by Neil Primus
She has conquered Great Falls, ‘manned’ motor boats and swam the Demerara River twice. At age 82, Nesha is a sprightly, intelligent woman who still has a deep love for the interior.
She grew up on the island of Leguan with her father, step-mother and two brothers, Ayub and Kareem.
“I had very happy small days. I remember plenty of games with my neighbors and friends. Even the adults would join in and have fun.
“Most times, games were played at night.
“My Head Master lived in the same yard with me. When we began playing, he and his wife would come out and join us. After the games we would all run down to the river and plunge in. After taking a bath and swim we would go home.”
Nesha began working at the age of 14 in the rice fields. Three years later, she gor married, and continued her work of planting and cutting rice.
“I remember working very hard back then but I have no regrets.”
A jovial Nesha explained that she is the mother of five children. Two are deceased and the three alive, Alfred, Andrew and Celina, are in constant contact with her. Her husband also passed away.
She now lives alone in Sophia, a place she moved to 14 years ago and receives regular visits from her nine grandchildren and her eight great-grandchildren.
When Nesha left Leguan, she worked as a farmer along the Demerara River planting provision. She also worked the axe, chopping wood to make a living. She then relocated to Koaw Island, where she catered for boarders. She recalls visiting the Mazaruni Prison, as a member of a cricket team and playing very competitive matches there.
“Back then I managed a small shop in the bush. This brought me into contact with many indigenous people. They were very nice people to dwell among.”
“We became great friends. Sometimes they would come for me and take me fishing or hunting. I loved these trips. I remember catching Tilapia and Hymara. What I enjoyed most was going out to ‘juk’ fish. We would stand motionless in the water and spear fish as they came closer.
“I have warm memories of an Amerindian friend who invited me and my daughter to go fishing. We all got into a small canoe and paddled close to Great Falls. We then moored the boat and set out on foot.
“Our group consisted of our Guide, his wife my daughter and I. We headed towards our destination in the forest. I suddenly realized that the Guide was missing. I had no idea that he had left. When I enquired about this I was told not to worry. “
“As we continued our journey we noticed a young “tiger” (jaguar) sitting in the track. My daughter and I were terrified by this, but the woman told us not to panic. With her encouragement we passed the animal and it did not bother us.
“A little further along the track we came upon another unusual scene. A large snake was coiled up in the middle of the track. I was so scared that I decided to turn back. ”
“The man’s wife took our hands and we passed the serpent and it did not harm us. After walking a while longer, we arrived at the Hymara Pond. I was stunned to see the Guide already there. He had caught a number of fish. That was a very creepy experience.
“Another time we went hunting for Wild Cow. My Amerindian friend went into the bush and gathered something. He tied this to a tree and we all retreated a safe distance away. We settled down to wait for animals. A Wild Cow came out of the bushes and headed straight for the tree. It stopped and just stood there. The Amerindian moved from his place of concealment and killed the animal. This incident was even stranger than the other.”
Nesha glowed with happiness as memories of her bush life were recalled. She spoke of visits to Great Falls, Tamereno Falls, Anareka and Thumb Print. She has also visited Barama Head where she made friends with the sweet potato farmers there.
“Working in the interior shop was very rewarding. I would begin work at 7:30 a.m. and close at 12:00 p.m. Then I re-opened at 3:00 p.m. and closed finally at 6:00 p.m. I made sure that no more than two customers were ever in the shop at the same time.
I never sold any alcohol, only goods. There was another place up the hill where the boys (Porknockers) would go to drink their Bambolee and be merry. After their drinking session, they would come walking or rolling down the hill. Those too drunk slept right up there. You could hear them coming from quite a distance on the quiet nights.
“In the interior back then, there were not too many shops around. Whenever the natives ran out of essentials they would approach me and I would assist them as much as I could. Because of my generosity I never ever punished while living in the bush.
“Whenever they went hunting they would bring me a labba or a large piece of deer meat. I would cut this up into smaller pieces and share it with others. I didn’t sell it because I didn’t buy it! Sometimes I would send out a portion for my boss.
“Occasionally my friends would come and request that I cook something nice for them. Most of the time this turned out to be Curry and Roti. They would eat and enjoy themselves then go home. How I loved Bush life. “
Nesha admits that she has grown too old for life in the interior but cannot forget it. She often wishes she could be living there and not in Georgetown. Sister Nesha is still very active. She is a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Days Saints. She was baptized seventeen years ago and is a Visiting Teacher in the church.
She is a fervent believer in Christ and ensures that her relatives join her in church whenever they can.