Kalinda /Stickfight

Kalinda has been observed and described in others parts

of the world in different forms and structure. In Trinidad
and Tobago, it refers specifically to the art of stickfighting
and all of its many facets. It encompasses dance, music,
theatre, costuming, language, ritual, live drumming,
singing and audience participation. The term Kalinda and
Stickfighting are used interchangeably here to refer to this
tradition as it exists in Trinidad and Tobago.
The ritual phase explores the preparatory requirement of
the stick fighter, the stick and the space in which the
fighting occurs. Kalinda can be broken up into five major
identifiable segments that do not happen sequentially.
Any of these five aspects, challenge, lavway, karray, bois
and pas, can occur simultaneously. Theses aspects
constitute the form or structure of Kalinda. The
participants, the music, the costuming, audience
participation and the dance are the other areas that
combine to provide the content of the art form.
Kalinda, by its very nature, has great potential for use
within Caribbean theatre as any one of its components can
be used in a theatrical forum, singularly or in conjunction
with another of it facets (aspects, features etc). At present
some of the characteristics of Kalinda are changing as it
moves from its original state as a village ritual to a
national art form. However in spite of minor changes,
Kalinda remains a vibrant, multifarious (diverse, varied,
mixed) art form with tremendous possibilities within
Caribbean theatre.
Introduction
The African people, who primarily came from western
and central regions of the continent, brought with them
their cultural heritage including music, drumming and
dance to which was incorporated in all aspects of their
religious and social life. One of the traditions that has
survived is that of Kalinda/ Stickfight or Bois-Bataille.
NOTE: Stick fight derived from French, bois-stick and
bataille – fight.
Kalinda, which has also been referred to as Calinda or
Calenda, is an art form that encompasses live drumming,
singing, dancing, acting, audience participation and much
improvisation and spontaneity. In its earliest stages
Kalinda, which can also be described as a form of martial
art, was very competitive and bloody. The aim of the
players was to make their opponent bleed from a blow in
the head inflicted by the stick and at the same time avoid
being hit by opposing player. This lethal sport was played
in many parts of Trinidad and was a prominent feature
during festive occasions such as Easter weekend and
Carnival days during the mid-1990s, but it began to
decline during the 1980’s as the youth no longer felt it
was necessary to engage in this bloody form of combat.
Kalinda began to appear increasingly in performance
through staged choreographic work with highly stylized
movements that assisted in maintaining the posterity of
the art form.
Two (2) plays that are centred on Stickfight are: Man
Better Man by Errol Hill and I Lawah by Rawle Gibbons.
Man Better Man is a name also given to a medicinal herb
found in Trinidad that supposedly has the power to make
these stickmen become very formidable fighters. In the
production of MAN BETTER MAN, a young budding
stickman hopes to capture the heart of the village belle
and challenges the champion to fight. In this production
the playwright uses the calypso and Kalinda chants as a
medium for dramatic dialogue and explores and features
the ritual and content of the tradition of Kalinda.
In I Lawah, the structure of Kalinda is used as the
framework for the narrative which explores historically
and symbolically the Canboulay Riots (Riots that
occurred during the celebration of emancipation in 1881
between police and masqueraders).
HISTORICAL ANALYSIS OF KALINDA
A vast amount of knowledge in the Caribbean is handed
down orally. The history and origin of Kalinda have not
yet been documented in much detail. It is believed to have
originated in Africa and been brought to the Caribbean by
the slaves (Hill 1972: 25). During the process of
enslavement, stickfighting practices differ in structure,
form and content and are called different names.
There is a form of Stickfight that takes place in Upper
Egypt which is performed by men who do it to show off
their manhood. There is also similar account of
stickfighting in Brazil called Maculele that is not well
known at its more famous counterpart Capoeira that is
itself a form of martial art.
Gordon Rohlehr says in his Introduction to his text
Calypso and Society in Pre-Independence Trinidad;
The name “Calinda” then had emerged as a general
term for a whole complex of dance and ritual activity.
This is not surprising for two reasons. Firstly, the
 song and dance complex was becoming simplified
throughout the nineteenth century, dances like the
Jhouba and the Bel Air merging into each other, or
disappearing completely. Secondly, most White
commentators tended to see blacks as a single
undifferentiated mass and nation, and only a few
would or could distinguish between nation and
nation, let alone between dance and dance (Rohlehr
1990: 14)
Errol Hill in his text Trinidad Carnival alludes to the act
that slaves were allowed to walk about with sticks or
quarterstaff to protect themselves from snakes. The
presence of stick made it more natural for the slaves to
engage in battles and make use of the stick they were
carrying as a weapon and as a form of defence (Hill 1972:
25) This period points to a time in the country’s history
when stickfighting seemed to have flourished following
emancipation in 1834 and formally developed into full-
fledged martial art, that became supported by upper and
middle class patrons.

