back in times

DUENNES (pronounced DWENS) are the mischievous spirits of un-baptised children who lure living children away into the forest where they are then abandoned. They take the form of sexless children without faces except for a little mouth. Their feet are turned backwards and they wear outsized straw hats upon their large heads. They are wont to steal the names and mannerisms of their intended victims, particularly at dusk. Mothers use this myth to frighten their kids into staying indoors once darkness falls.

PAPA BOIS (Father of the Woods) is the guardian of the forests and protector of its animals. He appears in various forms, mostly with a leafy beard and cloven feet, sometimes as a deer, but mostly as a muscular, hairy old man in raggedy clothes, blowing a cow horn to warn the animals of the hunters' approach. It is as a deer that he tricks the hunters to follow him into the deep forest where he reveals himself in his true form in order to berate them, leaving them lost before vanishing.

MAMAN de L'EAU (Water Mother) could very well be the first 'Eco-activist', as she's known to take her revenge on men who pollute rivers, burn and fell trees or kill forest animals. Her lower half takes the form of a giant Anaconda snake, but she can also be transformed into a beautiful belle, quietly singing as she sits on the river bank. She is thought to be the lover of the forest's keeper, the ultimate Eco Warrior Papa Bois.
Should you be so unlucky to encounter her - remove your shoes, turn them up-side-down and walk barefoot backwards until you reach home!!


In the folklore of these Islands there are a few characters, some of whom have distant parallels with European counterparts. The female vampire, Soucouyant, is one such and like some others they are known by their French names - French patois being a dominant language spoken in lots of the Caribbean islands in earlier times.........Still is, in their former colonies, Haiti, Martinique, St. Lucia, Guadeloupe, French St. Martin and parts of the Grenadines.
THE SOUCOUYANT took the form of a ball of fire floating on the wind and in the middle of the flames would be seen the face of an old witch looking for people in order to suck their blood. The victims would awaken with black and blue discolourations where they had been sucked and usually died after a prolonged bout of weakness and frailty. The Soucouyant was portrayed as an old crone who lived alone and in order to achieve the transformation, had to leave her skin behind in a mortar. She would return home just before daylight and if the villagers had plucked up enough courage to enter her home and find the mortar and were to sprinkle coarse salt and pepper on the skin, she would not
be able to attain the retransformation and would therefore die a horrible death. It was also believed that if one were to empty a bag of rice at the village crossroads, the Soucouyant was obliged to stop on her way home and pick up each grain, where upon on the onset of daybreak the villagers would discover her and her true identity.
LA DIABLESSE (Devil Woman) possesses a cloven hoof in place of a normal foot, the other foot being fashionably shod. She is usually very attractive and well perfumed, dresses in the mode of the embroidered lace costumery of the French islands with an elaborate turban, golden necklaces and ear-rings. She preys on single men making their way home at night, usually after a night out having a good time. She trails an old iron chain, a heritage of her slavery days and it is believed that she represents the spirit of the woman wronged, wreaking vengeance on would-be male predators.
She seduces the young men, leading them on, as aflame with desire, they follow her into the high woods never to return, or if they do, it is as raving lunatics. In the Voodoo cult, she is worshiped as the re-creation or Erzulie, the tragic West African goddess. The lore may have been brought to these islands by French slaves from St. Lucia and Haiti in the late 1700's. Don't stay out late, young fella!


It was once a common rural pastime for families and neighbours to gather round the outdoor fire at night, roasting and eating nuts and corn while recounting tales and superstitions much to the fearful delight of the children. Here is one such Tobago legend��.
GANG GANG SARAH Legend has it that one stormy night Sarah flew from Africa and landed in the Tobago village of Les Coteaux, from where she journeyed to Golden Lane in search of her family who had been transported there as slaves. There she resided and was the loving wife of Long Tom, who legend says she had known as a child in her native Africa. She lived to a ripe old age and when Tom died she thought
that she would return to Africa. However, her diet would naturally contain salt as most diets do, and the story goes that she climbed the Silk Cotton tree but was unable to fly back as she had eaten salt. It's believed that she is buried under this tree, and to this day the names of Tom and Sarah can been seen inscribed upon two headstones in Golden Lane. This story has become part of Tobago's folk lore, and you can find the ancient tree on the way to Footprints Eco Resort. There are many interesting versions told of the legend of Gang Gang Sarah. Picture - Kind Courtesy Paria Publishing Co. Ltd.

	Whats On... In Tobago
	Back In Times