Red, White, Black- Ris, Yu, Peiti

If you haven't already seen Carlisle Chang's account of how the colours were chosen for the national flag of Trinidad and Tobago, then have a listen to the video below.

Outside of our national flag, I first heard this particular combination of red, black and white being referred to in Juan Luis Guerra's song,"Naboria daca, mayanimacaná"- a song about Caribbean First Nations conquest and genocide - where he uses the Taino words "ris, yu, peiti" meaning "red, black, white."

More recently I was reading an article by the archaeologist Arie Boomert, "Crossing the Galleons' Passage: Amerindian interaction and cultural (dis)unity between Trinidad and Tobago." Journal of Caribbean Archaeology, 2010, and I discovered more mentions of red, black and white, this time referring to the colours found on the pottery of First Nations peoples in Trinidad and Tobago"

"Pre-fired painting in red, white and black remains typical...."

"In Trinidad the earliest Saladoid pottery is known only from the southwesternmost part of the island. This Cedros complex is typified by relatively thin, well made ceramics including predominantly round or oval flaring open bowls and dishes, restricted bowls or jars, inverted bell-like bowls, keeled bowls or jars, and bottles showing painted, incised and modelled decorative motifs, for instance comprising white-on-red and rarely white-and-black-on-red painted designs..." SOURCE

I pleases me, even if the similarity is only coincidental, to think that the choice of colours for our flag was not a coincidence but proof of guidance by a persisting Amerindian esthetic or spirit. This land is red, white and black on so many levels.

Creation of the National Flag of Trinidad and Tobago
Carlisle Chang

Uploaded by thebookmann

Some of our songs which mention our national flag or colours:

3 Colours. By David Rudder, Bunji Garlin and Faye-Ann Lyons.

All Ah We Is Trini. By Rajin Dhanraj

Fighter. By Maximus Dan

One Family. By Nadia Batson

Red, White and Black. By Gary Jackson

This Is My Flag. By Rocky McCollin

True Colours. By Singing Sandra

Which Bone? By Joanne Foster

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"Patria est communis omnium parens" - Our native land is the common parent of us all. Keep it beautiful, make it even more so.

Blessed is all of creation
Blessed be my beautiful people
Blessed be the day of our awakening
Blessed is my country
Blessed are her patient hills.

Mweh ka allay!
Guanaguanare