Traditional Mas Characters #1: The Midnight Robber
Video from The LightBox and photo by Maria Nunes.
Ever the sassy, supercilious star of the show, the image of the Mightnight Robber strutting around spinning tales of grandeur, heroics, and occasional bubbol through their "robber talk" is very common around Carnival time.
If the wide brimmed hat, bootcut trousers, spurred boots, and shiny shotgun look familiar to you, then you're correct! The Midnight Robber is inspired by cowboys in Old Western literature, which first became popular in Trinidad around 1906. According to Hill (1972), this mas character's name gradually morphed from the "cowboy," to the "Wild West Rancher," "American Bandit," and finally "Midnight Robber."
The Traditional Mas Archive (a fascinating resource for Ole Mas characters!) also specifies the unique behaviours and speech patterns exhibited by this character: a rhyming scheme borrowed from the ancestral West African Griot storyteller tradition, the use of a shrill whistle during speeches, and even the occasional heated confrontation between two Midnight Robbers!
References:
Audible. (2020). "Interview with Griot (West African storyteller) Alhaji Papa Susso | Audible," Youtube. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d9wrTasaln8 (accessed 21st February 2025).
Hill, E. (1972). The Trinidad Carnival: Mandate for a National Theatre. Austin: University of Texas Press.
Waldron, M. et al (2021). "The Midnight Robber," Traditional Mas Archive. Available at: https://traditionalmas.com/portfolio/midnight-robber-carnival-character/ (accessed 21st February 2025).
