Amerindian Life and Folklore (Guyana, South America) - Paperback

by Harry MC D. Persaud (Author)

In this book author Harry McD Persaud shares the legends and folklore of Native Guyanese. His picturesque and accurate description of the lifestyle, culture and taboos of of the Amerindians of Guyana is so compelling that I would not be surprised if the reader is encouraged to visit them in their natural habitat. This book is rather unique in that, perhaps for the first time, a non-native and an Indo-Guyanese has been privileged to be the repository of these legends, which, in essence, may very well be the highlights of the oral tradition of story telling by the Amerindians of Guyana. The author lived among these beautiful people for many years and earned their trust as an educator and they voluntarily entrusted their prized lore to his memory. The author, with this book, is ensuring the preservation of the vivid folklore and legends of a vibrant culture and is bringing it to the readers of the "civilized" world. He does, however, challenges our accepted notions of "civilization" and poses the question as to who is truly "civilized." There is no doubt in my mind that many readers my be encouraged, after reading this book, to travel to Guyana, South America, to witness first-hand the eco-friendly lifestyle of these Natives of Guyana. And I am further sure that, having visited, and perhaps having lived among them, many visitors will classify their experiences as memorable, enjoyable, and shall be ready to repeat it again and again. With the continuous march of "development" in Guyana and other countries of South America, it is not too difficult visualize that, at some point in time, these Natives' way of life and culture will be hard to come by. But this book (and a few others) will serve to record and perhaps preserve in written format these cultures that have now existed for hundreds of years.

Author Biography

Harry McD Persaud has been an educator for half a century. To start his career, he had to convert to a branch of Christianity. He was born in a practicing Hindu home and, thus, he was privileged to have had the exposure to both Christianity and Hinduism. He has been a teacher and education administrator for the affective part of his adult life and can point to many students who are working in the institution of government who have benefitted from his expertise and passion as an educator. He has lived among, and taught the many Native groups in Guyana, making our world a better place. In this book he records the many legends he heard directly from the chiefs and piemen and elders of the various Amerindian groups that reside deep in the interior areas of Guyana, South America. He lived among them for many years and was able to earn their trust and camaraderie that they voluntarily entrusted their folklore to his memory. He is able to recount the most important of these narratives which, in a sense, is the collective oral history of the major groups of the Natives of Guyana. His details are picturesque and unembellished and most authentic. He is a great admirer of the culture and taboos of Native Guyanese and his manner and skill of capturing their beautiful culture will certainly encourage the reader to visit these hospitable people in their natural habitat. They have lived in their environment for hundreds of years but have not destroyed it in any way. He has captured the lifestyle of this admirable group of people (who refer to themselves as "The People") and poses the question as to who is truly civilized. Would "civilized" people ensure the demise of "The People?" He has also written "Why I looked for the Divine and what I have found," which is also available at amazon.com by searching with his name and the title of the book.