Legends and Myths of the Aboriginal Indians of British Guiana

by William Henry Brett

[London, 1880]

{Reduced to HTML by Christopher M. Weimer, March 2003}

William Henry Brett was a missionary to the Natives of British Guiana, and by his own account, was quite evangelical. Thus, as with all works written by agents of Western power, this book should be read with care. In addition, the entire book is written in very regular meter. The relentless rhythms and rhymes, combined with the sometimes ridiculous portrayal of the Natives as late Romantic 'savages', sometimes invite comparison with Dr. Seuss (to the advantage of which poet, I leave the reader to decide). He spends a good amount of time extolling the virtues of English colonialism, and the 'Black Legend' (of Spanish atrocities in America) is repeatedly mentioned, while the English are portrayed as the kind-hearted civilizers and bearers of the true Christian gospel. In spite of all this, the book is an important record because it is the earliest record we have of many of these stories.

Please note that the original book had a number of illustrations which are not reproducable because the copy we were working from was a library photocopy.

Title Page
PREFACE
CONTENTS.
PART I.—Legends of the Arawâks.
 CONTENTS OF PART I.
 Legends of the Arawâks.
PART II.—Legends of the Waraus.
 CONTENTS OF PART II.
 Legends of the Waraus.
PART III.—Legends of the Caribs.
 CONTENTS OF PART III.
 Legends of the Caribs.
PART IV.—Legends of the Acawoios.
 CONTENTS OF PART IV.
 Legends of the Acawoios.
PART V.—Fanciful Legends.
 CONTENTS OF PART V.
 Fanciful Legends.