Thursday, June 8, 2017

GALIPOTES: A DOMINICAN MYTH

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“We got him! Cover me, Jochi! Ete é un penco pájaro!”

¨Aquí toy, Mimillo!¨ said Jochi.

 “Fafifo, make him come to me! If he moves, tú lo ataja and slice ei maidito's cocote!” Lugarú? Zángano? Mimillo can´t remember the type of beast, in the midst of this reburujú.

¨Guay mi mai, Guaaaaay mi mai!” The little girl screams again, the galipote’s iron grip hurting her arm. 

Mimillo's limbs are still shaking with exertion from killing the other monster not an hour ago. So Fafifo gets ready to strike with his machete, just in case.

Davisote brought a torch! Did he bring the saint's portrait? The previous monster stared at it for half a second, and that was all Mimillo needed to make its head roll free on the ground… Who brought a chair

 “Show that maidito the cross of palo de cruz, Dani!” Juama shouts, a bloody bag heavy on his shoulder. “Jaimote, you, read the ensalmo!  Carajo, open the book!” Juama points an urgent finger to Dani´s brother. 

Sensing the end, the galipote fixes his glassy eyes on Mimillo and crunches lower. What a horrendous set of teeth! The galipote´s shrieks crowl up their spines and turn their blood into ice, but they will never admit that to one another!

¨Mimillo, did you hear? I will be carrying the salt and holy water. Mimillo!¨ Fafifo poses his fingers for a roqui-toqui right between Mimillo´s eyes. It is 6:00 p.m. and Mimillo had already planned it all in his head. They were already famous for hunting down monsters, and a terrified village near San Juan de La Maguana had called for their help. They had never hunted galipotes before, but that was unimportant. Mimillo had his brothers, cousin and friends by his side.

Read more about galipotes and their different types, like Lugarús or Zánganos, here:
http://www.cuco.com.ar/galipote.htm  (Spanish source of info)

Éte é un penco pájaro: this is a huge animal (translation of the idea; "pájaro" really means bird, but this word may refer to different creatures)
Ataja: to catch
Ei maidito: that damned thing
Reburujú: mess, disaster
Mi mai: my mother

Ensalmo: incantation

Wednesday, June 7, 2017

CIGUAPAS: A DOMINICAN MYTH


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We are coming from the conuco… Dark, dark…

The moon looks bizarre tonight…

When I stopped the trips to my taita’s conuco, everybody made fun of me. So I am resuming work, because I am Ernesto from Gurabo, son of my very brave taita, brave just like his taita before him!  But for support, I called in my cousins from La Vega, the most guapos in all Cibao.

Now I am having second thoughts… Tilín, while attentive to every detail of what I say, a smile pulls the corners of his mouth whenever caught unawares.

Wait… What is that rustling behind the trees?

Ceo, on the other hand… First, I congratulated myself for convincing him, the guapest in all Cibao. Now I wonder... He walks as if lost in thoughts, a deaf and blind to his surroundings.

I regret their suggestions, too. Tilín said to wait for the full moon to return home, and Ceo forbit to bring the perro manchado because it was "stupid." That Tilín! That Ceo...

One happily hums funny tunes while the other keeps a vacant look on his face. Aren't they worried in the least? The strange women with her feet backwards are there, preying on us. 

Manífica! They are close! I can hear them now!



Find more about the Dominican Myth of Ciguapas here:


Conuco: parcel of land
Taita: father
Guapo: brave, courageous
La Vega: City of La Vega province, Dominican Republic.
Cibao: valley in the central region of the Dominican Republic. 
Jesú Manífica: Or Jesús Magnífica, meaning Jesus Magnificent.
Perro manchado: Spotted dog, specifically white and black. Some think that it is a white dog that will do the trick, for better catching a Ciguapa.

Sabana de La Mar; fisherman village at the North-East of the Dominican Republic. This town is limited at the North by the Samaná Bay (famous for its whale watching season!) The Haitises National Park is just West from Sabana de La Mar. More about this town in the following lines (these links are for the sole purpose of providing some information about this place):  



In real life Ernesto and Ceo were cousins. Tilín and Ceo were brothers in law. To my knowledge, they never engaged in a ciguapa hunt, at least not as a team. Ceo and Tilín were known locally for being extremely courageous, always available for helping to unravel the strangest mysteries.







