An evening in Guanima: A treasury of folktales from the Bahamas

by Patricia Glinton-Meicholas

"In folk stories, magic drums, ghosts, obedient and disobedient children, heros, tricksters and birds that assume human form hold sway in a world where poetic justice always brings about a satisfactory ending. This is the patrimony of childhood and the stuff of 'An Evening in Guanima.' " A tribut to Cat Island, Bahamas the author's birthplace, these stories recount the adventures of Bouki and Rabbi, Jack and B'er Debbil and other fascinating characters in wry metaphor and hilarious dialogue. Here is a collection of Bahamiana that will fascinate the non-Bahamian and will represent a homecoming for the people in the Bahama islands.

Genres: Short Stories, Fiction, Fantasy, The World, Folk Tales, School

159 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1993

About the author

Bahamian writer, editor, educator and cultural critic, Patricia Glinton-Meicholas was the first winner of the Bahamas Cacique Award for Writing and recipient of a Silver Jubilee of Independence Medal for Literature. For her poetry collection, Chasing Light, Glinton-Meicholas was a finalist in the 2012 International Proverse Prize Competition. By 2014 she had written 18 books and numerous essays on Bahamian history, art and culture.

Reviews

[Jennifer Pletcher · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a collection of Folk Tales from the Bahamas islands. The stories vary, but many are about morality, and honesty. Some are dark, some are whimsical, but all give a peek into the island's culture.



The book is short and the stories only a page or two, but all were worth a read. Folk tales do give a good glimpse into a culture and its people, and I chose this book based on this. The author is from Cat Island in the Bahamas. She starts the book with an explanation about folk tales and the traditions and themes of the stories from her Islands. She helps put the stories into context and even after each story she breaks down some parts of the tale that might be confusing to readers.



This will be a lovely addition to my self. You can borrow this book easily from a library, so I encourage you to give it a try. I read it in the course of an evening today, so it doesn't take up much of your time. But it will give you a nice look into folklore from the Bahamas Islands.

[Felicia]

it is a good book to read for school

[MD Lysias · Rating 5 out of 5]

i want to read the book

[Elise · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love reading folktales and these were really fun. In the introduction, the author, Glinton-Meicholas, talks how the stories have connections to stories from other regions as well as an audience participation where there are certain lines they will repeat or know what to say.

There are a total of 11 stories that range in message. I have read the story of the serpent before although I cannot remember where. Many of the stories are about deceit and what happens to those who cut corners. Also if you are a pretty lady beware, as your life is likely in serious trouble. The devil makes an appearance in a couple of the stories as well, dubbed B'er Debbil.

Folktales tell us a lot about the culture and the important mores. Helping those in need, listening to what others want, doing the work you are asked to do, and listening to your parents seem to be the important morals in the Bahamas. My favorite story was the Drum, the Magic Drum and the Dancing Witch. I found it to be the most interesting narrative and it included a supernatural element that I found interesting.

[Maria do Socorro Baptista · Rating 4 out of 5]

Esse conjunto de contos folclóricos, com diálogos um pouco confusos para quem não convive com os falantes locais, nos mostra histórias bem diferentes, provavelmente oriundas da oralidade, que nos falam não somente da cultura bahamense, mas das misturas que formam tal cultura. Alguns dos contos me lembraram contos de fadas europeus, outros me foram totalmente novos. Um livro muito rico, uma excelente leitura.

[Michele Benson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Bahamas. Folk tales from the islands. This book reminded me of the Briar Rabbit stories. I loved the Uncle Remus books when I was little and the tales in this book were very similar. The last story is about a contest to see who can be the kindest. The winner is a small boy who listens to people who are lonely. What a great story for our time.

[Nyssi · Rating 5 out of 5]

👍

Growing up in the Bahamas, this book was one of my faves, as it was a part of our English language curriculum. I always look forward to hearing the old folktales pass down through generations.

[Marc]

E

[Islands Vacations · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really great place to explore Island vacations Bahamas Caribbean maldives

[Kate · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars

[Dolf van der Haven · Rating 5 out of 5]

Around-the-world #183: Bahamas 🇧🇸.
A lovely collection of tales from the Bahamas. Somewhat similar to other island tales, but still original.

