Cultural Myths, Legends & Folklore of Guyana

Forgotten Stories of the Past

Aubrey Williams- Myths and Legends of Guyana Series

The uniqueness of Guyanese Culture has lost its significance of recent years, as the cultural transmission within the society is hindered through technology, civilization and in some cases, religion. 

Lecturer of the University of Guyana, Al Creighton, states that the deaths of elderly create a cultural void. 

 “These can be attributed to a myriad of reasons. For some it may have been due to religion, discontinued storytelling or even technology.” 

Folklorist, Allan Fenty, during an interview at NCN with University of Guyana, Communications Students believes that Cultural myths and superstitions if integrated into the school’s curriculum will inculcate in students a greater appreciation of their cultural heritage. 

 “I’m not saying the young people should believe these things but they should become familiar with the old people’s folklore and develop a Guyanese identity. Other countries talk about their folklore and cultural beliefs…so should we.” 

Meanwhile, Dexter Scott, owner of Culture club, opines that investments are necessary to keep the Guyanese culture. 

“There are hardly any cultural activities to educate people.” 

The practices of Myths, legends, folktales and fables provide continuity and stability to one’s culture. It is through these tales people bond with each other, their ancestors and the society. The loss of these practices is generally called Cultural Degradation.

Today, there are only a few Guyanese, who are fortunate to hear stories of Ol’Higue, Baccoo, Massacura Man, Jumbee; and other Sinister Characters that formed a fundamental part of every childhood memory in the 1900s. 

Cultural transmission is vital to ensuring that people appreciate their Cultural Preservation, Cultural Identity, Cultural Sensitivity and Cultural Awareness.

Has Guyana forgotten its cultural heritage?

The People's Perception

Guyana, located on the continent of South America is known for her rich history, cultural heritage, language and ethnic makeup which together forms a unified culture. This unique cultural belief and custom is now absent as Guyana’s becomes a multi-cultural economy. This was identified through a survey conducted among forty- two Guyanese online.

According to the survey 52.4% of participants believe that Guyanese Myths and Legends have been forgotten, while 33.3% say it’s still a part of cultural practice and 14.3% states they don’t know whether it’s a part of Guyanese culture due to various reasons.

As a result, 14.6% of Participants believe that Guyanese Myths and Legends have been forgotten due religion. While 48.7% strongly believe that technological Advancements is responsible, 19.5% says education, 12.2% death of elderly, and 4.9% suggests other reasons.

Death of elderly people hinders the cultural transmission practise of storytelling, which is a vital way of passing on culture from generation to generation. Religion helps to remove those spiritual believes of Ol’Higue, Bacoo, Massacura Man, Jumbee & Water Mummah while other unknown reasons were suggested.  Moreover as people becomes more educated they tend to move away from a culturally inclined lifestyle to a more technological era which is represented by the largest percentage on the graph.

This survey concludes that a lot more cultural awareness and preservation should be done to make sure Guyanese appreciate their cultural heritage.