I never understood how pivotal the hammock was to Caribbean life even though I’ve engaged in all of these activities. Haniff addresses how beautiful the hammock is to that communal experience. I was flooded with memories and nostalgia.
Hammocks are used for eating, conversing, napping, sleeping, rocking babies, catching up and even for preparing foods for the next day. Example of the Guyanese “bottom house” from The Rice Bag Hammock It is common to have guests come and go all day long. There is where much of the familial and neighborhood gatherings take place. It is perfectly illustrated by Swahefa Khan. Many households can have up to four or five, either inside or outside, mostly in the area known as the “bottom house.” A typical Guyanese home is made of wood and rests upon stilts or posts with an open space beneath the home, known as the bottom house. I’ve been to Guyana many times and in every household there is at least one hammock. A book that promotes cultural awareness and family values. I mean never. Hence my total appreciation for this book. I read the all-American stories and fairytales, never seeing myself or my ancestors in a book when I was a kid. I grew up in a Guyanese home listening to Indian music, eating Caribbean food and navigating the confusing and sometimes tumultuous road of assimilation. I am half Guyanese and a first generation American.
Many of her ancestors arrived from India to work on sugar plantations for the British colonizers.
Amongst the ones that were, all of them were written for adults and all were non-fiction.īefore we get to the story – let’s backtrack to why this is important to me.
I have a lot of favorite books, but this one takes the cake for so many reasons.ĭo you know how rare it is to find a picture book for kids by a Guyanese author? I’ve read lots of essays, short stories and books by Caribbean authors but less than a handful of those have been by a native Guyanese. The Rice Bag Hammock Author: Shaeeza Haniff / Illustrator: Swahefa Khan
0 kommentar(er)
