Delita John upholds her grandmother’s craft traditions

…says her colourful chain is an item in demand

By Alva Solomon

When Delita John was growing up in the Central Rupununi, she would pay keen attention to her grandmother making her craft items. In the evenings, the elderly woman and John’s mother would gather the children around and teach them how to make a variety of crafts. These days that tradition is evolving, as John’s children are very much involved in learning the skill.
John lives at the village of Campbelltown on the periphery of the town of Mahdia in Region Eight. The single mother of five told Guyana Times that she is ardently passing on the skills she learnt from her grandmother and her mother to her children as well as to villagers who have paid an interest in learning the skill.
She said she grew up at the village of Parishara and she attended the primary school there. Later, she attended and completed her secondary education at the St Ignatius Secondary School near Lethem. She would then move to Mahdia, around the year 2000 through marriage.

John said when she moved to the mining area, she took her craft-making skills with her and it was there that she managed to explore her designs and create various items such as Tibisiri crafts, beaded items such as earrings and necklaces and various styles of head dresses. She also honed her skills in designing Indigenous clothing and she would explore different patterns, many times, to the choice made by her customers.
She also does rock paintings and she noted that she would sometimes draw the designs on paper and frame them while ensuring that the arts of her ancestors remain within the household.

Memories of granny
John recalled that her grandparents, who were descendants of the Macushi and Arekuna tribes, would design various craft items and sell them at the village of Karanambo. They made items using balata, Tibisiri and straw and it was their primary means of earning a living. “My grandparents use to say that they taking the craft there to Karanambo to sell and that is how they earn money,” she said.
John recalled that her mother and grandmother would gather the children around them at nights, mainly around 7 pm and teach them how to make various craft items. “It used to be a nice experience,” she said, and she would gaze at the night sky in the distance.

With a smile, John recalled becoming angry on occasions when her grandmother would spin cotton on a reel. It is a skill she still hasn’t fully mastered. “It used to get me angry because the cotton would burst while I spin it,” she recalled.
John said she has fond memories of her grandmother, noting that there were occasions when she would tell the elderly woman how she felt about craft-making. “I said I want to be like you granny, I must have it in me to learn and to teach other people,” she recalled telling the elderly woman.

Managing her own business
She said she married her husband in the year 2000 and the two decided to settle at Mahdia. She said it was an opportunity for her to teach others and to also develop her business. “So I came here to Campbelltown and I would make craft items and I also started to advertise my craft,” she said. John said persons got wind of her business and as such, she would receive calls from as far as Georgetown with orders for her craft. These days, her customers are from various administrative regions and tourists would also call with requests. She also registered her business, under the name D and Sons Craft Shop.
She said the Ministry of Amerindian Affairs contacted her a few years ago and as such she established an arrangement for her craft to be sold at the Ministry’s offices in the city. “So it is easier for my customers because they can go there and buy the craft,” she added.
John recalled that three years ago, she attended a village meeting and she spoke to the Toshao about teaching the villagers how to make craft items. She said she told the gathering that it is important for others, especially the youth, to learn the skill. “Because the young ones do not want to follow their tradition or pass on whatever their grandparents used to do,” she said.
She described the craft making business as a lucrative one. Sadly, she noted that her marriage did not work out, but she manages to ensure her business assists her in taking care of her children’s wellbeing. She said too, that she teaches her children how to make the craft items, just as her mother and grandmother taught her. “My daughter is seven years old and she can make hand bands, earrings and even slippers,” she added.

Chain in demand
As regard her eye-catching chains, John said it is always sold out whenever she advertises them. She said last week she posted photos of the chains and soon after, someone called from Berbice and he informed her that he has been searching for the chains in the city but to no avail.
“So I told him it sells quickly because I also send that to the Ministry and I was told it is always sold out,” she added.
She said the process involved in making the chain requires patience and one must also be skilled in plaiting the item. She said she would order some of the materials from the city and that includes the colourful beads. She would then plait the chain using catgut, a natural fibre that can withstand the test of time.
She makes various colours and widths of chains. “It all depends on what the customer order,” she added. She said persons would request the name of their village, their own names, or even symbols to be painted onto the chains.
According to John, while it is time-consuming, she would make two chains per day. But on short notice, she said she would call on another villager to assist. “Sometimes a Minister is coming this side and they would request garlands and for the name of the Minister or official to be placed on the chain,” John explained. She said the prices for the chains vary from $2000 to as much as $5000. However, she pointed out that, that is the price in Campbelltown. “Someone said he bought one of my chains for a lot more than that in Georgetown,” she noted.
John said she always encourages the women in the village to utilise their skills and to ensure that they can independently take care of their children in the absence of a father. “A lot of women, when they are single parents, they would tell you that they separated from the husband and they live alone with nothing to do, “she said. “I would encourage them to do something, do it neatly, sew or make pillowcases, because at the end of the day it would help them to make a living,” the upbeat woman added.