Nation/Vodun song for "kalendas" also known as stick fighting.) The Big Drum Dance is concluded with two songs, "In My Own Native Land/Mon Konn Kongo Kon Mwen Vle" and "Bring the Powder". According to Winston Fleary, famed historian, Big Drum performer and cultural ambassador of Grenada, the first drummer of the Big Drum in Carriacou was Viri Kiri, son of Marie Galante, a Bakongo woman. The song "Kromanti Cudjoe" is named after a Jamaican maroon that had been brought to Grenada. After losing a battle with the British, Kromanti Cudjoe and his friend, Fedon, fled to Carriacou and helped start the Big Drum Dance evolve. Fleary had also traced the Belle Kawe dances to Benin. They had made their way to Haiti via the slave trade before arriving in Carriacou in the 18th century. The spider dance done with the song "In My Own Native Land/ Mon Konn Kongo Kon Mwen Vle" is another salute to Anansi. This song was added to the tradition in 1783 when the British, the new owners of Grenada, Carriacou, and Petit Martinique, banned drumming in the West Indies. Carriacou's inhabitants did not obey, and composed this song in protest. Many songs also mention Dahomey, such as "Djerika-o!" and "Hausa Wele", showcasing the African continent's lack of physical borders between various ethnic groups. While the languages that the Big Drum Dance are performed in are no longer understandable by Carriacouans/Kayaks, the tradition is still practiced earnestly. Guadeloupe Gwo ka is the French creole term for Big drum. The Guadeloupean boula is a hand drum, similar to the tambou bèlè, and is used in gwo ka and special occasions likes wakes, wrestling matches and Carnival celebrations. It is a hand drum that plays low-pitched sounds and is played single-handed and transversally. Saint Kitts and Nevis Big Drum is played in Saint Kitts and Nevis, alongside a kettle drum, and a fife during Carnival and Culturama celebrations. Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Vincentian big drums are traditionally made from tree trunks, but are more often made from rum kegs now. The socially aware or satirical lyrics are usually performed by a female singer called a chantwell, and is accompanied by dancers in colorful skirts and headresses. Big Drum is commonly performed at weddings and other celebrations, especially the launches of boats. See also Boula References Caribbean musical instruments Grenadian music Saint Vincent and the Grenadines music Saint