By Alva Solomon

“Each month I cook a pot – a Tuma pot – and I go around Mahdia and the other villages to sell.”
–Melinda Alleyne

MELINDA Alleyne is a young businesswoman with a mission.

Sitting opposite her mother under the benab at the Amerindian Heritage Village at the Sophia Exhibition Complex on Friday night, she busied herself, like her mother, knitting hats, chair backs and tibisiri–made items. When this newspaper visited their booth, several tibisiri-woven vests and female apparel hung nearby.

This proud descendant of the Patamuna indigenous tribe has been in the handicraft business for some six years to date. She said that as long as there are major events where she can feature her products, she records her presence, and GuyExpo 2016 did not escape her plans.

Alleyne said she started crafting various hand-woven items, having been taught by her mother. Although it is time-consuming, she spends most of her time learning something new from her mother. She said she would also collect orders from customers, and Friday night she collected several orders for the items on display.

“People also know me, so that helps me in this business,” Alleyne said.

While she has plans to pass on the knowledge to her children, whenever that time comes, she is also willing to teach anyone who is interested in learning the art of handicraft. She said she operates between Georgetown and Mahdia, though the craft is not widely practised in her Region Eight hometown of Mahdia.

“Most people don’t do craft there, so I would supply persons, especially during the Heritage in September,” Alleyne noted. “It is limited, and most do not follow the culture because they are preoccupied with mining and gold mining among other activities,” she added. She said about 10 persons are into craft at Mahdia.

The young woman said that her grandmother sings songs in the Patamuna language, and from time to time she would sing along. “I know the words also,” she said.

In addition, she said, she cooks the foods which her grandmother, mother and siblings taught her to cook over the years.

“I know some of the songs, (and I know) to cook the food, to prepare the different types of food on the menu: the tuma pot, boiley-boiley and farine,” she said with a broad smile. She added that farine can be cooked into fried rice and the result would be one that is very tasty.

“Most people do not follow their culture because of what they are surrounded by — the environment.
Only at Heritage time people see the use of knowing what their culture is; whole year they don’t pay much attention,” Alleyne said, as she expressed hope it wouldn’t always be that way.