- in 1883. Stick-fighting itself was banned in 1884. A substitute for the drums and sticks, called tamboo bamboo, was introduced in the 1890s. A tamboo bamboo band is a percussion band used to accompany calypso songs during Carnival time. Tamboo bamboo bands consist of three different instruments, each cut from bamboo: boom, foulé, and cutter. The boom serves as the bass instrument, is usually about five feet long, and is played by stamping it on the ground. The foulé, which is a higher-pitched instrument, consists of two pieces of bamboo, each about a foot long, and is played by striking these pieces end to end. The cutter, which is the highest- pitched instrument in the ensemble, is made from a thinner piece of bamboo (of varying length) and is struck with a stick. These three types of instruments combined to beat out rhythms that accompanied the chantwells and were a staple of carnival celebrations for many years (they were gradually rendered obsolete by the steelband). After the riots, the Carnival became more restrained. The bottle-and-spoon joined drums as percussion instruments. In the 1930s, steel pans became widely used and this music was popularised throughout the world when the US Navy set up a base in Trinidad and US sailors took the music of the "panmen" to the United States and hence throughout the world. Steel pan music remains an integral part of Canboulay music contests. The Canboulay Riots are an important part of the history of Trinidad and are still celebrated today. References 1984 article by Michael Anthony on the Canboulay Riot Article by Brian Wong on the history of Carnival including the Canboulay riots Excerpt from Professor Shannon Dudley's Carnival Music in Trinidad 1881 riots 1884 riots February 1881 events February 1884 events Riots and civil disorder in Trinidad and Tobago