By Johnny Coomansingh
The term fluvial geomorphology refers to the scientific study of the physical processes, forms, and dynamics of rivers, streams, and their surrounding landscapes. It focuses on the interaction between water flow, sediment transport (erosion, deposition), and channel bank materials, which together shape, maintain, and change river channels, floodplains, and drainage networks over time. It is important to note that the genesis of steelpan culture in Trinidad and Tobago (T&T) and its continued development has similar features and dynamics to that of the river known as the St Anns River.
During the eighteenth century, the Spaniards diverted the St Ann’s River as part of their restructuring of Port of Spain. Whenever rain falls, the East Dry River (Dry River) will flow to the sea, otherwise it is dry. The physical river was shifted by anthropogenic means. However, there are other shifts, covert shifts that this river has experienced.
Former Express reporter Terry Joseph (deceased), explained that the St Anns River was a sanctuary for some, a means of escape from the police during the early days of the development of the steelpan. It was near the river that the youth from communities like Hell Yard and John John would find respite, and yet if the police of the day saw any inkling that a steelpan was in sight, these youth would be arrested, literally for nothing. That was one aspect of the culture and the way the river flowed into the lives of the populace.
This river has also meandered elsewhere, anywhere, carrying with it a cargo of a particular culture, a culture of an oppressed people who found a way to express themselves in the steelpan calypso and the masquerade. The culture of the river arrived in Albert Hall, Carnegie Hall, Hollywood, and even in West Virginia State University and Brigham Young University, Utah. The river has scoured out a channel for singers and steelpan players, and carved out a niche for manufacturers and marketers, some of whom know nothing of its exact location or in what direction it really flows. Despite this fact, they have accepted the proffered course of such a river involved in the steelpan economy.
And yet the river system of East Port of Spain has branched in another way, taken a different and insidious course, and has reached the hazardous, bankful stage, filled to the brink. This unseen ‘underground river’ is now overflowing into the floodplain of desire and instant gratification with the blood of the many that were slain in drug wars and gangland warfare over some piece of riparian territory.
It appears that the torrent of violence in East Port of Spain that rushes to the gulf of uncertainty and despair continues to rise beyond the control of any kind of sluice gate or weir, political or otherwise. The bloodshed along the river will not cease. So far, up till March 2005, there were dozens of murders, most of them near the Dry River. How to stem the tide of blood is a huge puzzle that is very difficult to decipher. Nevertheless, are there any recommendations for the preservation of the instrument in the land of its birth?
At every angle, there are conflicts and controversies surrounding the steelpan. As my research indicates, the hydroforming process patent for the steelpan is one of the major conflicts that Trinidadians will have no choice but to accept. It looks as though there was cultural piracy or some dint of appropriation of culture. The horses have gone. It is too late to close the gate. But all is not lost. Research and development is continuing at the University of the West Indies.
Although great strides have been made, it is difficult for the steelpan to develop with a government that, according to my research, is only paying lip service to the art form. Why do steelpan groups and orchestras always have to go cap-in-hand to beg for “ah lil change’ from the government to help their cause? Trinidad and Tobago had a steel mill in Pt. Lisas and yet steelpan makers were still wondering when or where they would get their next Van Leer drum to make a steelpan. The technology for making steelpans is on the WWW. All that is needed is quality steel.
The evidence of the decrepit situation of some of the steelpan groups is very vivid in the many photographs I took. Many steelband people are suffering from the want of facilities. The situation with Tobago in this regard is quite different. I saw the tenacity and strength of the people of Tobago. They are a disciplined group who work for what they want.
Indeed, PanTrinbago needs help in so many ways. On my visit to their offices in Port of Spain, the world governing body for the steelpan did not even recognise that I was doing research on the steelpan, research that will ultimately redound to the benefit of Trinidad and Tobago. I must record that I was treated badly, in other words, with scant courtesy.
I felt as though I was an intruder, a prying foreigner. I was told to go sit and wait at some derelict, unkempt, rickety table in the hallway. I waited like the proverbial alligator on the riverbank, and yes, the person who eventually attended to me was all too busy. As a national, and still a citizen, I felt treated as an alien, as one who did not belong.
