Myths and Legends/ Mitos y Leyendas
Folclore de la República Dominicana/ Folklore of the Dominican Republic
Creatures fitting this description were said to be spotted first in Puerto Rico in the mid-1990s. Then, a few years later, the chupacabra started showing up in Mexico, South Florida, Central America, and South America including Dominican Republic. Although few people have actually claimed to seeing a real chupacabra many claim to have seen the works of this blood sucking alien being.
Blaming the Goat Sucker for many domestic animals (cattle, goats, etc) that have been found dead with two holes on their neck. Their blood drained and their organs sucked out as well.
The Nimitas/ Fireflies/ luciérnagas or Lightening Bugs/ bichos de luz
Dominican superstition says that the Nimitas are the souls of the dead who are watching out for their loved ones still living. They shine their light reminding all who see that they are there always there….watching.
Fireflies are also called Cocuyo which is a Taino AmerIndian word.
Ratoncito Pérez / The Mouse Perez
Who takes your children’s teeth in the night from under their pillows? It is not the Tooth Fairy/ Hada de los Dientes as we were taught in the US. It is a little mouse who wears a straw hat, gold glasses, linen cloth shoes and carries a red pack on his back.
This little mouse has been around for a long time but in ancient times he did not wear clothes. Mothers would offer the baby teeth of their children to the mice that lived in the fields to ensure good crops thus making their children strong and healthy.
The mouse in clothing came about in 1894 when Queen Maria Cristina Coloma of Spain asked the Jesuit priest, Luis Coloma to write a story for eight-year old Alfonso XIII when his baby milk tooth fell out. The priest wrote the story about the small Mouse Perez, clothed him and made him the most beloved mouse of all time.
So remember, all little mice are not nuisances. It just may be the friendly Ratoncito Pérez visiting to exchange the little tooth with money or a small gift. Taking his precious tooth to make jewelry, build a castle or adding another star to the sky. Also, do not forget to remove those mouse traps before you place that tooth under the pillow.
*I have spoken to other Dominican children and they tell me that they throw their teeth onto the roof of their homes so the new teeth will grow down straight and good.”
El Bacà [Bacara]
The Bacà is a diabolical creature that people conjure up to get wealth and property. It is also called upon to protect land and property from being stolen. It is thought that when a person all of a sudden gets prosperous they have conjured up a bacà.
The baca can take the form of a black cat, a dog, bull or other animal. Once conjured this shape-shifting creature becomes very demanding. It wants great sacrifices on the part of the person who uses him. To get what you ask from this creature it is like making a pact with the devil himself. In return for your gains he might be nice and just take some of your lands, homes, businesses or livestock. You might have to pay the ultimate price by having you, your friends or your family suffering with diseases, illnesses, bad things happening or the ultimate price, dying mysterious or by committing suicide.
So before you decide you would give anything to become prosperous think long and hard before you call upon a baca. Do you really want to sell your soul to the devil for eternity just to have a short time of prosperity?
The Biembiens only language is grunt-like sounds. They are mean, nasty and very unfriendly beings. They do not wear clothes to cover their naked short, deformed and ugly bodies.
These creepy creatures are very agile climbers of both trees and mountains. They travel and attack alone or in groups. They remain in hiding during the daylight hours and crawl out when the light dwindles. They emerge from their hiding places to search for food. Like the Ciguapa they also leave backwards tracks to protect themselves from being discovered. They eat humans entrails and also use humans as sacrifices.
So, if you are walking in the mountains and you hear unusual growls and gurgling knowing it is not your stomach. Run. Do not walk. Remember, here in Dominican Republic we have no wild animals. If you hear this it can only be a roaming Biembien, looking for it’s next victim.
El Cuco is a mythical monster whose origins can be traced to Spain. The legend of El Cuco is used through out Spain and Latin America as a fright tool to keep the children off the streets late at night and to make them go to sleep. It is very similar to the Boogy Man in the US. There is no real description of this mythical being. It is as if he has no form or shape. It is just a being that is more felt than seen. It is said he is able to shape-shift into all sorts of creatures. He can be your favorite animal or a nondescript shadow moving across the floor. El Cuco can become a horrible monster or make him self so small that he can slip through a crack, hide under the bed or in the closet.
