Talk:Kalfu

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Today we are told that most Tainos died during the next 25 years of Spanish viruses or at the hands of Spanish slave drivers, and that their contributions to the world live on through words such as: barbecue, tobacco, canoe and hammock. Is this all that can be said on the subject?

State a source. Most people of Puerto Rico refer to themselves as ethnically Taino, at least in part.

The Haitian Vèvès of the voodoo religion are generally said to originate from Africa. These sigils however are not found in any African country and simply do not belong in any known African religious rituals. On the other hand, they can easily be connected to Taino culture and the origins of this people.

State a source. This has often been said by Maya Deren, and parrotted by many peoples after her, but it falls in too well with her clearly Marxist ideology of suppressed groups going underground in order to later manifest elsewhere in a prolitariate uprising. I have NEVER seen any reference to "Taino Sand Drawings" in any academic source.

Take an illustration of a Haitian Kalfou Vèvè:

Pronunciation: Vayv or vay-vay • (noun) In Vodoun (Voodoo) practice, are intricate symbols of the Loas (gods), and are used in rituals. Each Loa has his or her own complex veve, which is traced on the ground with powdered eggshell or a similar substance prior to a ritual.

Try cornmeal, or ash.

Let’s look at the different elements that compose it:

The Solar Cross at its center. Definition: The Solar cross is probably the oldest religious symbol in the world, appearing in Asian, American, European, and Indian religious art from the dawn of history. Composed of a equal armed cross within a circle, it represents the solar calendar- the movements of the sun, marked by the solstices. Sometimes the equinoxes are marked as well, giving an eight armed wheel.

You obviously know nothing of Kalfu... you talk much but show little wisdom. A cursory examination of Maitre Carrefour would show that he is the spirit of the crossroads, and that he has absolutely nothing to do with the sun, but is in fact connected to the moon. He is often said to be the dark side of Legba (a Fon solar deity), but in reality is derived from another tribal crossroads god (Congo or Bantu if I recall correctly), and when these systems merged in Haiti, Legba became the dominant, because most slaves were of Fon origin.

Another similar symbol is the symbol of the ancient Assyrian God Shamash:

The other signs found in this Vèvè look very similar to elements of the runic alphabet.

No they don't. Many of the Veves can find there origins in so called "Goetic Grimoires" of the 14th to 18th centuries. These books were incredibly popular among the French and Mullato elite of Haiti, and filtered their way into the poorer population throughout the decades prior to, and after the revolution. They also derive many symbols from Freemasonry, as there were (and are) several strongholds of Freemasonry on the island.

Runes are an ancient Germanic alphabet, used for writing, divination and magic. They were used throughout northern Europe, Scandinavia, the British Isles, and Iceland from about 100 B.C.E. to 1600 C.E. Runic inscriptions of great age have even been found in North America, supporting stories that the Vikings arrived in the Americas long before Columbus. Specifically:

Perthro: (P: Lot cup, vagina.) Uncertain meaning, a secret matter, a mystery, hidden things and occult abilities. Initiation, knowledge of one's destiny, knowledge of future matters, determining the future or your path. Pertaining to things feminine, feminine mysteries including female fertility, and vagina. Good lot, fellowship and joy. Evolutionary change
Algiz: (Z or -R: Elk, protection.) Protection, a shield. The protective urge to shelter oneself or others. Defense, warding off of evil, shield, guardian. Connection with the gods, awakening, higher life. It can be used to channel energies appropriately. Follow your instincts. Keep hold of success or maintain a position won or earned
Tiwaz: (T: Tyr, the sky god.) Honor, justice, leadership and authority. Analysis, rationality. Knowing where one's true strengths lie. Willingness to self-sacrifice. Victory and success in any competition or in legal matters. 

In the Kalfou Vèvè, one could read “a secret matter, a mystery, hidden things”, pertaining to “the solar calendar, the movements of the sun, marked by the solstices and the equinoxes”, results in “protection, a shield”, and leads to “Honor, justice, leadership and authority”. Is this a coincidence or is such a message expected when one knows that we are dealing here with agrarian societies struggling to build solid and sound droughtproof communities?

You obviously know nothing of Kalfu if you can read that from his veve

To discuss this article, feel free to contact me at michaelb0519@gmail.com

69.251.156.16 19:16, 11 November 2006 (UTC)Octane 818

As a note, the text from [edit] was put in 3 minutes before someone elsewhere was asked to provide evidence for a claim that some of this information was true, and then cited as that evidence. It is, therefore, rather suspect, and so I added the Citation Needed tag to it. If someone could confirm it or refute it, that would be great. --Apocalycious (talk) 18:03, 29 June 2013 (UTC)