Hello my Friends,
Ever hear about the legend of Makonaima? Stories of Bush Dai-Dai?
Them is from the legends and lores of the Amerindians, the First People, of my lovely native land. Them stories is some of the most fantastic, revving up we imagination, colouring we dark nights.
Sad to say, most o' we, the non-Amerindian citizens, don't know half o' them stories even though, every September, we celebrate Heritage Month. We hold a' exhibition of the Amerindian people craft in one place in town. On social media, they share photos of hot looking, nubile Amerindian girls, or those with mixed Amerindian heritage, in traditional wear.
I could be wrong but I think we slowly discarding we lores for imperial cultures.
When Halloween come, citizens with money gon be wearing fancy costumes, posing for the media. This gon eventually trickle down to them with less money. How many gon think this is the ideal?
Here is what I did write about it some time back, including it in me book.
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Nov. 19. Do not
discard.
That
snake skin in the gutter, strangely enough, remind me of something from me
past, flowing in me present - stories from ancestors in me blood, and legends
from me country that plenty folks here almost forget, that children don’t know
now.
As
soon as me mother say that them snakes in the yard like me, the story of the
strangest marriage wriggle-out from me memory.
It
is the story of the Amerindian girl who did marry a camoudie, a snake that does
wrap around man or animal; it can squeeze the life outta you and swallow you
wholesale.
The girl, a’ beautiful Arawak girl, refuse
plenty-plenty suitors. Then one day, a
handsome young man arrive with horses dress-up with gold. He ask permission from she father for
she. Right away, the girl say Yes.
Wedding day was glitter and gold, the groom bring a
dress of golden threads for he bride.
After the wedding, they set off for the groom home. On the way, he embrace he wife and...
...the wedding-wagon turn into a pond, and the
horses dissolve into water which fill the pond...and the groom turn into a
camoudie.
The girl swim and swim ‘round and ‘round to get away
but the camoudie grabble she and wrap around she.
The
snake skin in we gutter remind me of something else too, that I observe in we
lovely native land. Instead of adding we stories to the grand history of man,
to help illustrate the story of man, we-the-people is shedding we tales,
leaving them to decay while we absorb only them foreign ones now. While I...
...I
dream of we stories flowing in we veins, grandparents passing them on, teachers
teaching them along with foreign tales.
And poets, writers would refer to them along with Apollo, Cassandra,
Persephone and others.
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How about you, dear friends? How you feel about legends and stories from you' part o' the world?
Have a great day, filling and nourishing.
Plenty love, neena xxx.
