Grenada's Shortknee Mas

Shortknee mas are unique to Grenada. Other Caribbean carnivals may have mas with some similar aspects, but the Shortknee themselves aren't found anywhere else. They were apparently originally known as the Grenade Pierrot with Italian and French origins, synthesised with African traditions. They became known as Shortknee after their knee length trousers, as Grenada anglicised away from its French patois. The shortknee bands move at a trot, chanting as they go along the bells tied onto their ankles making music. They are known to use chants to speak about village or society wrongdoing, to 'out' persons who have broken a moral code - a sort of moral militia.

The Shortknee bands used to be entirely village based, and stories abound of clashes between rival villages. The costume is ideal for concealing the odd cutlass, bull pistle or other weapon. When they clashed it must have been a bloody event and there are even stories of persons being killed. At one time the use of masks was banned to remove the anonymity they provided. The bands travel great distances on foot, stopping to collect donations, both from houses on the way, or from passing cars.


This is part of a group which had come down from Balthazar in St. Andrews, it was Carnival Monday afternoon, and they were passing through St.Paul's (somewhat of a detour), intent on making their way into town without delay. This didn't stop them from asking me for cash, preferably US, according to one guy, since he had to travel to Barbados to get a visa and needed some travelling money.

They continued on down the road stopping anything on four wheels. The bands distinguish themselves by the colours of the costumes, particularly the tunics.

You can find them young as well. This child, presumably on his father's shoulders, has just travelled at least 5, perhaps 10 miles with the group.

This is Ham Bone, the captain of the Shortknee band from Grand Roy, a village halfway up the west coast of Grenada. Ham Bone is an odd job man, meaning he makes his living by doing odd jobs for people. He says he's taken in some Shortknee from the Coastguard area (another fishing village further up the coast) - their group went bust - and his band is going into town on Tuesday, the day when the 'pretty' bands parade. Even though he lives in Grand Roy, he actually spends most nights in Mt. Parnassus, a mile or so down the road. This is necessary if he is to be able to get to jobs easily (Grand Roy is quite a trek). Those night are spent in an ajoupa, which is probably too fancy a description for a lean-to with a roof of plastic sheeting.

As he lives close by, he comes up just before going into town to demonstrate his costume. During our conversation I find out that they change their costume every year - "you want dis one?" he asks, "people does send for dem from England for de carnival up dere." I willingly accept, and he offers to drop back in after playing mas, to offload the costume (we're leaving Grenada the next day).

Ham Bone demonstrates some moves, as the bells around his ankles jingle with each stomp. He's also wearing tights. Some bands allow all colour shoes, he says, "but with us it have to be white." Aside from the tunic, there are at least 5 other patterns on the sleeves and trousers. These days the powder is usually talcum, but in the old days it could have been any concoction.

A black cloth strip tied to the mask lays on his head, which is covered with, yes, a face towel. The face mask is made of wire mesh these days, bordered by a piece of tin can cut, bent and crimped around the edges of the mesh, and very neatly too!

Ham Bone undertakes to deliver the costume on his way home that evening at 9pm, after playing mas all afternoon. I'm highly skeptical about the likelihood of this materialising, but agree. Sure enough on the dot of 9 that night Ham Bone walks up the gap, and proceeds to disrobe "I cyan give you de shoes doh", but everything else comes off, bells, mask, trousers, tunic, and two pairs of tights he was holding as spares. He's left with a t-shirt, something looking like cycle shorts - and the shoes. The costume now resides in Barbados, part of the growing Mustardseed collection...

We discuss the day, which is actually Saturday. Tuesday was rained out and for the first time in recorded history, they postponed Tuesday Mas to Saturday. This is good , he says, it gave the traditional mas more breathing space. He plans to phone into one of the call-in programmes to suggest they keep the Saturday after carnival as an additional mas day for the traditional mas. I think its a great idea.

Lili gets a opportunity to pose with Ham Bone, Captain of the Grand Roy Shortknee.

A interesting article on the shortknee is at:
http://www.spicemasgrenada.com/press/2009/07/shortknee_article1.html