ABSTRACT
What happened to tuk through the twentieth century was a progression in response to the changes in society. The 1920s saw considerable changes for the black population with the shift in employment domination away from the sugar plantations, the arrival of revivalist churches, a revival of friendly societies and the development of a political movement campaigning for black rights. Modern technology started to impact on Barbadian society in the 1930s with the arrival of the radio, which opened up Barbadian ears and minds to a range of musics few had encountered before. The arrival of television in the 1960s similarly introduced a new form of entertainment, drawing more and more people away from traditional forms of entertainment such as the Landship and the tuk band. This was intensified by people wishing to improve their lives and status, and cast off the label of being working class. As I have discussed, there were (and still are to some extent) social stigmas attached to activities such as tuk, and for those keen to better themselves either in their career or in the eyes of their peers, to be linked with such activities was not desirable. I know from my fieldwork that an attitude prevails in some people’s minds that tuk is nothing more than an outdated form of working-class activity, and whilst this continues it will never totally be accepted by all Barbadians as their national music or as an important part of their cultural heritage.
