Collecting jumbie stories, folktales and legends from St. Martin
Collecting St. Martin jumbie stories, folktales and legends for a book is underway, said Jacqueline Sample, president of House of Nehesi Publishers (HNP).
The bookâ??s editor will be Rhoda Arrindell, a literature and English instructor and Language Division head at the University of St. Martin (USM).
"We will include ghost stories about the soucanaire and other jumbies; folktales about brâ??r rabbit and compa nanzi; and legends such as â??guddaheadâ?? and buried treasure from the traditional villages and both capitals of the island," said Arrindell.
"We are inviting people who know about, heard about, or can tell these stories to contact me at the university, at 542-5171 or by email at Nehesi@sintmaarten.net," said Arrindell. The names of the contacts and storytellers will be credited in the book.
The generation of primary source storytellers from the islandâ??s traditional period (1848-1963) is aging and passing away, said Sample.
As a result, HNP and Arrindell teamed up in August 2008 on "another matter of cultural urgency;" to record, compile and publish the folktales for the knowledge and joy of present and future generations instead of leaving them die out, said Sample.
Folk stories are often at the foundation of "a nationâ??s narratives and its very identity," said Arrindell, who is also a Ph.D. candidate at the University of Puerto Rico.
Arrindell wonâ??t compare herself to the Grimm brothers who foraged the German countryside collecting and rescuing from obscurity the now world-famous fairytales such as Hansel and Gretel, Rapunzel, and Cinderella. But her task could prove to be no less daunting.
The project organizers are clear about the educational and entertainment value of a folktales book as part of St. Martinâ??s national patrimony and pride. "A number of Caribbean countries and territories, and peoples all around the world already have such books and are very proud of that fact," said Sample.
Arrindell is aware of another fact. "Some of the stories will be variations of those from around the region but that is no reason to doubt the uniqueness of our versions and the richness that they will bring to the tapestry of Caribbean Oral and Literary traditions."
"Then of course there are the very original and unique St. Martin stories that will be at the celebrative core of the book," said Arrindell.