GALIPOTES: A DOMINICAN MYTH

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

¨Aquí 'toy, Mimillo!¨ replied Jochi.

 Mimillo shouts at his cousin, “Fafifo, make him come to me! If he moves, you lo ataja and slice the cocote of that maldito!” Lugarú? Zángano? Mimillo can´t remember, in the midst of this reburujú.

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

Mimillo's limbs are still shaking with exertion from fighting a similar monster just an hour ago. Fafifo, at his side, pulls out his machete.

"Davisote brought the torch! I hope he remembered to bring that saint's portrait, too," thought Fafifo. The other beast stared at the torch's light just for an instant, and a milisecond later its head was rolling on the ground… "Is that a chair on the grass? Who brought a chair and what for?" wondered Fafifo.

 “Show that maldito the palo de cruz, Dani!” Juama shouts, a bag bloody and heavy on his shoulder, a monster's head peeking over the bag's rim. “Jaimote, you, read the ensalmo at loud!" says Juama, pointing an urgent finger to Dani´s brother. 

The galipote fixes his glassy eyes on Mimillo and crunches lower, displaying a huge set of sharp teeth. The creature´s shrieks turn their blood into ice.

¨Mimillo, here, hold the salt and holy water! Mimillooooo!¨ Fafifo poses his fingers for a roqui-toqui right between Mimillo´s eyes, but Mimillo quickly reacts and takes the things from Fafifo's hands. They were famous for hunting monsters, and a terrified village near San Juan de La Maguana had called for help. They had never hunted galipotes before, but that was unimportant. Mimillo had his brothers, cousin and friends by his side, and together they were unstoppable.

This story is not real; however, the names Jochi, Mimillo, Davisote, Fafifo, Dani, Juama and Jaimote are the nicknames of real people, all corageous and ready to help when needed. The base for this story is real, too. The galipote is a myth from the Dominican backcountry, and like some other superstitions, is born from the efforts to find a magical way for explaining, even dismissing, terrible facts. In this case, one of these facts is sexual abuse to children.

Read more about galipotes and their different types, like Lugarús or Zánganos, here:

http://www.colonialzone-dr.com/wp/el-galipote/

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)

'toy: contraction for "estoy," I am.

You lo ataja: you catch it.

Cocote: neck.

Maldito: Damned.

Reburujú: mess, disaster

Mi mai: my mother

Palo de cruz: cross made from the wood of a local tree called "palo de cruz."

Ensalmo: incantation