The Nutcracker - A Trini Christmas continued

It seems that every year in December the city goes just a little crazy. One couldn't take more than a few steps without running into a billboard, sign or flyer dedicated to The Nutcracker. From just around the end of November through year end, it's suddenly "hey, go see The Nutcracker, it's at the Fox, did you see it yet?"

I've been meaning to see it, really I have, but life, finances and former sweethearts not keen on going always got in the way. Not to mention that getting tickets often required nothing short of ritual sacrifice.....but that was a bygone era, before Groupon.

Let me explain something to you fine folk, if you can find the time to do nothing else each Christmas, make it your business to come see this. In the span of two hours, I was made to regret not having seen this each of my eleven years an Atlanta resident. I also regret not taking the youngster with me either, everywhere I looked, whole families present.

Atlanta Ballet's The Nutcracker

I may be no expert on interpretive dance, but from my layman's perspective, the performances were spellbinding. The choreography had a rhythm that when combined with the musical score, created an effect that was enchanting, almost magical. The costumes, though unique and imaginative, still maintained the classic Nutcracker look. What I liked most was despite the lack of dialogue, the audience was still able to experience at various points, the emotional depth evident in the story.

There  were times of joyful celebration, youthful exuberance, other times a sense of foreboding and fear, I remember feeling a knot in my stomach in the lead up to the Rat King's appearance.

Obviously because of the lack of dialogue, some familiarity with the story is needed lest you be totally lost. The ballet still lacked that bourgeois element that normally accompanies productions of this nature in that there were more than a few instances of genuine comedy resulting in raucous laughter. Many of the performers also engaged their audience throughout which really left us with a sense that we were all part of something truly extraordinary.

As one might imagine, Atlanta Ballet's production isn't the only Nutcracker outfit in town. Atlanta-based African American dance company Ballethnic has been staging it's immensely popular Urban Nutcracker at Georgia Tech's Robert Ferst Center for the Arts for more than a decade. I'd actually seen it twice during my Morehouse College days as well as another production of theirs called A Leopard's Tale. The Gwinnett Ballet also stages it's own production which it has apparently been doing for thirty two years.

Theatre isn't always on the bucket list for the average islander family at Christmas especially when there's ham and black cake to be had; but perhaps it's time we try something a little different. Next week I'll talk about Alliance Theatre's A Christmas Carol which I also saw this past Christmas.

........to be continued.

DTJ

A Trini Christmas......in Georgia

In my twelve years abroad, Christmas had always posed the greatest challenge as one might imagine, recreating an authentic Trinbago Christmas is no easy task. For years each December, Atlanta's own "The Parang Side" did their very best to bring some sense of home to the dirty south. Following the pattern of a traditional parang band, the paranderos went house to house on weekends and we their rabid fans followed right along, eating and drinking as we went. Trinis delighted in the experience and our hosts responded in kind with platefuls of black cake, sweet bread, pastelles, endless food and of course, ponche a creme, sorrel and ginger beer.

But the Parang Side has long since passed from existence, it's various members now married, had children or moved away and this trini eventually had to find some other medium for Christmas entertainment. I suppose their absence was a good thing (please bring them back) as it had forced me to open my eyes to the dizzying array of alternate Christmas-time festivities right here in Atlanta, Georgia.  

Christmas Lights

"Garden Lights" - Atlanta Botanical Gardens

Among my fondest of childhood memories, were those of "old grey", the family Nissan Bluebird, all Johnsons on board on our annual Christmas night pilgrimage to look for Christmas lights. One of the more popular destinations was always (and probably still is) the Bhagwansingh home in Valsayn just off the highway. The lights at this home were always a treat. For those of you that might remember, this custom was often repeated on one other popular night of the year, Divali. 

