by Petamber Persaud
There are many endearing characteristics of the Indigenous People of Guyana. Some of those features are captured in ‘Encyclopaedia of the Guyanese Amerindians (Including other South American Native Terms, Issues and Events)’ compiled by Lal Balkaran. Most fascinating for me are the legend, folklore and myth, notwithstanding the other interesting features of the people.
Here are a few samples:
A Creation Story.
Amalivaca and his brother, Vochi, created the world according to Carib folklore. But the legend bears more on Amalivaca who was sent to earth to restore peace and harmony which was disrupted by their father while attempting to be like a human being singing and dancing.
The Origin of Pain and Suffering
It is said that Yurokon went to a party with her child where she was served pepperpot that was extremely peppery. In order to ease the burning in her mouth, she went to drink water from a nearby creek. Returning, she discovered someone had thrown her child into the pot. Consequently, Yurokon put a curse on the tribe that would see the men hunting the hard way and the women having pain in childbirth, and their offspring suffering many diseases.
The Origin of Fruits and Vegetables 
‘A tapir once found the mythical tree that bore a variety of fruits and vegetables’ on which he fattened himself while the Amerindians were starving. They tried but failed to uncover the secret of the tapir. However a forest spirit named Tamosi appeared and advised the people ‘to cut the tree down and distribute its parts to everyone who planted them from which spring cassava, sweet potatoes, corn, bananas, papayas and a variety of tropical fruits’.
How So Stories
There are many entertaining ‘just/how so’ stories like how the frog comes to be croaking from the forks of trees, how alligator got its scale, how come birds got their colours, how come owl likes darkness, and how come kiskadee got the white bandage on its head.
That’s about legend, folklore and myth of the Indigenous peoples but what are the facts about these peoples? According to the introduction to the book ‘Amerindian culture… is a process of accommodation with nature…they never hoard…nothing is wasted…their concern for ecology and the environment and the balance of nature is part of their belief system…ecology is woven seemingly into the fabric of their culture’.
Other facts can be found in sections of the book marked ‘Time Chart of Amerindian Related Events’ showing ‘chronologically all major Indian-related events in Guyana …from 18000BC right down to 2001 AD’; ‘Map of Guyana showing distribution of the current nine Amerindian Tribes’ which are Ackawaois, Arawaks, Arekunas, Caribs, Makushi, Patamona, Wai Wai, Wapishanas, and Warrau; ‘Map of Guyana showing distribution of some extinct Amerindian tribes’; ‘Amerindian villages in Guyana’ numbering 131; Amerindian population in Guyana between 1891 – 1968’.
Some of those facts are substantiated through the profiles of men and women who contributed to the well being of the indigenous people and the shaping of their way of life like Gravesande, Schomburgks brothers, Brett, Hilhouse, Waterton, Cary Elwes, MacLintock, Peberdy, McKenna, Brett, Im Thurn, Roth Melvilles, Ogilvie, Hart, Stephen Campbell, John Bennett, Basil Rodrigues, Guy Marco, George Simon, Stephanie Correia, David Campbell, Jean La Rose among others.
There are many books attesting to the above facts like ‘British Policy Towards the Amerindians in British Guiana, 1803-1873’ by Mary N. Menezes, ‘The Animism and Folklore of the Guiana Indians’ by Walter Roth, ‘Canoe and Camp Life in British Guiana’ by Barrington Brown, ‘Indian Notices’ by William Hilhouse, ‘The Marches of El Dorado’ by Michael Swan, ‘Wanderings in South America’ by Charles Waterton, ‘Uncle Basil: An Arawak Biography’ by Justin Greene-Roesel, among others.
Under ‘expectations’, the compiler hoped that this work makes an ‘important contribution to global culture in general and …a greater understanding of Guyanese Amerindians’.
Which brings us to the main reason for the making of this book which is to serve as a guide to ‘[s]how the broad historical, anthropological and geographical setting of…indigenous peoples’ and to ‘profile the events, people and issues that have shaped their lives over the years’.
An ‘Encyclopaedia of the Guyanese Amerindians (Including other South American Native Terms, Issues and Events)’ is ‘a re-titling and updated edition’ to ‘A Dictionary of Guyanese Amerindians (and other South American Native Terms): An A-Z Guide to their Anthropology, Cosmology, Culture, Exploration, History, Geography, Legend, Folklore and Myth’. This encyclopaedia did just what it set out to do and for this it is a commendable work.
Responses to this author telephone (592) 226-0065 or email: oraltradition2002@yahoo.com
What’s happening:
New Arrivals: Monsoon on the Fingers of God (poetry) by Sasenarine Persaud; Red Hibiscus (novel) by Scott Ting-A-Kee; Aftermath of Empire: The Novels of Roy A. K. Heath (literary criticism) by Ameena Gafoor. (Times Sunday Magazine)
