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Flour Sack Dan Dan | Yuh  Is Ah Trini #116

There was a time when chatting in the WACK Radio Chat Box was a pleasure. We would reminisce about the 'good ole days in Trinidad. Sometimes the discussions would lead to good memories of our childhood days and recall some things that today would be looked upon with scorn or could result in a good laugh. Long ago people were poor and made do with whatever resource was available. People just used what was available and there was no shame in so doing. Now that brings me to a conversation I had with a good friend who lives in England and used the name Gumbo Lai Lai in the Chatbox. Santiwah is the name that I still use whenever I visit the shoutbox.

However, the discussions in the box are not the same and can sometimes be outrageous and rude, and simply ridiculous. Lai Lai does not frequent the box because of the nonsense but I remember chatting with him and we came to discuss 'flour bags'.

Long ago flour was shipped in 100 lb bags. The bags were made of thick cotton and the name of the flour company was printed on the cotton bag. These bags were purchased by shopkeepers who would then sell the flour by the pound. After the flour was sold the shopkeeper had a large white/cream color bag to discard. This bag was unlike the rice bag that was used to make hammocks. People became creative with the use of the flour bags... our conversation was brief but interesting. Take a read... added notes are in italics.

Gumbo: 

And flour used to come in thick cotton sacks

Santiwah: 

Dat was sailor mas clothes, Lai Lai
[(that mas was called bag sailor mas) {"Doh mind he! De onliest big mas he ever play was longtime flour bag sailor!"  (Baptiste 1993:71)}]

Gumbo: 

Santiwah! Sailor mas!! Steupse . That was underwear material for poor families, oui!

Santiwah: 

Ha ha ha lord Lai Lai

Gumbo: 

No joke! When it started women bought it from the shopkeeper; washed it; bleached it and then employed their seamstress skills

Santiwah: 

Creative and useful back then but would be looked upon with scorn today; - I guess even for that period

Gumbo: 

But then the local laundries got into the racket; they started buying the flour sacks wholesale from the shops and bleached them and washed them using their equipment, so they did a better job of removing the printed on labels, and selling them on at a mark-up
(in the early days the large bags were sold for eight cents and the smaller bags sold for four cents. They were used to make blouses, skirts, drawers i.e. underwear for boys, working shirts, table cloths, and even used for towels)

Santiwah:

Lord dem Chinee had real business smart even back in the day. I guess some people even wore clothes made from the sacks. Dem Chinee was real smart boi

Gumbo: 

Even in those days, there was scorn; the tease was "eat the flour and jump in the bag"
{they have no mercy, they ain't satisfied to eat the flour, they turn around and wear the bag. (Cummings 2004:102)}

Santiwah:

Lord that was telling it like it was... well at least it was better than jumping in the sack... haha

Gumbo:
If two gyuls was having a cuss out, one was sure to tell the other to "Haul she flour bag drawers from here" 

Gumbo: 

An boi, dem gyuls in Sucess Rc School could cuss! That was about all some of them used to learn!

End!

Maybe you may have a memory of a conversation or something that could provide insight about how things used to be when you were a child growing up in Trinidad and Tobago. It may not mean much to you now but could end up putting a smile on someone's face when they read about it. They may have similar recollections or may be able to add something to your discussion. Please don't hesitate, send us some of your memories and it may end up as a post on this blog. Send your comments or notes to trinizagada@gmail.com.