In Dominican Republic El Cuco roams the streets and alleys looking for kids to take away in his sack. He can take the form of a hobo or homeless man. Parents and grandparents alike tell the children if they do not go to sleep and fast that El Cuco will come and take them. Even worse if they are out roaming the streets unsupervised El Cuco will stuff them in his sack and take them away.
So be careful if you can’t sleep and you see a shadow with eyes glowing passing near your bed. Also remember to never roam the empty streets alone. If you see a faceless man with a big sack it could be El Cuco….
Los Indios De Las Augas/ The Indians of the Waters
These Indians are the fabulous beings who inhabit caves. Be they the submerged caves of rivers and lakes or inside the mountain caves. It is said that these were groups of escaped Taino Indians who kept up their old traditions and ways. In order to do this they had to stay hidden. These Indians are said to be very beautiful, especially the woman, because of her dark eyes, smooth black hair, and cinnamon colored skin. These beautiful women leave the waters on the nights of the full moon to detangle their long hair with gold combs.
Some say they do not bother people and are quite generous. They share their knowledge of natural medicines and possess old and powerful magic. Others say that they are dangerous and fear to bathe in deep waters and unknown areas. Some say the indios de las aguas leave their caves to look for the men who may wander near. These men are taken to their caverns never to be seen again
The children are warned not to sneak off to the “Pools of the Indians” because these Indians may take them never to be seen again. The “Mano Negra” will reach up from the dark waters and drag them into the water never to be seen again.
Do you think this is a way for parents to keep their children home at night and away from dangerous waters or could it really be that there is a dark hand waiting to pull them down forever to be lost…
El Galipote – El Gualipote/ Dog-like Creature & El Lugaru – El Zangano/ Flying Creatures
Both of these legendary magical creatures are said to be men who can become animals and become men again. Galipote can also become inanimate objects, like tree trunks and stones. He can transfer his desires to animals and in this way can make the animal do his wishes. According to the belief galipotes are cruel and violent. They are very strong. Bullets do not hurt these creatures. It is said they like to cause havoc by frightening people traveling in the night. They do not permit the person to pass and also can help people to get hopelessly lost.
It is difficult not to find a Galipote when traveling in the country so it is good to carry a protective amulet and to cross yourself often to protect yourself from these beings. Galipote can become a dog. This dog-galipote is called a Lugaru from the French word that means Man-Wolf. It can also fly like a bird. These high-flying, nocturnal birds are called zangano or zancu. It is said that this legendary being sucks the blood of the children during the nights and will also have sexual activities with its victims. It can also become invisible.
The only way to kill one of these beings is to get a branch and make a palo de cruz/ wooden cross. This wood can only be cut on Good Friday. Some say you must use a knife or machete that has been blessed with water and salt.
In the southern part of the country, families tell stories of how relatives were known Galipotes. To become a Galipote one must make a pact with the devil himself, selling their soul for the ability to change ones self into another form. A witch doctor is also able to help transform a human into this evil creature.
There are stories coming from the Palma Sola Massacres of 1962 that says the survivors of this massacre were Galipotes. They were able to change themselves into elements of the environment such as rocks, trees, or animals. In this way the soldiers were not able to see them to eradicate them and thus came about their survival.
Parents to this day scare their children with tales of these people that can change their shape at will. “If you be bad and don’t listen a Galipote will get you!”
So, when you are roaming in the campo at night, be sure to carry your wooden cross with you at all times. Better yet, just don’t be traveling in the campo after dark. You may never find your way home…..
The next night he had the men get a ladder and he went to the wall. The other men held their distance watching their friend in horror. Abad approached the nitch where the skull was moving and chattering. He bravely put the ladder against the wall and ascended. He drew his trusty sword and whapped that nasty thing! The skull broke and fell to the ground. When it hit, a group of mice scurried from the shards running in all directions.
The next day the street sweeper cleaned up the broken skull. No one ever spoke of this skull again. The wall was torn down years later but the embarrassment of the people who ran in fear from a mice filled skull always remained.
Source: http://www.colonialzone-dr.com/myths-legends3.html
Art: Artist-Illustrator Ray Wu
Tagged: Caribbean, Chupacabra, Demons, Dominican Republic, Duendes, Galipote, Ghosts, Jupia, Mouse Perez, Myth, Nimita
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