Delving into the community of Cottage

FROM a distance, the infamous Perseverance Tree can be seen. Standing tall with its naturally imposing nature, its legacy lives throughout the surrounding communities. The village of Cottage, just two villages before the mysterious tree, has a curious history of its own. A small community, it is home to a diverse culmination of people who founded the village on agriculture. Said to have been birthed from a single family, Cottage was founded on the beliefs of family, togetherness, and unity.

The Cottage of Old
At almost the end of Cottage, lives one of the community’s countless lifelong inhabitants. Eleita Woolford has called Cottage home long before the village became what it is today. Cottage and the series of neighbouring villages have a deep past and history rooted in the importance of family and tradition.

Cottage is among the oldest Guyanese settlements and has lived to see the evolution and drastic changes that accompany the people’s way of life. Very few Guyanese remember what life entailed living in a community like Cottage mere decades ago. With various struggles that range far beyond financial, life in the Cottage of old required strength. “Life was not what it is now,” said Eleita. “Those times, we had the red road and one bus that would go to Georgetown. It goes in the morning and it waits and comes back in the afternoon, and if you miss that bus, you are out of luck.”

Eleita’s parents founded a big family in Cottage, giving birth to a team of five boys and five girls. As youngsters growing up in Cottage, they were privileged to hear countless stories about the community’s origin. As their grandparents gathered around to tell stories meant to entertain, they shared the origin of the community they call home and strengthened the tapestry of togetherness.

According to various accounts by community members and Eleita, Cottage was founded by a single family. The captivating historical tale tells of an Englishman named Chichester, who bought the plot of land the community stands on today. “It was a plantation owned by one man named James Chichester,” Eleita shared. She went on further to add that, “We are heirs of James Chichester. They divided up the land, and everyone got their piece.”

The details of the mysterious man who founded a community have mostly been retained through storytelling. According to Eleita, James Chichester and his wife, who was a woman from Africa, gave rise to the first set of people to be born and bred in Cottage. Eleita shared, “My grandfather got this land from James Chichester. James came from England, and his wife came from Africa. So that’s how the community evolved.” The community had an almost ideal beginning. As the children of James Chichester, who were said to be primarily boys, ventured out and got married, they added their families to the growing Chichester legacy and the community of Cottage. Originally a cotton plantation, the tree that divides the road is among the oldest and largest silk cotton trees left standing.

The terms close-knit and family-oriented do not do justice to the culture of Cottage. The community’s tapestry is shaped by just a few families. Eleita shared, “Everybody looks out for everybody. Though you may have some, who may not. On a level plane, we can say that everybody looks out for somebody else.” Perhaps the nature of togetherness, true passion, and love for each other could be owed to the community’s founding. The nature of the loving people of Cottage is simply a part of who they are.

Passing down the Past
Tales passed down through time and generations are crucial in preserving the most significant aspects of human history. The history of Cottage may not have been taught in a classroom, but it is worth sharing nonetheless. Eleita has, however, garnered years of experience in the classroom, and she says whether it is learning to read, write, or look at your village’s history, learning accompanied by good teaching is imperative.

Eleita has been a teacher for more than three decades. She describes her days as an educator as simply wonderful. Teaching at several schools across Guyana and impacting the lives of the children she encountered was always her aim and utmost priority. She shared that, “I started teaching as a young teacher. I moved from school to school, from Rosignol right through.”

Eleita admitted that she was initially not passionate about teaching but soon joined the profession after working just a month. She told the Pepperpot magazine that, “I was enrolled to be a midwife and I was waiting to start. But my mother never liked the idea of me being a midwife.” She further added, “While waiting to become a midwife, I was offered to teach for one month for a teacher who had gone away. At that time, the headmaster told me to come for just one month. And so I went, and one month became all these years.”

Teaching about the past plays an integral lesson in learning for the future. Several of Cottage’s villagers have formed the Chichester family group. Their aim, as it has long been, is to keep the essence of their community alive by preserving its history. So whether you ask a neighbour, friend, or grandparent, find out the past of your village. You never know what you may find.