Trinbagonians

First of All, Trinbagonians is the word used for Trinidadians and Tobagonians.

Teh Culture of Trinidad started from the time of the Caribs and Arawaks.

Today, most of the people of Trinidad and Tobago today are descended from Africans and Indians (from the country of India) who were brought to the islands to work on big plantations. Today about 40% of Trinidadians and Tobagonians are black and 40% are Indians. The rest are mostly whites, Chinese and native peoples.

The population of Trinidad and Tobago is about 1,500,000 with about 50,000 living on Tobago and the rest on Trinidad. About 72% of people live in cities.

The main religions of the people are Roman Catholic (32%), Hindu (24%), and Protestant (28%). The official language is English, but many people also speak Hindi, French and Spanish. Education is free from Primary to Tertiary level (includes university UWI), and about 98% of people over the age of 15 can read and write. The unemployment rate is quite low.

Brief History of Trinidad and lifestyle

Columbus landed on and named Trinidad in 1498, and Spaniards settled the island a century later. Spanish colonizers largely wiped out the original inhabitants--Arawak and Carib Indians--and the survivors were gradually assimilated. Although it attracted French, free black, and other non-Spanish settlers, Trinidad remained under Spanish rule until the British captured it in 1797. During the colonial period, Trinidad's economy relied on large sugar and cocoa plantations. Tobago's development was similar to other plantation islands in the Lesser Antilles and quite different from Trinidad. During the colonial period, French, Dutch, and British forces fought over possession of Tobago, and the island changed hands 22 times--more often than any other West Indies island. Britain took final possession of Tobago in 1803. The two islands of Trinidad and Tobago were incorporated into a single colony in 1888. Trinidad and Tobago achieved full independence in 1962 and joined the British Commonwealth.

The people of Trinidad and Tobago are mainly of African or East Indian descent. Virtually all speak English. Small percentages also speak Hindi, French patois, and several other dialects. Trinidad has two major folk traditions: Creole and East Indian. Creole is a mixture of African elements with Spanish, French, and English colonial culture. Trinidad's East Indian culture came to the island with indentured servants brought to fill a labor shortage created by the emancipation of the African slaves in 1833. Most remained on the land, and they still dominate the agricultural sector, but many have become prominent in business and the professions. East Indians have retained much of their own way of life, including Hindu and Muslim religious festivals and practices.