Friday, May 1, 2015

 Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe

Patron Saint of Manabao, La Vega, República Dominicana

Oil On Canvas, 40 x 30 inches

This painting was created following the way of how the Virgin appeared in Mexico to the indian Juan Diego, and many other details highly relevant to this story.  Notice the shiny white stars surrounding the Virgin:  they have a reason to be spaced as they are. 

Esta pintura fue creada siguiendo la forma en cómo la Vigen se le apareció en México al indio Juan Diego, y muchos detalles más altamente relevantes a la historia. Nota las brillantes estrellas blancas que rodean la Virgen: tienen una razón especial para estar espaciadas de esa manera. 





Paint restoration of The Lady of Guadalupe statue, for Manabao´s church, La Vega. Oil paints were used, the same ones used for painting on canvas. Acrylic paints were supplied to me for this purpose, but being used to my oil paints, I just couldn´t find a way to feel comfortable with acrylics. I didn´t like the behaviior not the results of this product on the statue. The oils took much longer to dry, but it was so worth it!

Restauración de pintura de la estatua de Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe, para la Iglesia de Manabao, La Vega. Pinturas de óleo fueron usadas, las mismas que se usaron para la pintura sobre tela. Pinturas acrílicas me fueron suministradas para esta labor, pero acostumbrada a utilizar mis pinturas de óleo, no encontré la vía de sentirme cómoda con acríílicos. No me gustaba el comportamiento ni los resultados de este producto sobre la estatua. Los óleos tomaron mucho más tiempo para secarse, pero valió la pena tanto!

Thursday, April 30, 2015

BIRDS FROM HISPANIOLA ISLAND
AVES DE LA ISLA LA ESPAÑOLA

Oil On Canvas
Palette-Knife Paintings (Heavy Texture Paint)

Óleo Sobre Tela
Pinturas a Espátula (Pintura de Textura Gruesa)



Endemic/Endémico.

(Todus angustirostris)  









Yellow-faced grassquit Cigüita de la Hierba

Indigenous/Nativo(Tiaris olivaceus)




Black-crowned tanagerCuatro Ojos.

Endemic; Endémico. (Phaenicophilus palmarum)





American kestrel; Cuyayas (subspeciessubespecie) Endemic/Endémica(Falco sparverius dominicensis: subspecies of Falco sparverius)







Ridgway's hawkGavilán dominicano

Endemic; Endémico(Buteo Ridgwayi)






IntroducedIntroducido(Passer domesticus).






Village weaver; Madam saga o Tejedor común. Introduced;Introducida. (Ploceus cucullatus)




Common ground dove; Tortolita

Indigenous/Nativo. (Columbina passerina)





Indigenous/Nativo. (Mimus polyglottos)






EndemicEndémico. (Coccyzus longirostris)






EndemicEndémico. (Cholrostilbon swainsonii)






Vervain hummingbird; Zumbadorcito.






EndemicEndémico. (Priotelus roseigaster)


Saturday, September 4, 2010

ORPHEUS AND EURYDICE: HOPE WITH THE FIRST LIGHT OF DAY


More information about the artist...

Orpheus walks full of hope towards daylight, expecting his beloved Eurydice to follow him all the way out of the underwold. He has been granted an extraordinary and unique opportunity: to have the breath of life restored to his wife. Hades, king of the land of the dead, softened to Orpheus request, marking Greek history as the only time this ever happened with this fearsome god. Even Cerberus, the horrifying hound of the gates of Hades, succumbed to the sad songs Orpheus played. Hades and his wife Persephone conceded Orpheus a chance for getting back Eurydice, alive. She would walk behind him, all the way to daylight, but he could not turn back to look at her, or would lose her for ever.

Read more about this topic at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clytia

Saturday, August 28, 2010

Coson Beach


Coson Beach
Originally uploaded by esperanzadickson
A long, long line of coconut trees, and white foam in beautiful Coson beach, Samana, Dominican Republic.

Saturday, August 21, 2010

Apollo And Clytie Greek Myth


 More about the artist...


Apollo climbs the sky in his chariot of fire, and ignores Clytie, who betrayed his beloved Leucothea in order to gain back his favors. She suffers silently and finally turns into a sunflower; her face will now follow forever the Sun in its daily path.

Read more about this topic at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clytia