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.
Our First People's stories are rarely told in the wider community. Which is sad. And bad.
ReplyDeleteChild, that's sad for true. I wonder why they're not told. Are they kept as secrets? Or is it that the media simply aren't interested?
DeleteI grew up reading stories from countries around the world, and my grandfather used to tell us stories too. I think they helped my siblings, cousins and me to open our minds to other people, to embrace differences. Maybe that's what's needed...more children hearing the stories of other places.
I've always loved the old stories and legends.
ReplyDeleteIt is a huge sadness of mine that the ME/CFS with which I live, does not allow me to read to any great extent.
A page, perhaps 2 if I'm lucky, but sometimes little more than a couple of paragraphs, is all I can read in one go before my brain begins to fog over.
The book by the side of my bed can take me a year to read...
However, if possible, I love to create stories, or represent existing ones, with my photography.
Next week's podcast, for example, I'm going to be talking about a shoot I did for a group of people who have created a multi-sensory book about a local tale of "The Kippford Mermaid" :)
Kim, YES! I am going to check out that podcast and share.
DeleteI remember some of your photos, the ones that told stories.
As for reading, it takes me YEARS to read a book sometimes, depending on the book. A paragraph here, a page there. I never was one for gobbling books. I like to read slowly, a sentence, put down the book, picture the scene, think about what the writer is saying.
Despite the ME/CFS, you produce more work, live more, than many people I know.
Both you and Child inspire me so much.