Page 15 - ARUBA TODAY

A15
LOCAL Tuesday 28 January 2020

Continued from previous page the bat is associated with violence. of initiation, and the start of a new about. Its people, its origins, its ani-
To the Amerindian tribes of the In Biblical tradition, bats were be- beginning. mals and culture, we highly recom-
northwestern United States, bats lieved to be messengers of Satan. mend you to book your visit for our
are symbols of diligence; while in The Puritans believed that if a bat Nevertheless, bats were very im- renowned cultural encounter ses-
the Great Plains, they imparted wis- flew close to someone, somebody portant to the early settlers of Aru- sion which has been entertaining
dom on their people. In the south- was trying to bewitch them. The ba, the recurrence of incorporat- curious, scientist and bohemians
west and Mexico, they are repre- Chinese, however, view the bat ing these flying mammals in to their for decades. Mail us at etniana-
sentative of death and rebirth, be- as a symbol of happiness. They are artistic expressions stands as testi- tiva03@gmail.com to confirm your
cause they go underground in the amazing creatures. Bats often rep- mony in our Native Art Living Gal- participation. Our facilities and ac-
early morning, and then appear resent death in the sense of letting lery at Westpunt 37A, Noord. tivities take place close to high rise
again each night in a noisy hoard. go of the old, and bringing in the hotels. q
So they are reborn every night, new. They are symbols of transition, To immerse in what Aruba is all
flooding out from their caves.

The mythology of the Mesoameri-
cans have the bat as a shadow of
darkness that looms over them. It is
a symbol of the land of the dead
and part of the underworld. When
a person would see one it could
mean that death or destruction
was sure to happen in their near
future.

The pre-Columbian culture dis-
played the bat as one of their leg-
endary gods. They are often part of
the paintings and drawing of older
times. Bat figures are also found in
prehistoric artwork and stone work
like pendants or pottery.

The Mayans had a bat god called
Camazote, who was said to have
tested human souls with a large
sword. This is slightly negative, since