The story of TI Jeane was particularly striking to read because it both contains traces of the folklore elements present within western mermaid folklore but The mother of the water has a much more active role as a protector of the forest. Much like how mermaid stories of the west are full of history of the christian culture that shaped them so to does this story tells us of the markedly different relationship that the native people’s of the caribbean had with the environment.
I appreciate that the text preceding the story explains Mother Water as being a “transnational Deity”. We have been considering mermaid folklore stories to be an archive that can teach us of the cultural history of a group of peoples. Since this story is widely known amongst the Caribbean and through many different language we can imagine how the trafficking of enslaved people across the ocean contributed to the creation of this transnational deity. As we know how Christianity sought to break people’s ties to their cultural beliefs through conversion, to have this story survive and spread can be considered as an act of resistance. Here then we can also see the ocean acting not as a barrier to the spreading of this story but rather as the vessel through which this story is carried and spread.
Hi Lixia, I really enjoyed your blog post! Your point about the spreading of Mother Water as a resistance is so fascinating and makes me think about how much of a role folklore plays in preserving culture. This figure is such a clear way of understanding how cultures have mixed or adopted aspects of other cultures, as well as how important the ocean is in the transportation of stories.