Panman

But the early steelbands were greeted with considerable hostility. The panmen were slum-dwellers, working-class men with little formal education; middle-class residents objected to the noise from the pan yards and associated the men with hooliganism and rough behaviour.

These older panmen are vital to the transmission of musical skills to the younger generation and provide youths with a sense of the steelband's history and importance.

From Monday through Friday they talked constantly about the previous Saturday-night fete: which panman (a steelband player or pan builder) went home with what girl.

Having, done this, the panman stirs together about a quart of spice, and a gallon of lime-water, and pours this mixture into each pan. When the sugar is again brought to a scalding heat, it throws up a second scum, not so foul as the first, which is removed as before.

Our pans went to their kitchen to be washed, as we had not the sink capacity and they had a panman who came in specially.