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 So we spent Thanksgiving at my Uncle home (from my Indian side). He gave me this book, The Guyana Story, by Odeen Ishmael because he knows I recently develop an interest in Guyana. I read a few chapters already, going back to “El Dorado” and the Dutch arrival. It’s a big arse book…about 688 pages. It’s a history book, nonetheless, easy reading. The book looks at Guyana chronologically, but the book lacks analysis of the historical facts…for me history should be analytical, not chronological. But it’s a good start for anyone interested in a basic history of Guyana.

 Front Cover

I told him about GNI and some of you knuckleheads here. He says I should never share any personal information on any website because placing personal information opens you up to hackers everywhere.

Someone hacked into his account and stole $50,000 from his account. He was able to get it back, but it took a good 5 months for the bank to complete the investigative process. He is lucky.

He shared some stories with me…not sure how much of this is true.

Story 1:He says Indos in the village in Guyana used a "tooth brush" called “backstage” to brush their teeth in the old days. The villagers would put coal on the brush and use it as toothpaste. This sounds like BS, but I heard this story before. It did not do much good for my uncle since he is short of more than a few teeth.

Story 2: My uncle used to catch a fish called hassar. Apparently, the fish (“falls from the sky”) when it rains a lot. The fish would build a water nest. When my uncle sees the nest, they would take a stick and disturb the water around the nest. The excited hassar would then jump 2 feet into the air and his buddy would catch it in mid air. They would then put their hands under the nest and take the eggs that were located under the nest. They cooked the fish, but fried the eggs.

Story 3: A lot of Guyanese, mostly Indos when they come to America they hit the “bright lights” and act all upright and sophisticated. They change their names and polish their teeth. Some take out the gold in their teeth and use whitener.  These same people go so far to deny their Guyanese background because they are ashamed of where they came from. This seems to like a trend among Indos. He gave me a few examples of name change:

Jeewan becomes Jerry                                                                          Latchman becomes Larry                                                                      Eshwar becomes Eli                                                                          He told me even the Indo leader, Jagan changed his name to “Beret” so he could fit in with Afros in America                                                     

So I am guessing Winston became Churchill, Iguana was Iguadala and Ronan was Rohaman 

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Vish, I've seen this name change thing. Kamla became Kimberly, Rishiram became Richard, etc. Indians from India, especially the highly educated ones I've been in touch with, keep their original names because they are proud of their heritage.

FM

I have a Guyanese friend who legally changed his LAST name from a Hindu  to a Christian name, because he was working with an all white crew and was shamed of it. But when an office building was named after his family, he changed it again to its original name.

Black-SAGE is a wild plant in Guyana.   About six inches of its branch,  about quarter inch wide, is cut and one end is chewed to form a brush for  brushing teeth. [I don't believe this is still being used.] Some people feel if charcoal is used, it will whitened the teeth.  But whether black-sage or charcoal, I don't believe it did a good cleaning job, or provide any health prevention, like toothpaste.  Some kids use black-sage dry leaves,  wrapped in newspaper,  as they first experience in smoking cigarettes.

HASSA...I don't believe  fishes fell from the sky during rainfall, but they seem to be more plentiful during a rainfall. 

Hassa nest seems to more plentiful in  the sugar cane trench[creek] , while the sugar cane is growing.

We did not use  a stick, but if the open left hand is kept just below the water line near the nest and the right hand on top clapping each other, a hassa can swim into the hands  and caught. Near the nest is always some foam in the water, that I don't know how its caused. I was told the  eggs that is located in the nest is delicious, but we seldom take it, because we feel it might hatch more hassa, to catch later.

I have not seen hassa jump, but when a cane field is flooded for months and drained , hassa is normally plentiful, including other fishes, with snakes and alligators, in the small sugar cane field  drains.

In order to keep some fishes fresh like hassa in the market without refrigeration, it is kept alive in a container of water.  

A small round net called GIRGERRA, about three feet across is used to 'juk hole' on sides of creeks. JUK HOLE is placing the net in front of hole and using a stick to dislodge the fishes in the hole. Some times a water snake will appear in the net and those afraid of snakes  would immediately drop the net and run out of the creek.  Later  a long bamboo pole will be used to retrieve the net, somethings with the snake still inside.

 

        

 

Tola

Nothing wrong with those name changes.  A Tunisian man name Mohammed when he arrived in Canada changed his name to John A Macdonald.  He told people that he was English and that he is related to Canada's first Prime Minister.

Prashad
Leonora posted:

Vish, I've seen this name change thing. Kamla became Kimberly, Rishiram became Richard, etc. Indians from India, especially the highly educated ones I've been in touch with, keep their original names because they are proud of their heritage.

This is nothing new.  Coming from India to Guyana, many Dalits adoption Brahmin names and short circuited the whole karma thing.  I went to school with a Rampadarat, met him in N.Y., name Rudy. 

Many of those fake Brahmins were rum suckers and womanizers in Guyana but are now “practicing” pandits in N.Y.   Money talks.  Beware of those obsessed, Nuff fakery!

Vish, I believe it’s Blacksage, not Blackstage.  Between the bark and stem carries an anti biotic which fends off the bacteria causing gum disease.  

FM

Hey hey hey...me like dis bai Vish. He can be wan lil kutni sometime. Hey hey hey. Anyhow dem bais doan want analysis. Doh is book sense. Book sense is not real sense. hey hey hey. Yuh gat to have pushaman sense and street corna sense. Hey hey hey...

FM
cain posted:

The blackdage story is true...it was a bush with small berries. The stems were used to clean teeth.

And its not only Indians either. Before people began to use toothpaste and brushes assorted bushes were used. One being blacksage.

FM

Coal from the fireside was also used to clean the teeth. For toilet paper we use to cut newspapers up in squares and hang them on a nail in the latrine. 

Nenwa(Sp) was used to scrub skin with and the poor folks used Zex soap.

Mattress was stuffed with the fibres of coconut. 

I have personally used all those in my very young days. 

Amral

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