Heather Little-White, Ph.D., Contributor
As we celebrate our Independence this year, the celebration is more meaningful as we pay tribute to the late Louise Bennett-Coverley. Affectionately known as "Miss Lou", this cultural icon has been instructive in her writings about family and relationship issues.
Everyone wants a love relationship and security is important in that relationship. There is so much to be said about the elusiveness of the Jamaican male in making a commitment much to the distress of their female partners. Formerly, the society frowned on children born out of wedlock and several groups including the Jamaica Federation of Women waged campaigns against bachelor fatherhood. Miss Lou wrote in Jamaica Labrish on Registration;
Every sore foot got him blue-stone
Every tief got him las' deal
Noh care how smaddy dah-gwan bad
Sinting deh fe spokes him wheel.
For it eena newspapa
Sey ooman Federation
Dah-pass law fe all fada name
Go dung pon registration!
Lawd a massi, me feel happy
For me glad fe se at las'
Ooman dah-mek up dem mine fe
Serve back man dem sour sauce!
Guess how de man dem gwine bex wid
De ooman Federation
Me glad mose o' de lady dem
Married and got dem good husban.
Every woman those days wanted to get a partner for life and was glad to meet a man and get legal through the Mass Wedding described by Miss Lou.
Me meet one boonoonoonos man
At Matches Stick last night
As me clap me y'eye upon de chile
Me head begin get light.
De ongle time hm look pon me
Me heart dis go buff-bim
Him nice an 'tall soh tell ah hooda
Go into jail fe him.
Me want go fine out wey him live,
So afta pickcha dun,
Me meck afta him, but crowd so tick,
Me noh see weh him tun.
Soh me goin' to de lady name
Miss Married Knibbs to see
Ef she can fine him an fix up
One mass wedden fe me.
When a woman finds a man and loses him due to carelessness this causes her grief and ridicule from her colleagues. Miss Lou writes in Careless,
Yuh memba long-mout Doris who
Use fe go wid John?
She noh sidung an teck careless
Meck him fly outa har han.
Him use fe mine har well yuh se,
Him was a good man.
An she jus sidung deh wutless
Mek him swips out har han.
She onle have hrself fe blame
For dese inlighten days
Everbody dah-fix up demself,
Eena dem different ways.
Me tell har say yuh shake man han,
But yuh noh shake dem heart
Yuh an man can sweet today,
An tomorrow oonoo part.
The desire to attract a partner whom you can love takes many processes. A primary one is writing a love letter to stir the emotions of the intended partner. In pursuit of Sue, Miss Lou pens the classic Love Letta.
Me darling Love, me lickle Dove
Me dumpling, me gizzada,
Me Sweety Sue, I goes for you
Like how flies goes for sugar.
As ah puts me pen to paper
An me pen nib start to fly,
Me remembrance remember
De fus day you ketch me y'eye.
Noh scorn me lickle letter Love,
Nuh laugh after me yaw,
Me larnin not too good, but wat
Me kean spell, me wi drawÉ
See how me draw de two face dem
Duh-look pon one anada
Well one is you and one is me,
Tek anyone you rada!
Is not a cockroach foot dis, is
A finger wid a ring
An it mean ah want to married you
Dis line is piece o' string.
Teck it put roun de wedden-finger
A you wedden-ban,
Careful fe get de right size, an
Den gi it to dis man.
De man is me. Now sweet-rice,
Keep swell till ah see you nex',
Accep me young heart wile ah close
Wid love and bans o'X.
Miss Lou's legacy of Jamaican dialect will provide us with a lifetime of instructions how to live as well as the humour to live long. Walk good, Miss Lou!
