Leenya : Daughter of the Noble Blacks of Surinam (1973)

[Music] [Music] my name is l money people tell me I think too much I live with my family in the jungle of Sanam we call ourselves Bush Nikos one of the largest groups of many different peoples who live in my very small country learned in school that Sanam is the Commonwealth of the Netherlands in South America way up high on the map it is warm all year round so we need very little clothing many times think of our ancestors captured in Africa which is across lots of water even much more than in a river and brought to Sir now many years ago to work as slaves on plantations when I think if I had been living then I might have been soared like a piece of cloth but many of our people were very brave and run away and fought for their freedom against the plantation owners until PE peace was made then my people began to live here in the jungle just like they had lived in Africa they built their houses from wood and palm trees some plain some painted alongside a river in the jungle I always listen carefully to our captain and they most anxious to learn the many things which our elders decide in their very important meetings our medicine man is so very kind and helpful even to children like me there are many good things about the warm and moist climate of our jungle coconuts are everywhere [Music] their water is so cool their meat is so good mom sweet fruits grow on the jungle trees what fun it is to discover them everywhere are flowers so very very beautiful my father clears a place in the jungle for my mother's Garden then I help plant rice futs sweet potatoes and casaba my mother has taught me how to get rid of the poison of the beer casava first we peel it then we grate it [Music] and Stu it into a long basket and hang the basket up with stone weights to stretch it and squeeze the poison out then to make the flow we mash it put it through a seeve and make it into cakes after these are cooked we have our delicious casaba bread in the cool of the early morning my father sits by the fire with my brother and tells him many things about how to become a man my brother can hardly wait to grow up and hunt for food but my father says he must be patient I have learned a Woman's Work sweeping and cleaning taking care of the babies [Music] washing clothes and pots and fans much of the time we live and play in our wonderful River [Applause] our Bush negro men love to carve our fine woods and make beautiful things my father works in the lumber meal to earn money for things we cannot grow when I'm a little old he will buy me a lovely hammock then soon a bunny blessed by our elders and some handsome young boy will give me a comb which he has made to tell the whole wide world that he loves me we have many festivals and always our music and dancers are exciting I think how free we are to be so happy what a wonderful thing is our River I love to paddle in the smooth Waters but against the burn it takes a long long time a little while ago my father bought a motor now our old family can dress up and go in our Cano very fast to the central town to buy things we cannot grow on our land [Music] our government has a can bu to take us to school in the town where we are many friends of many different colors here there are new doctors and a hospital our captain tells us that we must go to school and even College to learn things that will help us these things may move us away from our village into the big city to work or to be doctors lawyers even government Representatives we must never forget how important un Noble we Bush n goar how we fought until we had our freedom many times when I hear our national Anem and think of all the people in my country Amar Indians Dutch Jes industan japanes Kos and I think our Bush Nigo villagers and all of our country will always be peaceful our Rivers full of water our Jungle full of flowers and trees and sweet fruits I am so happy with life in the free un beautiful suron I do not think we think too much [Music]