Latest update March 28th, 2024 12:59 AM
Sep 09, 2009 News
It has been almost 50 years now, but Agnes Gray, still remembers the day she was crowned Maypole queen at her school.
The year was 1960, and she was but seven-years-old. The country was six years away from Independence, but she was too young to know about the significance of any of that.
The labour movement was especially strong at that time, and celebrations were held with much fervour on May Day, quite unlike today. A central focus of May Day was the Maypole celebrations, and Agnes was caught up in it all; at least she was a little pretty Miss. But what was all the hype about? She didn’t know. Still doesn’t.
All she was interested in was the flouncy dress with puffed sleeves, and in the end of course, a beautiful bonnet-looking crown and something of a sceptre. She was now the queen of the darlings of her age. And she must have reveled in the moment. The pageant was held at Blackman’s Kindergarten School, Cooper Street, Albouystown, Georgetown.
But there was something else that made the occasion special. She was told that she was the first Amerindian girl to be crowned Maypole queen. But even that was not a big deal. Agnes was too innocent to know, or care, about how different people look and why she was being termed “Amerindian.”
She keeps being reminded of the fact that she could be the first Amerindian Maypole queen, but she is not quite sure of that. We’ll see if anyone comes out to challenge her for that title. She would be happy to know if there is an Amerindian Maypole queen as old as she is, or older.
If you think Agnes hails from some remote Amerindian village tucked away in the jungles of Guyana, you could be forgiven. Most Amerindians live in the beautiful interior of Guyana. But this sassy lass didn’t.
She grew up in the city, Albouystown, to be exact, and in fact, she doesn’t know how she got mixed up in all the Maypole celebrations because her mother was not around; she was in the Northwest District at the time.
Agnes was born at a place in the Essequibo she remembers being called Little Almanac. She has never been back since she left as a baby to come to the city. But she would like to go visit someday.
Looking back at the photos of the May Queen pageant, Agnes could see that there might have been some effort on the part of the organizers to show the cultural mix of Guyana, at least, the country’s different ethnicities.
Even though she is now 56, she remembers the name of the woman who put her dress together – Ismay.
If you’re wondering if Agnes continued with her winning ways on the stage after that sweet day in 1960, the answer is no. She never again competed in any event of the sort.
Today, she looks back with sheer nostalgia at the time when she caught the attention of all, even if she doesn’t remember what it must have felt like at the time.
THIS IDIOT TELLING GUYANA WE HAVE NO SAY IN THE 50% PROFIT SHARING AGREEMENT WE HAVE WITH EXXON.
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