How do people know you?
By Ron Persaud
Recently I had to reflect on the Guyanese custom of not using a person’s name – “full mouth” – as they say. My maternal grandmother was referred to as ‘Sam Mai’; her elder sister was ‘Sam Auntie’ (did you see that coming?). Sam, my mother’s brother, was a Pandit and perhaps the most well known person in Louisiana Village – if not on the whole island of Leguan. One of my aunts would refer to her husband as ‘James’ Buddy’ – James’ brother – despite the fact that her husband’s name is William. Sometimes the appellation would go the other way. Jimmy, my cousin, was instantly placed when referred to as ‘Baranka Son’.
The nomenclature transcended generations; my father and his siblings had a ‘Cullen Mousey’ – the wife of their father’s brother – from Cullen, Essequibo. ‘Big Mousey’ and ‘Lil Mousey’ differentiated their other two aunts. Continue reading
