Unit 10

Steel
Drums
Cherane Christopher
History of the

Steel
Drums/
Pans
The French
Overlords When French planters arrived in
Trinidad in the late 1700s they brought
with them a carnival tradition

Shortly after immigration, the French settlers, and

freed people of color alike held annual
masquerade balls.
 The slaves, who were excluded from the
masquerades decided to enact their own
form of Carnival in the slave quarters where
they were allowed a modicum of freedom.

Canboulay
Their merriments came to be known as
‘Canboulay’ or ‘Cannes Bruleés’ since they were
held at the same time as the burning and
harvesting period for sugar cane.
 Although the celebrations would culminate in
dancing and singing, the significance of
‘Canboulay’ is in its mockery of oppressors.

Canboulay
Drums were banned by the
ruling class in the 1880s out of
fear that they were being used
to communicate secret
messages.
 n. The freeing
of someone
from slavery.

Emancipation

After emancipation in 1834 the celebrations became noisier and

more colourful, though after disturbances in 1881 the British
government tried to ban the performers' sticks and drums.
Tamboo
Bamboo
What followed was the tamboo-bamboo - bamboo sticks cut
for striking together and hammering against the ground.
But in 1934 the tamboo-bamboo was banned too.
 Tam

Gang w er b oo B
e ou am
r iv a t la w b o o b
f ig h l b a ed b a n d
t in g n d s e c a u s
Fights w it o
h th e a re e
n w e
e b a n ot h
mb er
o o.
s

At the same time, the need for artistic expression through

rhythm continued.
Gangs started picking up metal dust bins, biscuit tins, garbage
lids and beating on them, mixing the sounds of bamboo and
metal.
Metal eventually replaced bamboo and the idea of pan was
born.
A new sound
As metal surfaces were hit
repeatedly, musicians
realized the pitch changed.
By 1948, 55- gallon oil drums
were readily available from
the oil refineries on the
island.
 After World War II, the steel pan
became an important part of the
street festival.

The steel pan, possibly the only

instrument made out of industrial waste,
has become an icon of Trinidadian
culture.