Photographed by Zak Kendal
Recently I visited Rum Cay, Bahamas; a place that was extraordinarily comfortable and happy. Its people and culture transported me to my home Montserrat. It is remarkable that small communities like Rum Cay, Bahamas and Montserrat, West Indies have so much in common. Rum Cay had about nine settlements now only one settlement, Port Nelson, remains settled with a population of eighty people most of the original inhabitants have moved to Nassau. Montserrat’s population was displaced because of an active volcano that made two thirds of the island uninhabitable. A Montserratian population once over twelve thousand now has approximately of four thousand with most of the original inhabitants now living in the United Kingdom, the United States and Canada. Also like Montserrat, Rum Cay is very dark and quiet at night; there is a definite stillness outside the populated settlement, only the faint noise of the ocean and a few birds and insects can be heard.
While I was there I learned that Rum Cay has a pond that is called Mermaid Pond. Their legend has it that if a person gets the comb of the mermaid when she surface to plait her hair one will obtain instant wealth. I was taken a back because Montserrat my island shares a similar legend:
There is a white mermaid who appears at the top of Chances Pond every Easter at midnight. Hundreds of Islanders would climb Chances Mountain which is 3002ft using torches. They said that one must arrive before dawn take the mermaids comb from her and ran to the sea before they could be caught they would be rich for life.
The Montserratian legend varies a bit from the one told in Rum Cay but the premise is the same. Who can tell how far this legend is spread or where it really first originated?
There are so many old stories, legends, folk tales that I have come across in my reading and travels. Could it be that the legends were started to explain the night-time or silence of dusk? Could it also be that there was a similar legend in Africa and slaves took these stories with them where they settled? Or is it that these legends coincidentally evolved simply to entertain children and give hope and provide humor. If we compared Rum Cay and Montserrat to places like Nassau and United Kingdom both centers of migration we will see that many old legends and folk tales are being and have been lost? Will the next two generations know about our old stories that shaped our culture and made us who we are as these legends?
Do you know of similar stories that your ancestors told? I urge you to share your stories with the world, so that we may learn more about each other and so that those narratives are not forgotten forever.
Recently I was wondering why after washing my daughter’s hair I never corks screw (Bantu knots or Zulu knots) her hair. For those of you who do not know what it is let me give you some more details. I recall between the years of 5-12 on Saturdays all the women and girls would wash their hair. They would always corkscrew my hair. Once it was dried they would unlock it and it made a lovely soft fluffy afro. It was possible that the corkscrews/bantu knots were used to squeeze the excess water from the hair, making it easier to manage. The afro always seemed to look better on people with courser hair as it could withstand any wind or even rain. By the way “The afro is a classic [hair] style that was popularized in the United States during the 1960′s and ’70′s.”
I went to a Caribbean conference last year and I saw an adult woman who actually wore her hair that way to go to work. My initial reaction was “oh no sister you do not leave the walls of your house with your hair looking like that.” I had a sudden prodigious appetite for gossip. As I was not able to talk to anyone in the conference the more I stared at her, the more I noticed that there was certain chemistry about it; it began to look as if it were a piece of art. Maybe it was the way she carried it off; with such elegance and her self expression. She converted me that afternoon because I left feeling that strength of expression of black hair as there was something earthbound about the corkscrews. The Corkscrews seemed as if it took on its own spirit with a cool vibe. 
Terraced corkscrew sculpt
Staggering thoughts cover her parts
Colonial impressions beat
Drummed European influence
Shackles
-
Focus equals feeling
Roots
The strength of her expression
Captures something from the soul
Earthbound spirits gaze
A serene presence
Poem written by Brenda L. McCartney
Holy Cross Parish - Nassau - Stained Glass
It is the eve of my birthday and I feel compelled to pen my thoughts. As my two year old daughter sometimes asks “Mommy are you happy?”
I have a desire to wake up at the crack of dawn go to the Parish church of Holy Cross and worship. I want to watch the sun beaming on the stain class window revealing the glowing image of the risen Christ with his hand out stretched. I marvel at this beautiful scene that now plays in my mind!
Tomorrow before the sun sets I have a compulsion to take a yacht preferable a Sunseeker (50ft long motor yacht) or even a 108 foot Catamaran (style motor yacht) and observe the setting of the sun. I feel worthy of all the wonderful things life has to offer. For the rest of my life on earth I deserve prosperity, understanding, peace, love and success.
Today I have been given a fresh start as I am not tied to what was but instead I become whatever I chose to be. Further, today I honour the gifts my people/ancestors have given me as I celebrate my beauty and the beauty of my culture with gratitude and love.
Today I acknowledge that my peace comes from being able to forgive.
I am happy as I celebrate my new beginnings!
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