The Culture of Turks and Caicos
The culture of the Turks and Caicos has been shaped by various waves of occupation and migration throughout the centuries, from the arrival of the indigenous Lucayans (the archipelago’s first-known inhabitants) to the Bermudian salt traders, African peoples, and Loyalist Americans. As a British Overseas Territory, the Turks and Caicos Islands shares deep historic ties with the United Kingdom.
The location of Turks and Caicos has also played a role in the development of its culture. There is a long history of migration between the Turks and Caicos Islands and the neighboring Bahamas archipelago, which together form the Lucayan archipelago. Many Turks and Caicos Islanders have Bahamian ancestry, have worked in the Bahamas, or were even born there, and this close relationship has led to shared cultural practices (such as junkanoo and straw work). Likewise, there are strong similarities in the Turks and Caicos accent, and local slang, to that of the Bahamas.
Today, the culture of the Turks and Caicos Islands reflects a blend of African, Caribbean, and British influences. Music such as ripsaw (or rake and scrape, where a cross-cut saw is used as a rhythm instrument), local festivals such as Maskanoo, and traditional practices such as straw work celebrate this heritage.
See Turks and Caicos People and Turks and Caicos History for more information on the origin of the country and its population.
Early Cultural Influences
The Lucayans
Long before European contact, the Turks and Caicos Islands were inhabited by the Amerindian Lucayan (Taíno) people, who arrived in the Turks and Caicos around 700 AD, having migrated up the Caribbean islands from South America. Tragically, within a few decades of European contact, the Lucayan population was wiped out due to disease, enslavement, and forced relocation by Spanish colonizers.
Remnants of these early peoples' language and culture can be found in things such as business, street, and villa names, as well as the country name itself (Caicos is derived from cayo hico, the Taíno term for ‘string of islands’).
Colonists and the Salt Trade
In the late 1600s, Bermudian salt rakers began coming to the islands to harvest natural sea salt—an essential commodity for food preservation. They established permanent settlements on the islands of Grand Turk and Salt Cay.
As a result of this relationship with Bermuda, Turks and Caicos shares a great deal of cultural traits with its Bermudan settlers. This can be seen most prominently on the islands of Salt Cay and Grand Turk (the major sea salt industry islands), where the architectural style is inspired by that of Bermuda during that era. Local residents of both territories share names, such as Talbot, Smith, and Butterfield.
Colonial Rule
The development of cotton plantations in the late 18th century brought enslaved Africans to the islands. After Britain abolished slavery in 1834, formerly enslaved people settled in farming and fishing communities. Many Turks and Caicos Islanders today are their descendants.
So too are many of the freed Africans from the Trouvadore and Esperanza slave ships—two Spanish slavers that wrecked and were captured, respectively, in Turks and Caicos waters shortly after abolition had outlawed slavery–also settled in the Turks and Caicos Islands, blending with the existing communities of freed slaves and salt rakers.
Cuisine and Food
With little arable soil and limited land overall, farming in Turks and Caicos has always been small-scale and unable to sustain large populations. For this reason, early islanders relied heavily on the sea as their primary source of food—this shapes much of the culinary culture seen today.
One of the most unique traditional dishes, concocted during the challenging early days of raising food, is buds and rice, a simple but resourceful meal that uses the buds of a local cactus cooked into rice to add both flavor and sustenance. Another traditional “hardship dish” is whelk soup, made from tiny shellfish collected along the rocky shores.
The arrival of Bermudian settlers expanded the local diet, introducing both new foods and new preservation techniques. With trade connections to Africa and Europe, the islands gained crops like okra, pigeon peas, plantains, papaya, and cassava, along with methods such as salting fish and cooking with cornmeal. These influences still live on in dishes like saltfish and grits, a classic Caribbean comfort food.
Today, Turks and Caicos cuisine centers heavily around fish such as grouper and snapper. Perhaps the best known symbol of local cuisine is the Queen conch, a versatile giant sea snail that can be prepared a multitude of ways. Caribbean spiny lobster is likewise very popular in local cooking.
On smaller islands such as Salt Cay and South Caicos, families continue to preserve older culinary traditions, keeping alive recipes passed down through generations. But on Providenciales—the country’s main hub—visitors are more likely to encounter fine dining, with menus dominated by imported meats, gourmet dishes, and international flavors, or simply local conch and lobster.
Turks and Caicos Art
Straw Work
One of the best examples of authentic Turks and Caicos art is straw work, which has been practiced in the islands for hundreds of years. It’s thought that the practice was introduced by African slaves, who carried this custom with them to the New World.
Historically, straw work primarily took place on the islands of North Caicos and Middle Caicos, where straw produced from local fanner grass and palm tops was gathered, dried, and cleaned before being woven (plaited)—or sewn using fronds in place of cotton thread—into a variety of forms. Baskets, hats, and brooms are just a few examples that were used by families in daily life, or sent to the more populated islands of Grand Turk and South Caicos for sale.
