01842nas a2200157 4500000000100000000000100001008004100002653002900043653004100072653004200113100001800155700001700173245014100190300000700331520134600338 2007 d10aEnvironment (THE\_65229)10aSDG 14: Life below water (ICH\_1393)10aSaint Vincent and the Grenadines (VC)1 aDaniel Lanier1 aVincent Reid00aWhalers’ Shanties of Barouallie, St. Vincent: Observations on the Nature, Decline and Revival of a Unique Caribbean Maritime Tradition a693 aBarrouallie, a fishing community on the Caribbean island of St. Vincent, has a unique cultural heritage associated with its history as a whaling centre. As a way to alert townspeople of a successful catch, Barrouallie whalers sang occupational songs known as ‘shanties’ while rowing their whaleboats to shore. A product of diverse cultural influences, the shanties of Barrouallie may be viewed as a sub-genre, distinct from the more general body of seachanteys, the work songs of international 19th century merchant seamen. As a mode of expression - not merely a work song -a shanty could function variously as entertainment, satire, and advertisement. While economic and cultural changes in this developing island nation did not favour the continuance of shanty singing, a revival of interest in Barrouallie’s whaling traditions began in 2001, with particular attention to shanties and the generation of men who recall the role and significance of these songs in the local whaling enterprise.This 21st century renaissance of a maritime music tradition among living practitioners represents a remarkable survival that deserves greater recognition.Through the performance and recording of shanties, The Barrouallie Whalers have been interpreting and publicising Barrouallie’s whaling heritage for an international audience since 2001.