Today's
holiday reminds the people of Trinidad and Tobago that for more than
30 years, from 1917 to 1951, practicing the Spiritual Baptist
religion (otherwise known as the Shouter Baptist religion) was
illegal!
This
group of Christians were called Shouter Baptists by outsiders to poke
fun at the loud clapping and shouting during worship services. The
Shouter Baptists themselves didn't like the name and decided to call
themselves Spiritual Baptists. Their enthusiastic dancing, clapping,
singing, and shouting made services lively—sometimes people even
fell to the ground and shook with convulsions.
 |
| In addition to shouting, many Spiritual Baptists ring bells during services. |
Why
was this worship illegal? The police and government made the excuse
that the services were too loud. The Shouter Baptists, they said,
disturbed the peace. The dancing and shouting and especially the
convulsions seemed primitive, even indecent (they hinted).
It
is possible that the underlying reason for the ban was that this
religion mixed Baptist beliefs with African traditions, and some
people—even some black people—in Trinidad had prejudice against
all things African. Black people who were former slaves didn't want
the reminder of their degradation.
Who were the Merikins?
As
I read about how this bigoted law got passed in the first place, I
found out (for the first time in my long, long life) about the
“Merikins.” These were former slaves who fought with the British
against the Americans in the War of 1812. The black marines were
fighting against their former owners—one might say they felt as if
they were fighting for freedom, for themselves and their people.
For
their service, after the war was over, British offered to take all of
the black marines to Trinidad, where they could be free. About 760
marines took them up on their offer and emigrated to Trinidad, where
they set up “companies” (villages), each under the supervision of
a sergeant or corporal. The government provided the refugees shelter,
tools, and some cuttings and seeds for planting. Some also received
clothes, blankets, and food to eat while they started farms. The
“starter” daily rations were plantain (a kind of banana) and salt
meat.
Also
on this date:
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