The Great Canoe: A Karina Legend

To the stories of the great flood from the Bible, the Epic of Gilgamesh, and the classical myth of Deucalion and Pyrrha, we can add this Karina version of the deluge story. The Karina, called the Carib Indians by their Spanish conquerors, are the descendants fo the the people that occupied eastern Venezula from the Orinoco River to the coast. "The Great Canoe" tells the story of how, a long time ago, Kaputano, Dweller of the Heavens, appeared to the Karina and warned them that a great rain would fall and water would cover the earth. Kaputano urged the Karina to join him in building canoes in which to escape the flood, but only four couples believed him. This is their story.Almost as interesting is the quest of Maria Elena Maggi, who wanted to set the story of Noah's Ark in the New World, only to discover various Karina versions of the deluge story. While Maggi worked on weaving the story into the world of the Karina, artist Gloria Calderon studied the fauna and flora of the Caribbean region to work into her gorgeous illustrations. Orignally published in Venezelua as "La Gran Canoa," this English version is translated by Elisa Amando. An afterword will be of little interest to young children, but teachers and parents will enjoy learning about how Maggi and Calderon immersed themselves in their research for this story and the various antecedents for both the legend and the artwork. I am putting together a Comparative Mythology course and stories like "The Great Canoe," which can be compared and contrasted with myths and legends from other cultures around the world, are perfect introductory material for such a class. However, for the young readers for whom this book is intended, simply listening to the story and looking at the detailed pictures, will be enough.

The Great Canoe: A Karina Legend is a tribal tale retold for preschool readers ages 2 to 5 and superbly illustrated by Gloria Calderon. The Karina were a tribal people living along the banks of the Orincoco River in what is now Venezuela and were known as great navigators, traders and warriors termed "Caribs" by the Spaniards. In the story, Kaputano, dweller of the Heavens, appears to the Karina people and warns them that a great rain would come and water would cover the earth. Kaputano urges the people to join him in building a canoe, but only four couples agree to help. They built a huge canoe and bring two of each kind of animal on board with them, plus a seed from every plant. Just as they finish their work a huge storm begins and a flood of water covers even the tallest trees drowning all the humans and animals left outside the boat. After many days the water subsides and Kaputano realizes that the survivors cannot live in such a flood ravaged world so he creates marshes, rivers, mountains and trees for them. The Great Canoe is a welcome and highly recommended addition to family, day-care center, preschool, and community library fairytale, mythology, and folklore collections.