- NEWSDAY.CO.TT - A la Une - 23/Aug 14:06

Our fascination with powder

DARA E HEALY “The King Sailors...also threw talcum powder on the women’s hair. They rolled in the streets because the idea was to get as dirty as possible. Some carried chamber pots chained to their wrists. From these pots they would drink rum or juices, horrifying and repelling spectators, to whom they would offer a taste of their refreshments singing Woh Yoh Yoi! – Jeff Henry, Under the Mas IN THE distance, puffs of white powder hover over the heads of the masqueraders. They move as one unit, chipping to the music from the truck, crisp white sailor uniforms gleaming in the afternoon sun. This is one of my favourite memories of the All Stars sailor mas preparing to cross the Savannah stage. This week, in Pan and Powder, as hundreds chipped alongside their truck, wearing white, spraying powder and singing “Lorraine don’t cry I’m leaving” at the tops of their voices, another iconic memory was created. Traditionally we associate this white substance with the sailor mas, but what if I told you that the spraying of powder was also an act of resistance? During the 17th and 18th centuries, powder was an essential feature in the lives of Western aristocrats. In France, a prematurely balding Louis XVIII began wearing a wig to hide his condition. The practice of men wearing wigs was further entrenched when his son Louis XIV decided to wear an elaborate long and curly version. The wigs were powdered with talc, a mineral known for its soft texture and adaptability when mixed with other substances for use in items such as paint, paper and even insecticides. Soon, women began to wear wigs and eventually the hairstyles became higher and more intricate. They would often sleep in their wigs, so the powder, mixed with oils and perfumes, helped to mask the scent of hair that was unwashed or that eventually became infested with lice. Additionally, at the time, the palest or whitest skin was seen as the ultimate sign of beauty. It also signified a life of wealth and leisure, away from outdoor work and the sun. Chalk and later talc, mixed with other starches and sometimes very harmful materials, was applied to the face, neck and chest using powder puffs, brushes or sponges. The perfumed powder helped to conceal blemishes and mask unpleasant body odours since, as one researcher put it, “bathing and washing hair frequently wasn’t a popular activity.” What does all of this have to do with our Carnival? Well, enslaved Africans were aware of the lie. They knew about the lice, gout, missing teeth due to too many sweets and all of the other imperfections that resulted from the lazy, indulgent lifestyles that enslavement afforded the elites. Thus, once freedom was achieved, the former enslaved expressed their disgust at the hypocrisy through their Carnival revelry. In what Hollis Liverpool refers to as an “inversion of power,” the ordinary people threw the powder at the spectators, usually members of the upper classes looking on at the Carnival from balconies or spaces safely removed from the masqueraders. Powder was used in the sailor mas to whiten the faces and hair of masqueraders. This was part of their portrayal of the havoc caused by white sailors who were here during WWII. Today, the sailor mas comes across as very colourful and refined with creative dances and stunning props. However, as our calypsonians have documented, the presence of American sailors resulted in a deep-seated disruption of the values of our society. The baby doll masquerade should be understood as a painful representation of the many young women who were impregnated and abandoned by sailors. Worse, as Liverpool notes, “American sailors on the island were exempt from the laws of Trinidad and Tobago...” So, the pairing of pan, an instrument of resistance, with powder, a tool used to reclaim power, is indeed fitting. It is interesting to observe that people now use powder as a form of inclusion. Once you are in the band, you must get covered with some. You are unquestionably one of we now. As we continue to look for answers, the rituals and connection with our history will become even more crucial. As 3 Canal pleads in their song Powder, “Hold on to the ritual/And please don’t let go.” So spray the powder, fling it, cover everybody. We the people will continue to resist. Dara E Healy is a performing artist and founder of the Idakeda Group, a cultural organisation dedicated to empowering communities through the arts The post Our fascination with powder appeared first on Trinidad and Tobago Newsday.