The Caribbean is intertwined with African, Asian, indigenous, and colonial histories which have impacted our evolution. Collectively, we have now a wealthy oral historic custom of tales that spotlight the breadth of our previous by way of fable and legend.
Though every island has its personal explicit tradition of storytelling – regardless of being separated by nationwide boundaries and our bodies of water – a few of our folklore has carried all through the Caribbean and its diaspora, mapping our migrations, shaping our needs, and drawing novel concepts in regards to the similarities and variations of and across the Caribbean.
This Black Historical past Month, we bear in mind 5 characters in Caribbean folklore that remind us of our wealthy historical past as Caribbean People.
Anansi/Ananse the Spider
Widespread all through a lot of the African diaspora, the tales of Anansi, also called Kwaku Ananse, are believed to have originated in West Africa, through Akan folklore, and have been then transmitted to the west due to the transatlantic slave commerce. Anansi is understood for a lot of issues, however is most regarded for being a mischievous trickster who typically entertains himself by way of fooling and deceiving others.
– Commercial –
In some cultures, Anansi is considered the creator of the world or acts as an middleman between God and people, however the spider can be thought to characterize survival and resistance as there are tales about deceiving plantation house owners.
Anansi’s fables typically finish with morals or key classes. Some are even chargeable for widespread proverbs used at the moment like Jamaica’s, “If yuh cyaan ketch Kwaku, yuh ketch him shut” stemming from the story “Anansi and Brah Useless,” to imply that typically these near you is usually a goal of the revenge meant for you.
The Soucouyant or The Previous Hag/Higue
– Commercial –
Nations throughout the Caribbean home the legend of the Soucouyant or the Previous Hag, however she has numerous names together with “Asema” in Suriname or is just like the “Loogaroo” in some elements of the French Caribbean.
Whereas the story of the Soucouyant varies from place to position, the Soucouyant is often thought-about an previous, feminine recluse by day who sheds her pores and skin and enters individuals’s houses by evening to suck their blood.
Whereas to some the Soucouyant may appear paying homage to the European-style vampire, the parable parallels the Yoruba story of the Aje. Many writers and students have famous that tales of the Soucouyant evoke colonial resistance, cultural empowerment, and values relating to ladies’s mobility and function in society.
The Chickcharney
Native to Andros Island in The Bahamas, the Chickcharney resembles an owl and stands three-feet tall with three fingers, three toes, and pink eyes.
The bird-like creature stems from the Lucayan individuals, an indigenous neighborhood in The Bahamas who have been the primary to come across Christopher Columbus as he falsely found the Caribbean.
The legend of the Chickcharney represents the Lucayans’ robust perception in nature and reverence for animal spirits, as it’s stated that in case you come throughout a Chickcharney and deal with it with kindness, you’ll be rewarded with success. Nevertheless, in case you don’t, you’ll be cursed with dangerous luck and tough occasions.
Additionally it is stated that the Chickcharney nests in pine timber that they carry collectively, including to the folklore. It’s speculated that their story is predicated on the prehistoric Bahamian barn owl.
Papa Bois/Papa Bwa and Mama D’Leau/Mama D’lo/Mama Glo
Papa Bois and Mama D’Leau are a married couple who’re considered the protectors of nature and whose tales are widespread in locations with not less than transient French colonial affect, together with Trinidad and Tobago, Saint Lucia, Grenada, and Dominica.
Papa Bois, which loosely interprets to “Father of the Forest,” is claimed to be an previous man of African descent with not less than one cloven hoof. He’s described to have a physique lined in hair and that he carries a hole bull’s horn to warn animals of close by hunters. He can even rework right into a deer and lures hunters deep into forests to confuse and hinder them from searching.
Equally, Mama D’Leau, “Water Mom,” is a river protector and water animal healer. The legend of Mama D’Leau is considerably just like tales of mermaids or “river mummas” that may be present in different islands. She is claimed to be a wonderful lady from the waist up, with a golden comb she makes use of to brush her lengthy hair. Nevertheless, she is a big snake from the waist down and goals to guard rivers and water animals towards poachers and polluters by luring hunters in along with her magnificence.
Tales of Papa Bois and Mama D’Leau seem in a number of tales together with Nalo Hopkinson’s Midnight Robber and Danielle Y. C. McClean’s The Whisperer’s Warning: Secrets of Oscuros.
To study different Caribbean myths and legends, you’ll want to take heed to the latest Strictly Info episode A Brief History on Caribbean Myths, Legends, and Folklore with Amanda Alcántara obtainable on all podcast platforms. If there are new myths you discovered about on this article or want to share folklore out of your island with us, be happy to tag us @striclyfactspod and @cnwnetwork on social media.
