drums they left behind in West Africa, using local materials like coconut and mahogany. Membranes for the drums were made from the skins of goats, sheep and cattle.

PROHIBITION  The English colonist thought that the slaves would use their drumming music to organize and ignite rebellion against them, so they instituted a law in 1688 to prohibit the playing of the drums and other "heathenous noises" on the plantation and even in the town. One of the penalties was death. The slaves managed to get around this law to some extent by adapting their African derived music they played on weekends at dances to sound like that of the Europeans. It is believed that the Crop Over Festival could have originated in those times.

THE BAND  The fiddler played a lively tune on his bow supported by flutes, horns and whistles. During the next 150 years a variety of other instruments were put in place so that by Emancipation in 1838, Tuk music was firmly established. The newly freed slaves sang "Lick and lock up done wid" to celebrate.

By this time the composition of the Tuk band was set. Homemade drums were fabricated from wood (rum barrels or plywood) or metal as in old salt meat cans, with bicycle rims and plaited tamarind rod holding down the goat, sheep, cow or calf skin. Iron lugs were used to pull down on the shell. The word "Tuk" appears to have been derived from the Scottish word "Touk" meaning to beat or sound an instrument. The band owes it's origin to the fife and drum marching band of the 18th century British regiment. Today it comprises of a bass drum, a kettle drum (snare), a triangle or other percussive instrument and a penny whistle which has replaced the fiddle over the last 120 years as the lead instrument.

ELEMENTS  Elements of Calypso,
African High-Life and even North American Negro folk religious music beats can be heard in Tuk music. It has a persistent, recognizable African base upon which British regimental rhythms and more recently the Barbadian experience has been superimposed. There are other similar types of bands throughout the Caribbean, but each one has its own unique sound and feeling. Some costumed characters that accompany this band come out of our African heritage of "Masquerade". The Stiltman (effigy of Mr. Hardin - a symbol of hard times), the donkey (an important mean of transportation in early times), the Shaggy Bear which has been created over the years to represent a witch doctor-type creature and the Mother Sally, representing the fertility of the female.

TUK PATTERNS  The music takes the form of three major patterns - the Waltz, the fassie (or March) and Tuk, which itself is an infectious 4/4 rhythm. The Tuk genre continues to develop due to the work of people like Wayne "Poonka" Willock, from the bank holiday/rum-shop and festive season affair, to an international medium.

Poonka and his Tuk group have taken these unique Barbadian rhythms to New York, England, Scotland, Cuba, Martinique, South Carolina, New Orleans and Germany. The Tuk bands local performances have been extended to include church harvests and fairs; they also play for weddings, christenings and high profile public functions. Hotels also schedule the Tuk bands to perform for their guests, turning it into a big tourist attraction.

TUK'S INFLUENCE  The Tuk band is inextricably bound up with the Landship movement, representing the engine that drives the movement of the "Ship". The Landship is itself a cultural expression indigenous to Barbados and has been around just as long as the band itself. The three rhythms previously described constitute the stages through which the "engine" goes as it pressurizes for the "trip on the open seas". The waltz would be used for the "warm up" at about 50 lbs., then the fassie, or march, would increase it to about 80 lbs. The Tuk beat would take it over the 100 lbs. mark, and the "ship" would then be sailing at full speed, displayed by the maneuver of the "crew" as they go about their duties.

STATUS  In terms of community life, one will always hear a Tuk band on any festive occasion, especially bank holidays, Christmas, Easter and certainly Crop Over where it plays an integral role from the Gala opening ceremony to kadooment day
jump-up.

For more information about the culture of tuk in Barbados contact Poonka poonka@caribsurf.com or visit http://home.caribsurf.com/rukatuk