All Hands on Deck : the Sailing Landships as unique Cultural Icons of Barbados

This article explores Barbados intangible cultural heritage through the lens of the Landships of Barbados. Landships are cultural organisations which are complex. Embedded within their histories and origins are British traditions, with an emphasis on the Royal Navy, and Afro-Barbadian cultural practices. A black working class movement, the article highlights two renowned Landships, the BLS Iron Duke(1) and the BLS Director that operated in twentieth century Barbados. Emphasis is placed on traditional knowledge in performance by explaining a specific selection of the drills/manoeuvres that contribute to the defining and acknowledgement of Landships in public spaces and in the funerary practices of the 1970s to 1990s. These Landships are unique cultural icons, exemplifying the cultures and peoples that have shaped Barbadian society and represent Barbadian cultural identity and heritage.