[Kylie · Rating 2 out of 5]

i like how folklore is the same everywhere humans really just be humans

[Tessa Johnson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great read! The suspense and tales will leave you wanting more. One of my favorite books on island folklore.

[Eggslayer · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this a surprising amount! I loved the last tale about the boy with the most loving heart the most. They’re so Aesop’s fables, but I thought the Bahamanian color was really fun.

[Sasha (bahareads) · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought this was my first time reading An Evening in Guanima but I believe it's actually my second time! All of the tales in here are delightful and whimsical. Some are tales of woe while others have an educational warming. These folktales give a glimpse of cultural phenomena that looks to be slowly dying, folktales just don't seem to be spread or a source of entertainment as it was before the age of electronics. All of these stories are short in length and the entire book is a quick fun read for all ages.

[JenV · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed reading this book about some Bahamian folklore during a trip to The Bahamas.

[Annamari Laaksonen · Rating 2 out of 5]

In the introduction of An evening in Guanima, the author explains the importance of storytelling to the Bahamian culture and the culture’s roots in the Senegambia tradition (85% of the population derives from Africa). Bahamian storytelling is a wonderful hybrid mixture of tales from the mother continent, colonial and European influences. Patricia explains to us the purpose and format of these stories and the main themes she mentions are:
Cleverness is the key to problem-solving / overcoming adversity, rivals etc.
Goodness will always trump evil in the end
Elders are repositories of wisdom and must be respected
Good manners, good deeds and correct behaviour win out in the end
Love can overcome death
Pride goes before a fall
Greed / intemperance brings about loss rather than gain
Strangers are not to be trusted.

It is fascinating and slightly old fashioned. The stories that Patricia has created/collaged are simplistic and magical, as folk stories often are. All these stories carry a strong symbolic meaning and a lesson to learn while also including universal values of bravery, honesty and humility – be that the ghost of a loyal dog that punishes a wicked suitor of a good-hearted widow after his master’s death, or a hardworking mother with one grateful and one greedy and rude daughter and the lessons they learn from an old witch, or the smart boy who saves the children of uneducated children from being eaten by a devil disguised as a teacher. These are charming little tales if not very different from the archetypes of folk stories around the world. It is an easy read but not excessively memorable nor impactful. Nevertheless, it’s an enchanting and a wonderful expression of the cultural heritage and a testimony to its rich oral traditions.

I read this book as part of our project Virtual Nomad that explores and celebrates food, writing, cinema and music from different countries. www.myvirtualnomad.com

[Nicole Miles · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this. I don’t know if any non-Bahamians will appreciate it, but it gave me huge feelings of nostalgia and belonging, even though these particular stories aren’t ones I was familiar with (though some characters were common in the stories I was told as a child). I wasn’t fond of the Medieval European-feeling story about the blonde princess, which felt a little out of place but it wasn’t a bad story and didn’t ruin the collection for me. It also probably makes sense to include that story just to show our very recent links to Britain. (After all, The Bahamas is a young nation and has only been independent since 1973.)

[Cami · Rating 5 out of 5]

Highly entertaining! I found the stories very funny and the writing was exceptionally immersive. It was a good introduction into Bahamian culture. This is the first book I read for #caribathon. I think it was a good starting point. Looking forward to read more by this author.

[Antra · Rating 3 out of 5]

An easy and quick read of folktales from the Bahamas. I could see some similarities to stories I've read both from other Caribbean islands and the American South, and a fair amount of the morality tales are quite universal in their messages.

[Dianndra]

'I really liked dis book it teached me a lot about Bahamains

[Tianna Rolle]

nice book

[Nicole Kroger Joy · Rating 4 out of 5]

#readtheworld Bahamas

[Yolanda]

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[Clancy · Rating 4 out of 5]

A wild and magical collection of fairytales, similar to those I knew, but markedly changed by a culture so unfamiliar to my own.

I read this collection as part of my mission to read a book from every country I travel to. The long and numerous passages in Bahamian Creole, alone makes this worth the read.

You can learn a lot about a people by the stories they tell their children.