The Shake || Trinidadian

Title: The Shake

General Information about Item:

  • Genre: Gesture
  • Place Collected: Video Call
  • Date Collected: November 7th, 2019
  • Country of Origin: Trinidad & Tobago
  • Informant: Joy-Denise Burke

Informant Data:

  • Joy-Denise Burke is my mother who was born and raised in Port of Spain, the capital city of Trinidad. It’s a small, third world country with a population of 1.37 million people, and is located in the Caribbean. She is of Indian descent, as her senior relatives migrated over from India. She moved to Canada at age 16 for school, where she studied art and psychology. She then moved back to Trinidad, then to Florida for graduate school, and finally ended up in New York for business school at NYU. She worked in New York after that, and then moved to Westchester, NY in 2002. Most of her family still lives in Trinidad, though, so she often visits.

Contextual Data:

  • Social Context: Joy-Denise learned about this gesture from men in the streets who used this gesture as a pretty woman walked by. The gesture can be used in various situations- it is used to show excitement upon seeing a beautiful woman, but it is not as much seen as harassment/is not as degrading as someone whistling or making sexual comments as a woman walks by. It is also used to show exuberance when someone puts another person in his/her place. Lastly, it can also be accompanied by a facial expression of awe to further accentuate the gesture. It may have started because it is an active gesture to demonstrate to someone else who may be far away that you see them or that you understand the situation. If done properly, there is even a sound and a wind, so it is a good way to catch someone’s attention. Trinidadians use many hand gestures when communicating and expressing feelings.
  • Cultural Context: Trinidad has a distinct culture that is influenced by the many races that came to the country over the centuries, specifically African, Indian, Portuguese, American Indian, Spanish, Chinese, and English. The island was discovered by Christopher Columbus, and remained under Spanish control until 1797 when Britain captured it. It didn’t gain full independence until 1962, so is a melting pot of races that has its own unique culture as well.

Item:

  • This gesture means “wow, look at that attractive woman” or “you just got called out and it’s clear you just got burnt.” It is performed by snapping the hand quickly so that the fingers hit each other and make a sound. You should be able to feel a breeze on your face. It varies by how fast you shake your hand- the faster you shake, the more excited you are. Trinidadians are very animated, so this is one way to show that someone or something is attractive/to show excitement nonverbally.

Associated file (a video, audio, or image file):

Collector’s Comments (Interpretation): This gesture relates to Trinidadian culture because Trinidadians are very animated and expressive, and this is one way to show excitement nonverbally. Trinidadians use many hand gestures when communicating and expressing feelings, so it aligns well with Trinidadian culture. Every time I have visited Trinidad, I am always amazed at how much energy everyone has, and how lively they are.

Collector’s Name: Bailey Burke

Tags/Keywords:

  • Trinidad
  • Gesture
  • Hand Shake

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