Straw work is still practiced on North and Middle Caicos by community elders through the Middle Caicos Co-op, a cooperative founded in 1998 to preserve the artform and pay weavers fair income through their crafts.
The detail of these creations, often embroidered with colorful straw flowers, hummingbirds, or other symbols, is impressive, as is their durability—straw work baskets and bags can last for decades with little wear.
Model Caicos Sloops
The surrounding ocean has played a significant role in the cultural symbols of the Turks and Caicos, one of which is the Caicos Sloop. These sloops were handbuilt vessels used to facilitate trade, transportation, and fishing in the Turks and Caicos before the introduction of the modern powerboat.
Boat building, like straw work, was a skill passed down through generations. Children would carve miniature sloops from local gumbo limbo, a soft and lightweight wood that grows locally in the islands, and sail them in calm waters.
The practice of carving and building model Caicos sloops, with proper rigging and masts that allow them to float and sail in the shallows, is particularly popular on North and Middle Caicos. Modern equivalents of these crafts can be seen annually at the Valentine's Day Cup event on Middle Caicos, a model sailboat race that takes place in the shallows at Bambarra Beach. Occasionally, it's possible to purchase models at the National Museum and Heritage Site and the Turks and Caicos National Museum.
Music
Ripsaw music, also known as rake and scrape, is the national music of the Turks and Caicos Islands. Its defining sound comes from the cross-cut saw, played by scraping a metal object (often a knife, screwdriver, or nail) along its teeth to create a distinctive rhythmic rasp.
The roots of ripsaw music lie in the African heritage of enslaved people brought to the islands during the colonial era. Many West African cultures have long used percussive scraping and improvisational instruments, and these practices merged with European influences in the Caribbean. In the absence of formal instruments, everyday objects were transformed into sources of rhythm and melody, giving birth to ripsaw’s distinct sound.
By the 19th century, ripsaw music became a central feature of community gatherings, especially at weddings, holidays, and boat-launching ceremonies. The music’s lively and syncopated beat made it ideal for dancing, and the saw was often accompanied by drums, accordions, and handmade percussion instruments.
Over time, ripsaw bands incorporated additional instruments such as the triangle, goatskin drum, concertina, and later the guitar and electric bass. However, the saw has always remained the central instrument, setting ripsaw apart from other Caribbean musical forms like calypso and reggae.
After experiencing a decline in the mid-20th century, as imported music styles—especially calypso and reggae—became more popular among the younger generations, ripsaw saw a revival during the 1970s and 1980s. Local musicians began to record ripsaw music professionally, introducing it to wider audiences. Festivals and competitions helped to preserve the tradition, ensuring it remained a vibrant part of Turks and Caicos cultural life.
While you won’t hear ripsaw on every corner, it’s possible to watch bands play the genre at events that draw more of a local crowd, such as Fisherman's Day on South Caicos.
Junkanoo
While it is predominantly Bahamian, junkanoo (a type of music and performative art) has influenced the Turks and Caicos due to the countries' shared roots in West African masquerade practices brought to the Caribbean by enslaved Africans. The origins of the word junkanoo are debated—however, it’s often thought that the term stems from John Canoe, the European name of a powerful African leader who resisted colonial authority.
During slavery in the 17th and 18th centuries, enslaved Africans in the Bahamas, Turks and Caicos, and other parts of the Caribbean were sometimes given time off during Christmas and New Year celebrations. These rare moments of freedom became opportunities for music, dance, and masquerade. Junkanoo processions—characterized by drumming, rhythmic chanting, and elaborate costumes—emerged from this context as a form of cultural expression and resistance.
In the Turks and Caicos Islands, junkanoo took on a life of its own. Communities celebrated with homemade instruments—goatskin drums, conch shells, cowbells, whistles, and makeshift horns—while participants donned costumes crafted from cloth, crepe paper, and natural materials.
The parades traditionally moved through settlements in the early hours of the morning, with groups competing to outdo one another in music, dance, and costume design. Junkanoo became a way of preserving African heritage.
Like many Afro-Caribbean traditions, junkanoo faced periods of suppression by colonial authorities and religious leaders, who often viewed the gatherings as unruly and/or pagan. Despite this, junkanoo survived within family and community traditions and was passed down across generations.
Beginning in the 1970s and 1980s, as Turks and Caicos moved toward greater cultural self-awareness (and as many Turks and Caicos Islanders who had migrated to the Bahamas returned home to pursue new opportunities in tourism), Junkanoo saw a resurgence. Schools and community groups began organizing Junkanoo parades, often timed around Christmas, New Year’s, and National Heritage Month. Providenciales now even has its own Junkanoo Museum.
