Trinidadian Dictionary

Folklore

Ohhhh yeahhh. I almost forgot this IMPORTANT part. FOLKLORE!!!! >.<

Superstitions and Folklore Characters in Trinidad & Tobago well be similar to other Caribbean countries with slight variations in name of the character.

Churile (pronounced Choo-ryle)

A churile is the spirit of a pregnant woman who died during childbirth, or committed suicide during pregnancy. She is depicted by long, unbound, disheveled hair streaming over her face. Dressed in white, she carries her fetus in her arms. In the dead of the night, she wails sorrowfully as her unborn child cries for milk like a cat. 

A churile is in eternal grief since she lost her child. A churile's victim is a pregnant woman, who she follows and possesses out of envy. Her attacks on women take the form of miscarriages, even among those in her former household. A churile also attacks her former husband through the onset of sickness. She would seek revenge if he had abused her during their marriage, and if he had neglected or neglects the children she had borne for him when she was human.

Dee Baba (pronounced Dee Bah-bah) 

Dee Baba is perceived as the protector of the land from dangerous forces. Some sources state that he takes the form of a white man on a black horse. This man resembles a colonial slave master who rides on a horse through a sugarcane plantation. He has a whip in one hand and a chain in the other. Other sources claim that Dee Baba takes the form of either a black rooster or a black dog. 

The spirit of Dee Baba is fed once a year (usually in January) or periodically. He is given biscuits (salted crackers), salted butter, white rum, lit cigarettes and a burning deya (clay lamp) or candle on a sohari leaf (similar to a banana leaf) in the bushes. This type of offering is called sadaa (vegetarian). Non-vegetarian devotees offer canned sardines or a black cock (rooster), or a goat or a hog (pig). This type of offering is called satwick (non-vegetarian). 

These offerings are made mainly by farmers who would pray to reap an abundant harvest and prevent thieves from stealing their crops. Property owners also make offerings to Dee Baba to protect their house and land from envious neighbours and competing relatives. Others make sacrifices to Dee Baba to obtain health and happiness.

Douens 

Douens (Dwens) are the souls of children who have died before they were baptized. They are doomed to roam the earth forever. They are seen playing in forests and near rivers and the odd thing about them is that they have no faces and their feet are turned backwards. They may approach children and lead them astray in the forest until they are lost, or they may come near people's houses at night, crying and whimpering. 

Old people talk: To prevent the Douens from calling your children into the forest at dusk, never shout their names in open places, as the Duennes will take their names, call them and lure them away.

Duppies

Duppies are ghosts that roam the earth at night. It is said that to keep duppies out of your house you must either sprinkle salt or rice grains all around the house; as the duppy must first count each individual grain before entering. By which time the sun will have arisen and they must then return to the spirit world.

Gang Gang Sara

Gang Gang Sara (Tobago Folklore by Alice & Gerard Besson) - The legend of Gang Gang Sara, the African witch of Golden Lane, has its origins in the latter half of the 18th century. On a stormy night she was blown from her home in Africa across the sea to Tobago and landed quite safely at the village of Les Coteaux. From there she journeyed to Golden Lane in search of her family who had long ago been transported there. She lived to a great age and is remembered for her wisdom and kindness. She became the loving wife of Tom, whom legend says she had known as a child in her native Africa. She lived to a great age and is remembered for her wisdom. After her Tom had died, wishing to return to her native land, she climbed a great silk cotton tree and tried to fly, not knowing that she had lost the art of flight as a result of having eaten salt. To this day the names of Tom and Sara can be seen inscribed upon the head stones of their graves where they have lain side by side for close upon two hundred years.