Florida International University FIU Digital Commons FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations University Graduate School 3-22-2016 An Ethnography: Discovering the Hidden Identity of the Banilejos Yehonatan Elazar-Demota [email protected] DOI: 10.25148/etd.FIDC000282 Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.fiu.edu/etd Part of the Biblical Studies Commons, Caribbean Languages and Societies Commons, Catholic Studies Commons, Comparative Methodologies and Theories Commons, Ethics in Religion Commons, History of Christianity Commons, Jewish Studies Commons, Medieval Studies Commons, Near Eastern Languages and Societies Commons, Other Languages, Societies, and Cultures Commons, and the Other Spanish and Portuguese Language and Literature Commons Recommended Citation Elazar-Demota, Yehonatan, "An Ethnography: Discovering the Hidden Identity of the Banilejos" (2016). FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations. 2441. https://digitalcommons.fiu.edu/etd/2441 This work is brought to you for free and open access by the University Graduate School at FIU Digital Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations by an authorized administrator of FIU Digital Commons. For more information, please contact [email protected]. FLORIDA INTERNATIONAL UNIVERSITY Miami, Florida AN ETHNOGRAPHY: DISCOVERING THE HIDDEN IDENTITY OF THE BANILEJOS A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of MASTER OF ARTS in RELIGIOUS STUDIES by Yehonatan Elazar-DeMota 2016 To: Dean John Stack School of International and Public Affairs This thesis, written by Yehonatan Elazar-DeMota, and entitled An Ethnography: Discovering the Hidden Identity of the Banilejos, having been approved in respect to style and intellectual content, is referred to you for judgment. We have read this thesis and recommend that it be approved. _______________________________________ Ana Maria Bidegain _______________________________________ Abe Lavender _______________________________________ Tudor Parfitt, Major Professor Date of Defense: March 22, 2016 The thesis of Yehonatan Elazar-DeMota is approved. _______________________________________ Dean John Stack School of International and Public Affairs _______________________________________ Andrés G. Gil Vice President for Research and Economic Development and Dean of the University Graduate School Florida International University, 2016 ii © Copyright 2016 by Yehonatan Elazar-DeMota All rights reserved. iii DEDICATION I dedicate this thesis to Ḥakham Mordekhay Levi-de Lopes. Without his instruction, knowledge, guidance, and most of all patience, the completion of this work would not have been possible. iv ACKNOWLEDGMENTS First and foremost, I thank the Creator of the Universe for endowing me with the gift of life and instilling within me the love for humanity. I would also like to thank my major professor, Dr. Tudor Parfitt, for motivating me to perform this research and academically document the anthropological history of the Jews in the Dominican Republic, as well as all of the subjects for their eagerness to participate. I would also like to thank my family and friends who supported me throughout this journey with their money, time, and love. Moreover, I am deeply indebted to Elena M. Cruz for her mentorship, who encouraged me to continue my academic pursuits during the most difficult moments of my life. Also, I would like to thank Inês Nogueiro for guiding me in the genetic study. This work was supported and funded by the Yitzhak Navon Professorship in Sephardi-Mizrahi Studies of Florida International University. Finally, I thank the committees of the Jonathan Symons Global Jewish Studies fellowship and the AY FLAS fellowship for their financial support to finish my studies. v ABSTRACT OF THE THESIS AN ETHNOGRAPHY: DISCOVERING THE HIDDEN IDENTITY OF THE BANILEJOS by Yehonatan Elazar-DeMota Florida International University, 2016 Miami, Florida Professor Tudor Parfitt, Major Professor During June of 2015, an anthropological and sociological study was conducted in the Dominican city of Bani. On the surface, the banilejo people appear to be devout Catholics. However, having had access to their personal lives, it was evident that their peculiar family traditions and folklore hinted at their liminal identities. This study involved interviewing 23 female subjects with questions found in the Spanish and Portuguese inquisitorial manuals. In addition, their mitochondrial DNA sequences were analyzed and demonstrated a high percentage of consanguinity and inbreeding within Bani's population. The genetic analysis of their mitochondrial DNA yielded genetic links with Jewish women from worldwide Jewish communities. Victor Turner's communitas theory and Geertz's thick description were used as the methodology. Ultimately, the sociological and anthropological analysis of their way of life evidenced how their ancestors preserved Jewish identity covertly throughout the inquisition timeperiod (1481-1834) and how they continue to perpetuate it in contemporary times through consanguinity, and the power of superstition and taboo. vii TABLE OF CONTENTS CHAPTER PAGE I. WHO ARE THE BANILJEOS? 