The Jumbies

Use these questions or activities to help gauge students’ familiarity with and spark their interest in the context of the work, giving them an entry point into the text itself.

Short Answer

1. Where is Trinidad? What guesses can you make about its culture and people based on its location?

Teaching Suggestion: The Jumbies takes place in Trinidad, one of the twin islands in the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago. Many students may be unfamiliar with Trinidad. After making sure that students understand that Trinidad is part of a Caribbean island nation, you might offer them an opportunity to make guesses about what Trinidad is like before offering them one or both of the resources listed below. As a follow-up, you might ask them to write a few sentences about which of their predictions were accurate and what new information they learned from the articles.

• This article from Britannica.com gives a quick introduction to the concept of Trinidad as one of two islands in a republic.
• This article from the Latin Post offers a succinct overview of Trinidad and Tobago’s history and culture.

2. What is “folklore”? How is it related to “mythology”? What are some examples of mythology or folklore from your own culture of origin? Have you ever heard any folk stories from the Caribbean?