Modern Junkanoo in Turks and Caicos features lively street parades with dazzling costumes, rhythmic drumming, whistleblowing, and spirited dancing. Junkanoo bands perform weekly at the Thursday Fish Fry on Providenciales and at the popular Da Conch Shack restaurant. There is no large-scale junkanoo festival in Turks and Caicos that is equivalent to that of the Bahamas—however, Turks and Caicos hosts a smaller-scale event, Maskanoo, annually on Boxing Day.
The Masquerade (Massin')
The Masquerade, also known as massin’, was a local tradition that usually took place on Christmas Day or Boxing Day.
Groups of costumed participants would go door to door in the community ‘serenading’ households with drums and ripsaw music (rake and scrape) in exchange for patronage such as food, drinks, or money. The practice was based on West African celebrations that evolved during the colonial and slavery era of the Caribbean, and shares similarities with traditions that influenced Caribbean festivals such as Trinidad Carnival and the original Crop Over celebrations in Barbados.
Traditionally, massin’ or masquerading was not a parade like Junkanoo, but instead a more intimate affair akin to caroling. This event was an annual celebration in the Turks and Caicos until it faded into obscurity in the 1960s.
Maskanoo
Maskanoo is a festival on Providenciales that serves as a modern interpretation of Bahamian junkanoo parades and local massin', established in 2009. Held as a parade in Grace Bay on Boxing Day, this event includes a procession of junkanoo bands, floats, and costumes, as well as musical performances from local bands. Along the street, vendors sell souvenirs, crafts, drinks, and local and foreign dishes.
Bambashay
Bambashay is a traditional dance and cultural expression unique to the Turks and Caicos Islands. The word bambashay is often associated with the Creole expression “bend your body” or “shake yourself,” reflecting the energetic hip-swaying movements that define the dance. Its origins lie in the blending of African rhythms and European colonial influences brought together during the era of slavery and early settlement in the islands.
Enslaved Africans carried with them a strong tradition of drumming, call-and-response singing, and expressive dance. These practices merged with European folk tunes and instruments such as the accordion and violin, giving rise to a distinctly Turks and Caicos style of music and dance with bambashay as one of its most enduring forms.
Bambashay was not merely entertainment but also a form of communal storytelling and social bonding. The dance was often performed at weddings, celebrations, and festivals, accompanied by ripsaw music. The scraping of the saw, the beat of the drum, and the shuffle of dancers’ feet combined to create an atmosphere of joy and unity.
The dance is typically performed in pairs or groups, with dancers showing off rhythmic hip movements, spins, and playful interactions with partners and onlookers. Much like junkanoo, bambashay served as a way to preserve African cultural identity.
In the 20th century, bambashay experienced a revival as part of a broader effort to celebrate Turks and Caicos cultural heritage. Schools, community centers, and cultural festivals began teaching the dance to younger generations to ensure it would not be lost.
Today, bambashay is performed at national celebrations, cultural heritage events, and tourist showcases, and modern performances of bambashay often feature colorful costumes and live ripsaw bands. While influenced by contemporary styles, the essence of bambashay—such as the syncopated rhythms and hip-swaying dance—remains unchanged.
Religion
Following colonization, the religious landscape of the Turks and Caicos was shaped primarily by Christianity, introduced by European settlers and reinforced by the system of slavery. Enslaved Africans, brought to the islands to work on salt ponds and cotton plantations, were often pressured or forced to adopt the faith of their enslavers.
Despite this, African spiritual traditions did not vanish completely. Enslaved people blended elements of Christianity with African practices such as drumming, dance, and oral storytelling. This fusion laid the groundwork for the religious and cultural identity that evolved in the islands.
By the early 19th century, formal churches began to play an active role in community life. Missionary groups, especially from the Anglican Church and the Methodist Church, established congregations and schools. These institutions not only spread Christianity but also promoted literacy, education, and social organization.
The abolition of slavery in 1834 further strengthened the role of churches, as freed men and women often turned to religion as a source of hope, guidance, and unity. Christianity became deeply embedded in both personal faith and community identity.
During the 20th century, Christianity remained dominant but diversified. The Baptist, Seventh-day Adventist, and Pentecostal movements grew rapidly, reflecting broader religious trends across the Caribbean. These churches often appealed to working-class communities, offering vibrant worship services that emphasized music, testimony, and healing.
Religion also played a role in community development—churches built schools, sponsored youth programs, and supported the social safety net in times when formal government structures were limited. Today, the Turks and Caicos Islands remain overwhelmingly Christian, with denominations such as Anglican, Baptist, Methodist, Seventh-day Adventist, and Pentecostal represented across the islands. Churches continue to serve as important centers of community and cultural life, hosting festivals, weddings, funerals, and public gatherings.
In recent decades, with the growth of tourism and migration, there has been some diversification. Small numbers of Roman Catholics, Jehovah’s Witnesses, and non-Christian faiths are now present, though they remain minorities.
Religion in the Turks and Caicos has historically shaped education, politics, social values, and cultural traditions. Gospel music and church festivals remain central to the islands’ cultural identity, while moral and ethical debates often reflect strong religious roots.