Times have changed and that is a fact, traditions sometimes live on from generation to generation but whether ours survives, depends on preserving the essence, unity and simplicity of our Caymanian past while embracing a modernized future.
Out of necessity, our ancestors relied on the sea and the land. Our stories, beliefs and customs handed down by our forefathers speaks of a tradition unique and interesting, filled with a life of socializing, seafaring, farming, dedication, unity and Godly love that is fast disappearing.
It is said in Cayman, we were seafaring people. The country has long been known for mastering the seas as fishermen and for our turtling traditions. Caymanians are also hardworking, friendly people and we mind not to forget that. The practice of shared family values was an integral part of the society that ensured the preservation and progress of our ancestors. Growing up in Cayman we greeted each other with friendly chatter and hellos; seniors were well taken care of and not dumped in homes; your next door neighbour was your family; refusing food was a major insult and who better to tell you a hurricane was brewing than a senior. This and so much more is who we are and where we originated from and forgetting our past leaves us with no history for future generations. Our past traditions are also a key to today’s success, while here may be no need for twisting rope or walking miles to pick a breadfruit in today’s society, these things are what built character, endurance and willpower in our ancestors.
Our forefathers taught us many things; how to fish, chop wood, cook, how to hang a hammock; what fruits were good to eat; how to dive conchs; enjoy the outdoors; do things with friends and family and most importantly live a God fearing life.
One of the saddest aspects of life here now is that we have lost the big, neighbourhood closeness where neighbours treated your children as their own and the open house policy of feeding whoever passed by was a way of life. One man remembers as a youngster coming upon a group of sixty-year-old men cooking porridge in the bushes, as he passed they just scooped out a bowl in an old calabash dish and gave it to him. That is just how it was those days everyone shared the little they had but today those men would be viewed with suspicion.
I miss driving down Cayman roads. Everyone would wave to you and call you by name. The whole community was one big family. A child coming from school better had manners and call to all the elders whether they knew them or not or your parents would hear about it before you entered the door.
We are also losing the physical aspect of our culture. Justin Uzzell, who grew up in Cayman observes that people do not seem to see the value in preserving old Caymanian cottages. “We bulldoze them and try to build them back they way they were, which loses the classical essence of these old homes that once provided shelter for Caymanian families or put up a big house in its place.”
The natural heritage is also under threat. Uzzell remembers diving off the South Sound dock into a whirlpool of fish, “today you have to wait about ten to fifteen minutes before you see even one,” he says and adds that it would help replenish the stock if grouper, lobster and conch were banned for about five years.
Some of our traditions are already lost: Making turtle nets; calavans; rosemary brooms; slates; rope twisting; donkey and canoe travels. Collecting white beach sand to put in the yard and raked into intricate patterns and decorated with conch shells during Christmas time is also a dying tradition.
Folk songs which found their way into the hearts of Caymanians during daily chores have also sadly been lost. Many of those songs spoke of daily living, seamen, happenings and duppy stories. Local musicians like Aunt Julia Hydes played these on the likes of home-made drums, fiddle, grater, shakers and saw.
While some of these traditions might indeed be gone, we can still come together to manage the future for our children, a future where they can identify and preserve what is left of their culture.
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