The Consulate General for the Republic of Trinidad & Tobago

National Emblems

Last Updated on Wednesday, 07 January 2009 14:14

Coat of Arms

The Coat of Arms of Trinidad and Tobago was designed by a committee formed in 1962 to select the symbols that would be representative of the people of Trinidad and Tobago. The committee included noted artist Carlyle Chang and designer George Bailey.

The birds represented on the Coat of Arms are the Scarlet Ibis, the Cocrico (native to Tobago) and the Hummingbird.

The three ships represent the Trinity as well as the three ships of Columbus.

The three peaks were principal motifs of Trinidad's early British colonial seals and flag-badges. They commemorated both Columbus' decision to name Trinidad after the Blessed Trinity and the three peaks of the southern mountain range, called the "Three Sisters".

The fruited coconut palm dates back to the great seals of British colonial Tobago in the days when the island was a separate administrative unit.

Our motto - "Together We Aspire, Together We Achieve" - speaks for itself and promotes harmony in diversity for national achievement.

National Flag

The national flag was designed by the Independence Committee and selected to be used as the National Flag in 1962. Its colours are Red, White and Black.

Red is the colour most expressive of our country.  It represents the vitality of the land and its people; it is the warmth and energy of the sun, the courage and friendliness of the people.

White is the sea by which these lands are bound: the cradle of our heritage; the purity of our aspirations and the equality of all men and women under the sun.

The Black represents for us the dedication of the people joined together by one strong bond. It is the colour of strength, of unity, of purpose and of the wealth of the land.

The colours chosen represent the elements Earth, Water and Fire which encompass all our past, present and future and inspire us as one united, vital, free and dedicated people.

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National Flower

Chaconia

The national flower, the Chaconia, called "Wild Poinsettia" or "Pride of Trinidad and Tobago", is a flaming red forest flower of the family Rubianceae. The flower was named for the last Spanish Governor of Trinidad and Tobago, Don Jose Maria Chacon. This flower, which is known by its long sprays of magnificent vermillion, is in bloom on every anniversary of our Independence.  As an indigenous flower it has been witness to our entire history. It can therefore be said to represent the imperishability of life and the continuity of our Nation.

With its colour matching the flaming red of our Flag and Coat of Arms and bearing the same symbolism, the Chaconia harmonizes with the other national emblems.

 

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National Birds

Scarlet Ibis

The Scarlet Ibis (Tantalus Ruber) is found in the Caroni Swamp, Central Trinidad.  This beautiful bird is brown when young and its colour changes to red when it is mature.

 

 

 

 

The Cocrico

The Cocrico (Rufus Tailed Guan) is a native of Tobago and Venezuela but is not found in Trinidad.  It is the only game bird on the island and is referred to as the Tobago Pheasant.  It is about the size of a common fowl, brownish in colour with a long tail.  They go about in flocks of about six and their quaint calls can be heard in the early morning and late evenings. 

Both the Scarlet Ibis and Cocrico are represented on the Coat Of Arms of Trinidad and Tobago.

 

National Anthem

Forged from the love of liberty,
In the fires of hope and prayer,
With boundless faith in our Destiny,
We solemnly declare,
Side by side we stand,
Islands of the blue Caribbean Sea,
This our Native Land,
We pledge our lives to Thee,
Here every creed and race finds an equal place,
And may God bless our Nation,
Here every creed and race finds an equal place,
And may God bless our Nation.

Patrick S. Castagne composed the words and music of the National Anthem in 1962.  The words of the National Anthem reflect the nature and the strength of the people of Trinidad and Tobago, our courage as one nation working toward living in unity despite our diversity.

 

Steelpan

The steelpan was invented in Trinidad and Tobago and is widely regarded as the only major musical instrument to be invented in the 20th century.

So you know what it does, you love the sound it makes - but what is it, exactly? The Trinidad and Tobago Bureau of Standards describes the steelpan as "a definite pitch percussion instrument in the idiophone class, traditionally made from a steel drum or steel container. The metallic playing surface is concave with a skirt attached. The playing surface is divided into convex sections by channels, groves and/or bores.  Each convex section is played by striking the pan with sticks to produce musical notes." That should help you describe it to your friends!

In order to emit that orchestral sound, every group of pans needs to have a certain range - just like the instruments in a traditional orchestra. The difference is that instead of having different instruments contribute to the range of sounds, the pan is flexible enough to do it all.

High Tenor D4 - G6
Lower Tenor C4 - E6
Double Tenor F3 - Bb5
Double Second F#3 - C#6
Double Guitar C#3 - G#4
Triple Cello B2 - Bb4
Four Cello Bb2 - C#5
Quadraphonic B2 - Bb-5
Tenor Bass F2 - C4
Six Bass A1 - D3
Nine Bass G1 - C4

The sound and form of steelpan continues to be experimented with and new variations and ranges are being explored on an ongoing basis.

From Dissertation "Industry Mapping: The Case of Trinidad and Tobago Steelband Music Industry" (page 15) - Feroza Mohammed, MBA Brunel University, London, 1996.

National Pledge

By: Marjorie Padmore.

I solemnly pledge
To dedicate my life
To the service of my God
And my country.

I will honour
My parents, my teachers,
My leaders and my elders
And those in authority.

I will be
Clean and honest
In all my thoughts,
My words and my deeds.

I will strive
In everything I do
To work together with my fellowmen
Of every creed and race
For the greater happiness of all
And the honour and glory
Of my country.

 

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National Watchwords

Discipline, Production, Tolerance

“I have given to the nation as its watch words DISCIPLINE, PRODUCTION, TOLERANCE, they apply as much as to you the young people as to your parents. The discipline is both individual and national. The individual cannot be allowed to seek his personal interests and gratify his personal ambitions at the expense of a nation. We must produce in order to enjoy. Wealth does not drop from the sky for any individual or any nation. Reduce production, skylark on the job, take twice as long to do a job and make it cost twice as much, do any of these things and in effect you reduce the total amount available to be shared among the total number of people. You don't pull your weight and you fatten at the expense of others… some of you have ancestors who came from one country, some from another, others from a third. Some of you profess one religion, some another, others a third or fourth. You in your schools have, like the nation in general, only two alternatives. You learn to live together in peace or you fight it out and destroy one another. The second alternative makes no sense and is sheer barbarism. The first alternative is civilised and is simple common sense. You the children, yours is the great responsibility to educate your parents, teach them to live together in harmony. The difference is not race, or colour of skin, but merit only -difference of wealth and family status being rejected in favour of equality of opportunities. I call upon all of you young people to practice what you sing today and tomorrow; to translate the ideal of our national anthem into a code of everyday behaviour, and to make our nation one in which every creed and race find an equal place”

Dr Eric Williams, First Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago, on the occasion of the Independence Youth Rally at the Queen's Park Oval on August 30th, 1962