Before humans roamed the earth, there was a realm of gods full of fields, plains, and gardens. Four brothers wandered this celestial world, unaware of their origins, with only each other for family. Among them, Deminan stood out, his skin plagued with painful scabs, leaving him to question why he alone bore this affliction.
One day, while the supreme spirit Yaya tended to his gardens, Deminan and his brothers sneaked into Yaya’s house. They feasted and explored, eventually finding a giant gourd. As they poked around, they accidentally dropped the gourd, causing it to shatter and unleash a flood that swept them away from their celestial home forever.
This deluge created a new world, a realm blanketed with seas teeming with fish and other creatures, dotted with islands and caves. Isolated from the gods’ domain, the brothers wandered aimlessly, lost more than ever before. One day, three of the brothers stumbled upon a house. An elder named Bayamanacao lived there and welcomed them inside. Deminan arrived slightly later and joined them.
Bayamanacao revealed he was their grandfather and offered them special cassava bread. He explained their family lineage: their mother had been the Earth Mother Goddess Itibi Cahubaba, who had died giving birth to them. Grateful for Bayamanacao’s hospitality and insights, the brothers listened carefully. However, things took a dark turn when Bayamanacao blew tobacco spittle onto Deminan’s back.
The spittle caused a painful swelling, leaving Deminan delirious, his back swollen to the point his brothers feared for his life. In desperation, they cut open the welt, and astonishingly, a turtle emerged, swimming away effortlessly between sea and land.
When Deminan recovered from his delirium, he realized his affliction had a purpose. He was a caracaracol, a unique being capable of communicating with the gods, serving as a bridge between the celestial and earthly realms. Deminan became the first of many caracaracols, and the world created by the gourd’s flood turned into the world of humans.
The caracaracols, who came after Deminan, continued to maintain the delicate balance between people and gods, but their power came with a painful price. Like Deminan, they suffered from the same illness that marked him special. In Taino carvings and figurines, the caracaracol is depicted with a swollen back and emaciated arms, symbolizing their dual curse and blessing as conduits between worlds.
