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.
The parents returned and asked the remaining siblings what happened and they were told that the “Quwana” took her. The immediately rushed to the creek to find their daughter but all they could’ve heard was the faint echo of her daughter shouts. They tried digging around the cavern but all their efforts were in vain. All they kept hearing was “Quwana! Quwana.” Eventually the family went back to their hut and called the place “Quwana” which was later changed to Kwebanna.
The story of how the village was named was one those shared in the different languages of three of Guyana’s Indigenous tribes at the Moruca Storytelling Festival two Saturdays ago.
In observance of the International Year of Indigenous Languages and to raise awareness about the endangerment of Indigenous languages in Guyana, the Ministry of Indigenous Peoples’ Affairs hosted Storytelling Festival in the Moruca sub-region.
During her address to residents of the Moruca sub-region, which includes Kwebanna, Warapoka, Santa Cruz, Waramuri, Manawarin, Santa Rosa and Haimarakabra, Minister within the Ministry of Indigenous Peoples’ Affairs Valerie Garrido-Lowe commended the efforts of the two persons who sang and recited the national anthem and pledge in the Arawak language at the start of the brief ceremony.
She added that she is proud that almost all of the tribes in the country can still fluently speak their respective languages and a few have already embarked on projects to further preserve their languages. However, it was also noted that only a few persons from the Arawak, Warrau and Carib tribes have been found to speak their languages and that more needs to be done to preserve not only the languages but cultures as well. She encouraged attendees to continue promoting their culture, craft, dances and foods before saying that the need to revive their languages must not die when the year ends. In addition to encouraging residents to hold language classes, she encouraged parents to teach their children to speak while at home
Meanwhile, Minister of Indigenous Peoples’ Affairs Sydney Allicock expressed similar sentiments and added that young people can use their access to technology to aid in the preservation. “I would like to say to the younger people that our elders left a legacy and a foundation. We must be proud of taking it forward. The language is part of your culture and it makes you complete. The adults have a history that we need to capture and with technology our younger people can be doing that,” he added.
However, the Toshao of Santa Rosa, Wanita Phillips, revealed during an interview that the village council had no intention of doing anything to further preserve the three languages. “This (the festival) is what we are doing. When it’s over, that’s it,” she said.
Overhearing the comments made by the Toshao, a resident, who didn’t want to be named, said that the Catholic Church is planning to start classes in those languages next year and they will also be teaching the smaller kids how to play the traditional musical instruments.
Throughout the day it was observed that there were at least 200 persons attending the event. However, many residents did not attend the festival because of the death of a prominent member of the community who was buried the same day. “It spoiled all our plans,” one person said.
For those who did attend, the festival offered a way to escape the complex modern world through the simpler traditions of the past.
Aunty Moureen said for her, the Festival is an escape from her hectic life at home. “I am here because I love these kind of things. It reminds me so much of long ago when all these things we doing here were normal. These days you hardly seeing these things because of how we change up here,” she said. She revealed that she brought along her entire family to experience the festival. “We not going home til’ it done,” she added.
Genevieve Ruffino, who is a senior member of the Santa Rosa Catholic Church, applauded the initiative of the ministry, saying that if offered her the opportunity to relive the not so distant past of her childhood. “Nowadays, everyone is all about technology and this is just something that we used to do during our childhood but not with a lot of people,” she said.
Further, Ruffino said that she expected the festival to be better but she understood the situation because of the death that occurred.
A friend of Ruffino agreed with her and noted that the event reminded her of her childhood days, when the world was a bit more simple. “I am enjoying myself and the stories, even though I hear some of them before,” she said.
In truth, that Saturday night, long after the large bonfire had burnt out, the large crowd was caught up in the magic of the spoken word. Those present listened attentively to the folklore and legends of the Arawak, Warrau and Carib tribes being told in their languages and some translated to English.
Another story told at festival was how the famous shell mounds of Waramuri were formed. According to the Toshao of Waramuri Leamond Emanuel, about 6,000 years ago, the people decided to settle where the village is now located. He said his ancestors had a tradition where they would place all the shells of the snails and turtles they ate at one spot. They continued the practice and the shell mound grew bigger and bigger. However, they soon noticed that villagers would go missing near the shell mound. They soon discovered that a monster was living near the shell mound and when it saw a person canoeing by, it would devour them and their canoe.
As time passed, the people grew tired of the monster and concocted a plan to get rid of it. They selected a Piai man, or shaman, to go and hunt down the monster. Before leaving the village, the Piai man told them that if he was successful, he would blow his shell horn to signal them.
The Piai man then got into his canoe and started paddling in the direction of the mound. After reaching the mound he armed himself with salt and pepper and a weapon and then set himself up as a potential victim. Sure enough the monster came and devoured him whole. Once in the belly of the monster, he rubbed salt all over its stomach and started to strike it with his weapon. The monster started crying loudly and died. Unfortunately, the Piai man was unable to escape from the monster and so he died with it, while the people of the village waited for his victory signal in vain. Fearing that the Piai man was unsuccessful, the villagers went on living in fear but they soon noticed that nobody was going missing anymore. They eventually found the body of the monster near the Wakapao area and since then they begin placing their shells in different areas so their mounds would not grow as large again.
Cultural performances by the Mariaba Band and the Waramuri cultural group were also part of the entertainment at the festival.