Characteristics of a third-world country are seen in the manner its people relate to other people like themselves. I realised instantly that I was not at all important to them; I was just another ‘Trini,’ and no special treatment was necessary. It is regrettable to state this, but the people employed at Pan Trinbago are in dire need of training in public relations.
It is quite possible that Pan Trinbago, for all the years they have been in operation, do not have such information to give. Maybe they were short on staff members. In no way am I badmouthing the local organization but I remember requesting some catalogues from Panyard Inc., a steelpan making company located in Akron, Ohio. Panyard Inc. emailed me and informed that the catalogues have been mailed. The catalogues were in my mailbox the next day. Is there a difference here? Could it be that attention to detail has given the professional edge to this American company? The recommendation here is that the governing body (Pan Trinbago) should shoulder their responsibility in striving towards a more professional approach in serving the public, and be more ‘user-friendly’ with regard to professional researchers.
In terms of future research, several items regarding the steelpan arose while conducting this bit of research, items that would require specialised research at a future date. Along educational lines in T&T, it will be important to do a study on the role of the steelpan in primary and secondary schools in terms of student appreciation of the culture, student discipline, and career development. Secondary schools should be equipped with the technology for the building and tuning of steelpans. Technical/vocational education should be emphasised along these lines. The steelpan is an excellent subject and a great place to start because of its popularity.
The more important role of women in the steelpan movement has not yet been addressed by anyone to date. Nowadays, with emphasis on equality of gender in practically all walks of life, this sector for research will prove to be quite interesting. In synch with this topic, an analysis of what is happening in Switzerland with the steelpan, where 70 percent of steelpan players are women, will be a promising study.
In light of migratory patterns, an analysis of the economic benefit to steelpan players employed outside of T&T is yet another avenue for future research. Many steelpan players temporarily migrate to participate in several steelpan events in the Caribbean, Europe, and North America. This aspect of steelpan culture vis-à-vis, economic behaviour is a topic worth researching, especially with the thrust in tourism development.
The situation with the steelpan in schools and colleges in the United States, as well as the incidence of the instrument in the European landscape, will prove to be exciting research topics. Some questions, for example: What motivated Bingham Young University to develop a steelpan orchestra? Why is Northern Illinois University (NIU) offering a major in steelpan music, and why not the University of the West Indies (UWI)? What is the cultural status of the steelpan in the United Kingdom?
The acceptance and continued proliferation of steelpan orchestras in the religious sector is another salient topic for discussion. Steelpan management and the role of Pan Trinbago are quite apt for research. Last but not least, the steelpan as a unifying force for all peoples, especially the Indo-Trinidadians and the Afro-Trinidadians, is a subject worth analysing in terms of religion and other beliefs.
In sum, beyond any doubt, the steelpan germinated in the nursery “behind the bridge,” was cradled in the arms of the Dry River, and was eventually allowed its expression on the streets of Port of Spain and the ‘Big Yard’ (Panorama). The instrument was hardened and indirectly prepared for transplanting to the world.
Bloodshed during the early days of its development echoed a strong determination for excellence in competition that found its healing in the annual Panorama Competition. From obscurity to world recognition, from a position of dissonance to one of assonance, from bloody conflicts and contention to one of agreement and cooperation, the phenomenon has attracted people from all walks of life in almost every corner of the globe because of its ease in learning and playing, and its pleasant tones.
Trinidad and Tobago, although such a tiny state, has given to the world a new dimension in musical appreciation through the medium of the steelpan. Moreover, the tourist industry has found a new resource throughout the Caribbean. The steelpan is used as an attractant on cruise ships as well as a welcome port on many Caribbean islands. The use of the instrument in advertising is ubiquitous. Nowadays, the music and film industry seems to have a fetish for the creation.
The collective imagination of a people, the cultural product, is now marinated for the market and has become more and more of a household instrument. Will it replace the piano? A rhetorical question, maybe, but who knows to what height the steelpan will aspire? Regardless of the obstacles that once plagued the development of the invention in a riverine environment, the steelpan has unquestionably forged its very own geography.
- This article was referenced from my doctoral dissertation titled: Commodification and Distribution of the Steelpan as a Conflicted Tourism Resource and Caribbean News Global (November 20, 2025—Family Values in Steelpan Culture).
