Cosmology of the Black Carib People of Central america
The cosmology of the Black Carib people of Central American countries such as Belize (formerly British Honduras) is a mixture of Christian, African, and Caribbean elements. Most Black Caribs believe that God’s throne in heaven occupies the central position in the universe. Over the throne of God the Father is the Holy Ghost. Jesus Christ, the Virgin Mary, and the saints stand at God’s right hand, and to his left stand the angels and a group of beings called blessed souls, or gubida (Coelho
1955, p. 235).
Outside the gates of the heavenly realm of God lies Sairi, the paradisiacal realm of pagan spirits, apparently of African origin. Below Sairi are roads leading to earth. Below the earth is Hell, the residence of Satan, who like God, has assistants sitting to his right and left. Coelho (1955, p. 235) says: “On earth, places such as cemeteries, crossroads, clearings within forests, the bottom of the seas, and the tops of mountains and hills, are considered to be the abode of ‘pagan’ spirits, while churches and sanctuaries constitute the strongholds of heavenly forces, especially the centers of pilgrimage, Suyapa in Honduras, and Kaquipulas in Guatemala.” The “masters of the land,” called labureme ubau, were the gods worshipped by the vanished Indian civilizations of old and they are now thought to be “wild,” completely outside the control of the current spiritual hierarchy (Coelho 1955, p. 237).
The universe itself is a cosmic battleground, in which several (i.e., more than two) parties of combatants are constantly fighting. But the makeup of each group changes, because of shifting alliances (Coelho
1955, pp. 235, 237). In other words, there is not a fixed duality of good and evil forces. Saints, angels, and spirits have a considerable degree of independence, and don’t always use it in harmony with God’s own will. In the Carib cosmology, saints are given control of the universe on their name day. But people are often afraid of this. For example St. Francis of Gordon is feared because he loves storms and might take advantage of his day of control to cause floods (Coelho 1955, p. 237).
The independence manifested by the Carib saints, angels, and spirits has a parallel in Vedic cosmology. Vedic demigods sometimes oppose the Supreme Lord, Krishna, when he enters this world as an avatar. Once Krishna arranged for the residents of the village of Vrindavan to stop their sacrifices to Indra, the god of heaven who controls the rain. In retaliation, Indra poured incessant rain on Vrindavan. Krishna protected the inhabitants by raising with his hand a hill called Govardhan, employing it like a huge umbrella. Seeing his attempt to drown the residents thwarted, Indra came to his senses and returned to his normal position of worshipful subordination to Krishna (Shrimad Bhagavatam 10.24–25).
The gubida, who live in Sairi, are souls of persons who formerly lived on earth. Valentine (1993, p. 12) says, “The word Gubida means dead.” Sometimes called “the Carib angels,” they are officially under the command of the traditional Christian angels, like St. Gabriel and St. Michael, but they sometimes act indepedently for the welfare of Carib people with whom they had family connections during their lives on earth (Coelho 1955, p. 237). Such interactions between the gubida and their living descendants are not always favorable. According to Staiano (1986, p.
125), the gubida return to earth fifteen or twenty years after their deaths, demanding favors from their descendants. If their demands are not met, or they feel offended, they may cause illness or allow an illness to take place (Staiano 1986, p. 125).
Following Catholic teaching, Caribs believe that departed souls must spend some time in purgatory before going to the final spiritual destination, God’s paradise in heaven. Purgatory is sometimes identified with Sairi.A soul who is remembered by relatives with masses and ceremonies spends only a short time in purgatory. A soul who dies without relatives to offer such help must spend a long time in purgatory. Such souls are called lonely souls (animas solas). Sometimes, someone who is not a relative of a lonely soul will conduct a ceremony that helps the soul get deliverance from purgatory. In such cases, that soul will then act for the benefit of the person who gave it assistance (Coelho 1955, p. 237).
Pagan spirits, called hiuruha, live permanently in Sairi, as opposed to other souls who pass through on their way to heaven. The hiuruha are technically subordinate to the higher angels but, like the gubida, display some independence. Sometimes they help fortunetellers and soothsayers to understand the future and hidden things. They also help healers cure diseases brought on by spirits. Traditional healers are mostly female, and are called buyai (Foster 1986, p. 17). A woman becomes a buyai by virtue of being possessed by hiuruha, or spirit helpers. According to Foster (1986, p. 17), hiuruha are “the spirits of mediums of the past.” Generally, a medium will have a principal hiuruha. Foster (1986, pp. 17–18) states: “The medium’s possession by spirit helpers enables her to differentiate between illnesses of natural origin (lisandi ubau, ‘sickness of the world’) and those caused by the malevolence of ancestral spirits. In fact it is believed to be the spirit helpers themselves who, in their petulant voices, communicate diagnoses to the afflicted in a séance (arairaguni, ‘descension of the spirits’) held either in the cult houses (dabuyaba) or in a domestic house.” As mentioned previously, illnesses are sometimes caused by gubida, departed ancestors. Healers will therefore conduct curing rituals to placate the gubida. During these rituals the gubida responsible for the illness are summoned by the buyai to a cult house, where they make their presence known by possessing one or more of the participants (Foster 1986, pp. 41–44).
Nature spirits (kolubi) have an even greater degree of independence than hiuruha (Coelho 1955, p. 237). The nature spirits included evil bush spirits (mafia, or maboya). Coelho (1955, p. 153) says, “The spirits called mafia, who wander through the streets at night, sometimes entering the house, are responsible for domestic accidents, and may strangle people in their sleep. They also attract women coming from gardens in the hills . . . The chief is named Uinani, often identified with Satan.” One Carib informant said that Uinani is “a monster seen by the soul or spirit alone.” Sometimes it appears like an alligator, a demon, or a dragon. It generally appears at night, from eleven o’clock to three or four o’clock. Seeing the Uinani in dreams makes one ill. A medical doctor may not be able to help, but a spirit medium may deliver a cure (Staiano 1986, p. 125).
The agauima is a female evil spirit found in pools or cascades of rivers. The agauima can capture a man’s soul, bringing sickness or death. She assumes the form of a beautiful woman with long hair (Staiano 1986, pp. 122–124). She usually appears during the middle of the day, from
11:30 to 12:30, when things are calm and peaceful, according to a Carib informant (Staiano 1986, p. 124). This informant, who was sixty years old at the time, said: “When I saw her, I was quite young. She dashed herself into the bush backwards when she became aware of our presence. There were a group of us going to the river bank to do some fishing. When I saw her, I turned back at speed. The others, having become alarmed, followed me. Four days later, one of my youngest brothers died. He was only five at the time. On the second day after we returned he had fits. He had been well until then. agaiuma may be harmful to the human body and may cause death. I believe it was the effects of the haunting which caused him to die” (Staiano 1986, p. 124). An agaiuma can also appear in male form. A Carib woman said, “She can make you sick. Your illness may start with a fever or chills. She appears to a sick person in their dreams. If it is a woman who is ill, she will come to her like her husband” (Staiano 1986, p.