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Wednesday 23 OctOber 2024 LOCAL
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Moths and native beliefs Episode CCLXXVI - 276
Etnia Nativa offers—in situ—a unique native experi- transformation. The word transform is
ence opportunity that fuses education and entertain- metamorphoses in Greek, from which
ment, challenging you to interact with our exclusive we get the English term metamorpho-
team while accessing an interesting private property sis. It describes the period of change
made with repurposed materials sorted by our con- that a larva undergoes to get its wings
cept developer. Meet our top columnist, avocational to fly. This process is comparable to or
archaeologist, and island`s cultural expert. Choose to describes how a human being can be
dive at the core of your destination through the navel reborn in its mental state or become a
of Aruba! spirit in the afterlife.
In this episode, Etnia Nativa shares a bit regarding Many ancient cultures believed it to
Aruba’s black witch moth and the beliefs of our na- be the essence of personal transcen-
tive people concerning bad omens and superstitions. dence. The Greeks usually portray
Psyche, their goddess of the soul, with
Our black moth is a fantastic animal that flaps its wings. Through the years, the meaning about the black moth of death, and
wings, just like some bats do. As they have a wing of the moth and the butterfly became they tell us that if a person is sick and
span of circa 18 cm, they are mostly nocturnal crea- varied, depending on their colors. In the black moth fly’s into his house, this
tures, and consequently, people mistakenly associ- the Philippines, China, and Central sick person will die. Also, if one sticks
ate them with bats. America, varieties of dark moths and at you, it means that you are next.
butterflies are associated with death. Thats why most of the time people
For many cultures around the world, moths and but- Filipino culture has many superstitious try to scare them away and get rid of
terflies symbolize hope, transformation, and new be- beliefs, or “pamahiin,” and among the the black moths bad omen, since if
ginnings. However, when a black moth lands on a most enduring of these is the belief that you cross paths with one of them, you
person, it causes a lot of panic caused by the popular the sudden appearance of an animal should prepare for a negative turn of
stories and beliefs associated with them; however, it is is a sign of a dead relative making their events. Although this common super-
a completely harmless animal. presence felt. stition in particular has been around for
many years, finding its origins in Ameri-
An encounter with a black moth can indicate that In some cultures, black moths symbol- can continent native beliefs and folk
the person is about to be reborn or renewed in some ize the restless soul of a deceased per- stories. Whoever butterflies symbolize
way associated with the dead, thus a darkness be- son unable to move on. Meanwhile, transformation and rebirth regardless
fore the dawn, and also in some cultures, symbolizing white butterflies portray the soul of a of color. But black moths or butter-
longevity. deceased child. flies also represent mystery, intuition,
and hidden wisdom. Some see them
Moths and butterflies are recognized as symbols of The native Aruba’s folk stories tell us as harbingers of death and bad luck,
while others view them as symbols of
good fortune and protection.
The truth is that the fluttering of its frag-
ile wings should make us take note
of what is happening around us and
that they are heralds and also vic-
tims of overdevelopment and climate
change, while many and most super-
stitions have to do with ignorance and
fear of the unknown.
If you liked our native stories and are
interested in diving deeper into learn-
ing the true identity of Aruba, a visit
to Etnia Nativa would be a fantastic
choice. We have been a trendsetting
entity since 1994, as a co-founder of
projects such as Arikok National Park,
the Archaeological Museum, and the
Artisan Foundation, among others. Ev-
ery week, this newspaper shares our
valuable knowledge. Don’t miss the
opportunity to feel the island’s spirit
through our real stories that are not just
remembered; they resonate, they’re
felt, and they stir souls to the bone.
Book your visit: WhatsApp +297 592
2702 etnianativa03@gmail.comq
