Burrokeet

The Burrokeet(alternative spelling Burroquite) is a character of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago Carnival in the Caribbean Islands.

It has been said that the burrokeet originated in Greek mythology as the Centaur, and moved on from there to Spain in the 9th Century, and so to Latin America and Trinidad. Otherwise, systemic totemic veneration is one of the most sincere ways available to a people to show their appreciation of a faithful and useful animal such as the burro.

In the Trinidad Carnival, the donkey has been symbolically freed from his labours and so is able to join in the festivities. Subscribing to either theory, the burrokeet was an important part of the Trinidad Carnival in the past, from Spanish mainland influences.