Finding homes was quite a chore though often relying on daddy's near encyclopedic knowledge of past years' displays and of course a little bit of luck. Here in the US, the house-to-house grind is certainly an option but it's far simpler to just visit a dedicated Christmas light display instead. Nights of Lights at Lake Lanier, Garden Lights at the Atlanta Botanic Gardens and the now world famous Christmas lights at Callaway Gardens are just a few of the better ones in and around Atlanta. 

This was my first year doing Garden Lights and it was absolutely worth it. The Atlanta Botanical Gardens had gone to great lengths to create an enchanting display that demonstrated why theirs had been consistently lauded as one of the city's best light displays. If nothing else, I'd highly recommend adding this to your Christmas routine.

A word of caution though, as popularity often brings problems, on peak nights, the traffic situation gets out of control. With some knowledge of Piedmont Park and it's environs though, the hour-long parking nightmare can be avoided. I was able to quickly secure parking near the Atlanta Beltline just off Monroe, only suffering a 10 minute walk in the cold for my troubles.

Christmas Plays

As Turkey is to Thanksgiving, The Nutcracker is to Christmas, in Atlanta anyway. The popular ballet held each year in December practically begs it's own dedicated post........which it certainly will have. Catch me next week as I continue to expand on this my first attempt to experience a not so trini Christmas.

~fin

Atlanta Botanical Gardens

1345 Piedmont Avenue NE

Atlanta, GA 30309

404-876-5859

Kool Runnings......they're back.

Institution - 

 "a custom, practice, relationship, behavioral pattern or organization of importance in the life of a community or society."

By this definition alone I think I could safely declare Kool Runnings Jamaican Restaurant an Atlanta institution. Hated by some, beloved by most, their ubiquitous Stone Mountain location has been a fixture on Memorial Drive for 19 years. With 24 hour service on weekends, Kool Runnings was effectively the Waffle House of Caribbean establishments serving ox tail, jerk chicken, curry goat, escovitch fish and more to weary party goers in the wee hours.  

It was my custom after a long night at 426, Atrium, Party Room or Pisces to stop in for a large ox tail, rice an peas, fry dumplin with extra gravy (my rice should be swimming). Food that heavy would deliver a quick and decisive dose of sober for the inevitable dash down po po alley (Memorial Drive). 

But 19 years of serving the Stone Mountain community came to an end with little warning this past May when hungry party goers pulled into the gravely parking lot to find the brightly coloured building boarded up with only a vague and oddly chilling sign alluding to its fate. 

Where in the world was I going to get good stew oxtail now? My mother's is arguably the best but flying home each time isn't practical. Some would say Island Cafe just down the street but I hadn't ever been a fan of their food to begin with, I wasn't about to start eating there just because my favourite spot was gone.  

I went without brown stew kingfish or my beloved stew oxtail for several months till one day in September, I happened to be driving through Norcross on my way home. While cutting through a strip mall parking lot to circumvent a particularly pesky traffic light, I happened to randomly run in to.........

Oxtail Nirvana

 Holy shit.......

I walked in the door, bent down on my knees and kissed the floor. The owners later told me people had been doing the same thing all week, they'd had no idea how much the brand had meant to Atlantan islanders.

In this notoriously fickle city, the establishment represented belonging, it demonstrated that we islanders had established ourselves as permanent fixtures in this southern community and that when all else failed, we could always return here for a little taste of home.

But why Norcross? Why so far from Caribbean ground zero? I never quite got a straight answer but it didn't matter. In the week since they'd re-opened their doors, practically all their fans had found them and business was booming. Let's hope we'll see the brand around for another 19 years because seriously, my blood pressure won't allow for another closing.

DTJ.

Kool Runnings Jamaican Restaurant

5450 Peachtree Parkway

Norcross, GA 30092

770-441-0206

Northern Sympathizer

Having lived in the south the past decade, I'd developed an interest in American Civil War history. Ken Burns' exceptional and very thorough presentation of the war in his documentary "The Civil War," really sparked my interest in the Antebellum era. One would be hard pressed not to find a Confederate flag or two still flying on many a southern front porch, and every other southerner seems to have a great grandpappy that lost a leg fighting "dem damn Yankees."