1 II. THE PROBLEM 4 III. METHODOLOGY 6 IV. JUSTIFICATION OF METHODOLOGY 8 V. SIGNIFICANCE OF THE PROJECT 9 VI. THE EXPULSION OF THE SEPHARADIM AND THE INQUISITIONS 15 VII. HOLY WAR: INQUISITORS VS RABBIS 39 VIII. MY FIRST ENCOUNTER WITH BANI 55 IX. WAY OF LIFE OF THE BANILEJOS:YESTERDAY AND TODAY 58 Los primos se exprimen 59 You Are What You Eat 64 Sacred Blood 71 Un Con Tó 73 Weekend Customs and Rituals 77 Holy Week & Easter 80 Religious Attitudes Towards the Church 83 Los Cabulosos 89 Banilejo Ethics 93 X. IT’S IN THE GENES: BANI’S MATRIARCHS 98 XI. FORGOTTEN JEWISH CONSCIOUSNESS 109 XII. EPILOGUE 112 LIST OF REFERENCES 116 APPENDICES 126 viii ABBREVIATIONS1 TALMUD OTHER RABBINIC WORKS y. for Jerusalem. Oraḥ Ḥayyim OḤ b. for Babylonian. Yoreh De’ah YD Mishnah Hilekhoth Hil. m. for Mishnah Mishneh Torah M.T. TRACTATES Abod. Zar. Abodah Zarah B. Bat. Baba Batra B. Meṣi’a Baba Meṣi’a B. Qam. Baba Qamma Ber. Berakhoth Giṭ Giṭṭin Ḥul. Ḥullin Ketub. Ketubboth Miqw Miqwa’oth Pesaḥ. Pesaḥim Qidd. Qiddushin Šabb. Shabbath Šebu. Shebu’oth Yebam. Yebamoth 1 “Chicago Manual of Style / Society of Biblical Literature Citation Quick Guide.” Benjamin Cardozo School of Law .Yeshiva University. Web. 21 Feb. 2016. ix TRANSLITERATION GUIDE2 Hebrew English Arabic ا A‘ א ب B ב غ Gh ג ج G גּ د D ד ه H ה و W ו ز Z ז ح Ḥ ח ط Ṭ ט ي Y י خ Kh כ ك K כּ ل L ל م M מ ن N נ س S ס ع Ấ ע P ݑ פ ص Ṣ צ ق Q ק ر R ר ش Š ש ت T תּ ث TH ת 2 Alexander, Patrick, et al. The SBL Handbook of style for ancient Near Eastern, Biblical and Christian studies, Peabody: Society of Biblical Literature, 1999. Print. x I. WHO ARE THE BANILEJOS?3 Baní is the capital of the Peravia province of the Dominican Republic. It is known for its production of bananas and coffee. However, it is internationally-known for its variety of mangos, producing a gross of 17 million dollars a year. Baní is a Taíno word, meaning “abundant water.” Some have suggested that it means “children” from Arabic, or yet, “I built,” from Hebrew. The latter etymology is interesting for the purposes of this investigation. The ecclesiastical records demonstrate that Baní was founded primarily by Catholic settlers from the Canary Islands in the late 18th century. The first families began to arrive to the region in the early decades of the same century. According to the Haitian- born anthropologist, Dr. Jean G. Bissainthe, there are many reasons to believe that the majority of the Canary Islanders that migrated to the eastern part of Hispaniola were indeed Jews. During an interview with Mrs. Miriam Mejía Herrera, she remembered that her grandfather mentioned that Baní was founded by Sepharadi Jews that came from Spain in order to work in the agriculture industry (Bissainthe 94). In addition to this, there is a myth among the Dominican people that the people of Baní are Jews because of their work ethic, organized and reserved attitudes, and their dedication to business. Moreover, the inhabitants of Baní are often-time labeled as being “racists” because of their tendency to marry among themselves. Since the Spanish Inquisition and the limpieza de sangre decrees were still in full force until 1834 and 1870, respectively, it 3 See Canary Islands map on page 11. 1 should be understood that if the settlers were Judaizing Catholics, they had to be conversos—living as outward Catholics and Jews at home. The founding families of Baní are the following: Pimentel, Mejía, Rivera, Herrera, Ortíz, García, Ruíz, Lara, Machado, Melo, Castro, Peynado, Sánchez, Díaz, Peña, Jiménez, Caraballo, Bernal, Lluberes, Soto, Carvajal, Pérez, Olivas, Aybar, Fernández, Pereyra, Rodríguez, Enríquez, Gutiérrez, Rojas, León, González, Araujo, Nieto, and Cabral. In addition to these, the Báez and Guerrero families were part of the establishment of the city of Baní. According to Dr. Valera, Baní’s official historian and genealogist, all of the banilejos have a Báez ancestor in their lineages. During my third visit to his house, he explained that the Báez family arrived from Andalusia, Spain, to Hispaniola during the 16th century (Valera 2015). Father Germán from Parroquia Santa Cruz told me that the banilejos are clean, hard-working people, and proud of their history. He added that this stems from the fact that they bought the land and settled it. Out of all of the cities to study in the Dominican Republic, I chose Baní because part of my maternal ancestors settled there from Portugal and Curação. My branches left Baní and founded another settlement about 20 km east called Cambita Garabitos in San Cristobal. Thus, in a sense, this investigation was conducted to learn more about my own roots through the banilejos. This journey will demonstrate the power of taboo, superstition, and secrecy and deceit, in order to preserve an ancestral heritage at all costs.