If you have ever wondered how the settlement of Kwebanna, in the Moruca sub-region of Region One, got its name, some members of the Carib tribe might be able to tell you.
They say it began with a young Carib girl, who was experiencing her first menstrual cycle. To recognise the girl’s transition to womanhood, her parents planned to celebrate after they performed the transition ritual. So they left to hunt and instructed the girl not to go swimming in the Waini River.
She, however, disobeyed and went along with her siblings to the river, where they began playing. As she was swimming, she is said to have seen a large crab, called the “Quwana” next to a tree. However, unknown to the child there were other water creatures lurking in the river and after a while, a ‘wata mummah’ also known as a mermaid grabbed the swimming girl. Thinking it was the crab, the crying girl shouted “Quwana! Quwana!” However, her screams went unheard amidst the noise of the other children and she was dragged under water and into a cave located in a nearby creek.