At some point, my curiosity could no longer be sated by history books or wikipedia, I needed more. So I started seeking out and attending civil war battle reenactments. 

But my interest and enthusiasm for this part of American history has put me at odds with many of my African American peers, which is understandable considering the race-based circumstances that brought about the war. Let's face facts, the war was about slavery. Many would argue states rights till blue in the face but seriously, what states rights were they fighting for exactly? Correct, the right to enslave another race. This unfortunate misunderstanding really just boiled down to "we keep our negroes or we're seceding from the Union" (but we all know how well that worked out). 

Truth be told, as much enthusiasm as I have for the Civil War, I have been unable to stomach the historical depictions of slavery I encounter. Many civil war-centric museums feature a slavery exhibit.....I skip those every time. I can withstand the sight of the thousands of dead at notable battles like Manassas, Bull Run, Antietam, Vicksburg,  Gettysburg, etc. The death and destruction depicted on such a grand scale leave me in awe. But show me one shackled negro and I'm sickened to my very core. 

The War was brutal but such brutality can be expected, such is the nature of war. Slavery was no war, but it was brutal nonetheless and I can never reconcile with that.

(You don't believe slavery was brutal? Try sitting through "12 Years A Slave" without flinching). 

But the more I try to keep slavery and the war separated mentally, the more people seem to enforce the connection. For instance, you won't often see many of "us" at battle reenactments, so when I show up I tend to become a bit of a novelty. I often get approached with all sorts of interesting facts and tidbits. 

During one trip to the Battle of Tunnel Hill, I found myself touring the museum after the battle. A gentleman approached me and said he knew of a civil war site not twenty miles from Tunnel Hill that he was sure I'd be interested in. It was Fort Hill, supposedly the only battle site in Georgia that featured "coloured troops" (yes he said coloured). 

On another occasion, I got invited to a reenactment at Ft. Wagner which you may or may not remember as the fort from the end of the movie Glory......(SPOILER ALERT), the battle where they pretty much killed the entire black regiment. 

So yes, my racial identity does often clash with my Civil War enthusiasm but so far I've been able to keep the two halves of me separate. I intend to continue going to the different battles and you all should expect to see those stories popping up from time to time. I'll soon determine a way to deal with the emotional toll, I'm sure of it. 

DTJ

Stereotypes

I haven't been writing for 4 months so bear with me please................

Every society has certain social norms that are unique to them. In especially cosmopolitan areas such as New York City for instance, the dense mix of cultures, nationalities, and religious beliefs meld together to create a one-of-a-kind experience.

Trinbago's dense mix of races and cultures combined with its geographic isolation as an island has also created something special. It's hard to miss the trini in any setting, whether black, white, east indian, asian, syrian, etc, we project a national identity that transcends that of our racial makeup. But to say that racial identity has been lost within Trinbago society would be misleading. With few exceptions, each ethnic group has been free to practice and promote their own histories, cultures, religious and culinary traditions.

Which brings me to today's discussion. Despite the trini national identity that we love to tout, some habits had historically been (notice I said "had") race specific. Sailing, deep sea fishing, watersports, etc.......Westmoorings folk. Sea bath, beating pan.....afro-trinis.

River lime, curry duck.......take a wild guess.

During a recent conversation with an old friend (whom I previously thought to be) an indo-Trinbagonian, the topic of doing a river lime here in Atlanta came up. Naturally I offered to buy the duck, to which he responded with five words I didn't understand:

" I don't like curry duck." 

Wait......what?

"because meh hair straight and ah look dougla yuh figure I must have curry duck to lime?"

It occurred to me right then that trinbago culture was greater than the sum of its parts. It is part of the reason why the indo-trini or afro-trini don't exist, why Holi is celebrated by all, or why each trini family has their own Divali tradition, why an African would be equally at home beating a tassa drum as he would the congo and why (incidentally) an East Indian would be entirely free to skip the curry duck at a river lime. (despite how foreign a concept this may seem in my mind).