RITUAL OF KALINDA
 Some people claim that a stickfighter is born while
other declare that stickfighters are made.
 The stickfighting tradition if often handed down from
father to son or sons. It varied from individual to
individual or village to village.
 There have been accounts of budding stightfighters
who are tied to trees with only their stick to protect
them. At this point the elders would throw stones at
them and the young men would have to defend
themselves. This aggressive system of training
assisted in quickening their reflexes which are of
vital importance to this art (Hill 1972: 26)
 The apprentice was also expected to be over the age
of sixteen before being allowed to enter a gayelle
(space used for Stickfight. Usually circular in shape.
The ground surface varies from earth to concrete) and
take an active part. Then there is a period of
observation that the budding player has to endure
before he can have any serious thoughts about
challenging any of the more prominent fighters.
During this observation phase, he may do a bit of
preliminary sparrying or karraying (to karray is
square off and psyche out opponent) with other
apprentices who may be around from other Kalinda
 groups. This serves as a warm up for drummers; it
also keeps spectator interest alive before the main
event.
 During this time apprentice is being monitored
closely by the more experienced players and by
spectators who become Kalinda connoisseurs in their
own right and have that ability to spot a champion in
the making.
 Once the training and observation phases are passed,
the elder stickman will then begin to initiate fights
and select opponents for his new-found stickman.
PREPARATION OF STICK
Batonniers (another term for stickfighter) give a great deal
of importance to the stick that is used for fighting. There
are special qualities that one looks for in a stick or bois as
it is commonly called. It is not customary for a player to
cut a stick off a tree, trim it and then use it just like that.
J.D. Elder in a paper entitled “Kalinda: Songs of Battling
Troubadours” (1966: 55) outlines an account he received
from a retired stikfighter named King Abel concerning the
preparation of a stick.
Abel says that the sapling of the stick should be cut when
the moon is weak and the nights are dark. The bark is then
peeled off and the stick is pushed into the heart of a
rotting banana tree trunk and left there for seven days and
seven nights. It is then taken out, covered with tallow and
buried in a manure heap it will cure (to build resilience
over a period of time) for fourteen days. After it is
removed and is bent and rolled to distribute pliancy
evenly over its length. It is then concealed for seven more
days before it is ready for use. This account highlights the
ritualistic nature and the special attention that is given to a
bois from its cutting to its eventual use. This stick also has
to be between three to four feet in length although some
stightfighters prefer to measure their stick according to
their height. They use the distance from the navel to the
ground as a guide while other stickmen decide to use
longer sticks despite their height.
Stickfighters have been known to take their sticks to
obeahmen (A man who is supposed to possess
supernatural powers and is similar to the Shaman in the
African traditional form of spirit intervention and healing)
to have them charmed so that they can win fights easily.
This practice is known as mounting a stick and it is felt
that many players have won fights with a mounted stick
or baton-monte (a mounted stick. A stick that is prepared
with evil intent).
One other method that has been identified is that of
growing your own stick. A small stick is planted and
carefully nurtured with milk and the stickfighter keeps
talking to the stick and informing it of its purposes. When
the stick is ready, it is cut and the fighter pays the root a
small sum and reiterates its function. The stick is then
roasted and made ready. This type of stick is known as
baton parag and said to be a defensive stick which can
cut the power of a mounted stick. There are a few trees in
Trinidad that provide the stickfighter with the quality
stick that he needs, the most popular being poui because
of its hardness and resilience, but there are others like
anare, waterkay, and oleevay. (Different types of trees
from which sticks are cut. They each possess different
qualities.)
Other stick fighters bury their stick in the cemetery prior
to a fight which adds to their mystique and the
superstitious and ritualistic mature of the form. Once a
stick is prepared and ready for battle, the stick fighter then
does into his final phase that is the naming of the bois.
Names are selected according to the stickman’s own feel
for his bois and what he thinks his stick is capable of
during a fight. A stick fighter may have in his possession
more than one stick and use them according to the skill of
his opponent.

PREPARATION OF SPACE
Most times this event takes place at a street corner or
junction of some village. One thing that is common at
these junctions is the presence of a rum shop.
Traditionally rums shops have been built or set up at
street corners and owners of these establishments have
been the hosts of many stickfights, sometimes offering
large sums of money as cash prizes to encourage some of
the best stickmen to do battle n front of their shop. Once a
group of talented and well-known stickmen decides to
appear at a particular venue, the crowds gather and this
augurs well for the rum shop owner.
The women of the village also play their part in the
preparation of the gayelle as they are the ones who sweep
the space and prepare the benches for the drummers, who
play a vital role in Kalinda. Women are also responsible
for preparing a blood hole (A hole that is dug in the
ground to collect blood that may be shed during a fight)
that is put in place to collect any blood that may be
spilled. Generally they ensure that everything is in order.
At times the stickmen use their sticks to map out the
space so that spectators will keep their distance as it can
become very dangerous if they are too close to the action.
The actual size of the gayelle varies with each fight
depending on the venue and the amount of spectator.

FORMS OF KALINDA
Kalinda can be broken up into five major identifiable
segments which do not always occur sequentially but may
take place simultaneously. These five aspects are a)
challenge b) lavway c) karray d) bois e) pas. If the events
do occur sequentially, they would be in this order.
The Challenge
Once the rituals of preparing the stickfighter, the stick and
the space are completed, the stage is set for battle and the
stickmen are willing and ready to show off their skill at
any appointed time. Word of these impending battles
spreads through the country and there is usually a great
deal of anticipation depending on who the stickfighters
are, and what villages they represent. The challenge
normally comes after a previous fight when there is a
gathering of stickmen or may be set by a rum-shop owner
who may invite an array of top Kalinda exponents to do
battle in front of his shop.
Having set a date, time and place, the fighter prepare
themselves physically and mentally for the occasion.
These physical and mental preparations vary according
and stickfighter and his beliefs. Some men spend the night
before the fight in the cemetery and other head down to
the river with their favourite herbs and have a bush-bath.
(A herbal bath prepared with a variety of herbs and
potions which serves as a cleanser and destroyer of evil
forces.) There are also those players who remain at ho me
and relax.