It's because we barely have a race culture anymore (despite what our politics might portray). It's because rather than being indo-trini or afro-trini, etc, we very proudly proclaim TRINI.....unabridged, undiluted, unadulterated Trinbagonian.

DTJ

P.S. I've yet to determine the exact race of this dougla-looking bredren of mine. I'm convinced he's pulling my leg but now I'm not so sure.

This circumstance isn't isolated at all, I have another friend I'd assumed to be black till the day she showed me her great grandmother's original indentureship card. Sensing confusion, she also produced the travel documents for said grandmother's trip aboard the S.S. Ganges' last trip to Trinidad in 1917.

The S.S. Ganges as you might imagine, did not make a stop anywhere on Africa's West Coast during that time.

Identity Challenged

As is customary whenever I hear a Caribbean-ish accent nearby, I always enquire.

"Whey yuh from boss?"

The responses vary from the common, "yard" (Jamaica if you didn't know), V.I., Guyana, Grenada, etc, to the not  so frequent, Bahamas, Bermuda, Tortola, among others.

The conversations then typically follow the inter-island communication template:

1. How long you been here?
2. Why'd you leave home? 
3. Married? Pickney?
4. Work?

The most recent exchange was a youth at the gym, a Bahamian (rare in Atlanta); but the conversation didn't quite go as expected. When he enquired about my home island, my response of course was "I'm a trini." His next question threw me:

Are you actually from Trinidad or are you really Tobagonian? O_O 

I don't think I've ever, had that question posed to me before.....good one buddy. 

It's been years since last I pondered the issue. I've always been aware of certain, subtle differences between both islands but have always tried to focus on my identity from a national perspective. When asked, I'm not Trinidadian or Tobagonian, but simply, Trinbagonian. 

But that mindset just ignores the very real fact that we are very different peoples. But how does one identify as Trinidadian or Tobagonian really? There are a few key areas, that we differ: language, culture, racial mix, culinary traditions and the urban/rural spread just to name a few.

To anyone paying attention, the most obvious difference is the accent. Yes, Tobagonians sound slightly different. Though it is not always noticeable, there is a bit of an accent, especially when speaking to someone from the back country, places like Speyside and Parlatuvier. 

Because the island's history differs from that of Trinidad, Tobagonians also have a much different cultural identity from that of their larger island neighbour. Tobagonians seem to impart cultural norms that closely mirror African traditions but things like goat racing during Easter weekend are uniquely their own. A heavy emphasis on African-inspired cultural traditions also gives an idea of the primary racial make-up of  the island which unlike Trinidad, is predominantly black.  

Which brings me to my next point. I used to think I was dark-skinned; all that changed when I met a black Tobagonian. I've been sunburned before, and even then, I wasn't anywhere near as dark as the rich, inky black hues prevalent on the island. You only think you're black.....gawd damn.

Why the lack of racial diversity you ask? You'd have to look into the island's history. Indentured labour programs post the abolition of slavery, led to a very diverse mix of races and cultures in Trinidad. Indentureship skipped Tobago entirely and as such, the island remained populated primarily by descendants of the island's original African slaves (hence the heavy influence of African traditions on all aspects of Tobagonian society). 

Even their food is unique. While they do cook very much the same foods as we do in Trinidad, there are a few important differences. The trini version of dumplings for instance, is a light, yet firm boiled flour concoction. Tobago dumplings on the other hand are tough enough to bring down an aircraft when thrown but you haven't lived till you've eaten a plate of Tobago crab and dumpling. 

To me, their variations on everything I've grown up eating, from pelau to ground provisions and stew chicken, has always been heavier, more flavourful and much more intense. This is probably why one may often hear Tobagonians referring to trini foods as flat or bland. 

But the intensity of their culinary traditions is tempered only by the general laid back nature of their people. Unlike the very urban and considerably more developed (by developing nation standards) western neighbour, Tobago is considerably more rural. Even in the capital, it isn't uncommon to see goats tied up on roadways and front yards. Their pace of life is significantly slower than the frenzied, party-crazed trinis across the way and Tobago will probably always remain the place, trinis go to relax. 

Yup, so whilst I haven't thought through these things in a while, Tobago does have its own unique identity but make no mistake, when asked where I come from, my response will always be Trinidad AND Tobago.

D.Trini J.

Etowah Indian Mounds

Most of my galavanting throughout Georgia is typically planned long in advance. By the time I actually make it to a venue, it's only because I'd already done my research weeks prior, read the brochures, perused the websites, etc. But every now and then, I experience something new completely by chance.

Two statues discovered on site. 

As it happens, I found myself in Cartersville one Saturday morning, assisting a friend. The town most often associated with the Tellus Science Museum (sorta like Fernbank, just impractically far away), had the feeling of a quiet little hick town that had been pulled suddenly into the 21st Century.

I'd really planned on driving out there, quickly doing what I'd been asked to do and immediately driving back but, an experienced knock-about-ist myself, my brain is constantly on the lookout for those handy, brown-coloured highway markers, the tell tale signs of nearby intrigue.

It was these same highway markers that pointed me in the direction of the Etowah Indian Mounds Historic Site, 54 acres of land that were once home to several thousand Native Americans for more than 500 years.

Established sometime in 1000 AD, it's believed (hopefully through some very thorough archaeological investigation) that the site was actively used until sometime in 1550, coincidentally not long after the coming of the Spanish conquistador Hernando de Soto. Please feel free to draw your own conclusions as to what happened then.

Etowah is largely regarded as the largest intact example of Mississippian culture anywhere in the south east. The Mississippians being a prehistoric indigenous Native American culture pre-dating the Cherokee and Muskogee (Creek) Indians who came centuries later. I'd visited Rock Eagle Effigy earlier which is thought to be at least 1000 years older than Etowah and built by yet another group of prehistoric Indians (the Woodland Indians).

 There are supposedly six mounds on the site, only three of which I could actually see. The first, creatively named Mound A, the largest of the three, most likely where the chief or high priest lived. Mound B possibly housed a lesser noble and the third and much smaller Mound C was a burial mound.

Standing 63 feet high, the primary mound is the prehistoric equivalent of a modern day 6-story building, made entirely of packed Georgia red clay.

Mound A as seen from the defensive ditch. 

The other two mounds are smaller by comparison but no less important especially mound C, the burial mound where most of the artifacts housed at the nearby museum were uncovered. It's also interesting to note by the way, that only the first two mounds are original. The burial mound had been completely excavated down to its base and had to be rebuilt by volunteers. Including the work done at the burial mound, only nine percent of the entire 54 acre site has been excavated.

It is very often said that you can tell a lot about a society by how they treat their dead. As such, most of what is known about the site's former residents was discovered at the burial mound. It is here too at Mound C, that archaeologists uncovered the two 125 pound stone statues presently housed at the museum (see pic above).

    

The Etowah Historic Site is definitely worth a visit. Apart from the mounds, the site features a stone weir/fish trap built in the nearby Etowah River, a 10 foot deep trench built either for defense or for mound building raw materials, and a thatch hut painstakingly rebuilt by volunteers. Nature trails and a museum filled with artifacts round out this unmistakably rewarding experience.  

Personally, I think the true value of Etowah is in being able to see, feel and experience the works of ancient peoples in the very places they lived their lives. The fact that the fish traps in particular are still here today still blows my mind. It's a bit of a drive, but I highly recommend taking some time to go see this place.

DTJ

Etowah Indian Mounds Historic Site

813 Indian Mounds Road, S.W.

Cartersville, GA 30120