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Author Topic: Ojear  (Read 1224 times)

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Offline buencamino3

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Ojear
« on: July 06, 2017, 08:05:29 PM »
I learned a new verb today, ojear. It comes from ojo or eye and basically means to give the evil eye. I heard this from a girl who lives in a household with a baby. (The family is not Black by the way, it is mestizo). The term always applies to babies. There is "ojo secador" which produces general malestar and diarrhea. Then there is "ojo bobo" which makes the baby nod it's head and act stupid or bobo. Finally there is "ojo de vienticuatro horas". This is serious and can result in the babies death. Typically it isn't known who is responsable i.e. who gave the baby "ojo" but a sage elderly woman will know if she is present. There is also usually a sage elderly woman who can cure these symptoms though she is not considered a bruja just as "ojear" isn't considered brujeria or hechiciera. The cure requires three visits in which among other things the sage elderly woman chews an herb and applies it as a poultice to the babies stomach. The charge for this service varies according to the "patient" but the sister of the girl I was talking to was charged $25.000. That included all three visits. "Ojo" can be produced by excessive staring even staring with affection. The mother of the girl I talked to was cited as the responsable (by a sage elderly woman) for ojeando her own grand daughter as a result of too much affectionate staring. During the initial investigation the mother was identified as the culprit and told to leave the room immediately (by the sage elderly woman). 


Can you imagine the stuff you would learn if you lived with an estata one family in Cali for a few months. I think it's fascinating. All of this is remnant from the Black African slave population that was brought to the Pacific coast of Colombia hundreds of years ago. Cali is a bastion of these beliefs because of the long standing and ongoing influx of Blacks from Buenaventura and Tumaco. 
« Last Edit: July 06, 2017, 08:08:02 PM by buencamino3 »
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Offline robert angel

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Re: Ojear
« Reply #1 on: July 07, 2017, 04:48:41 PM »
I learned a new verb today, ojear. It comes from ojo or eye and basically means to give the evil eye. I heard this from a girl who lives in a household with a baby. (The family is not Black by the way, it is mestizo). The term always applies to babies. There is "ojo secador" which produces general malestar and diarrhea. Then there is "ojo bobo" which makes the baby nod it's head and act stupid or bobo. Finally there is "ojo de vienticuatro horas". This is serious and can result in the babies death. Typically it isn't known who is responsable i.e. who gave the baby "ojo" but a sage elderly woman will know if she is present. There is also usually a sage elderly woman who can cure these symptoms though she is not considered a bruja just as "ojear" isn't considered brujeria or hechiciera. The cure requires three visits in which among other things the sage elderly woman chews an herb and applies it as a poultice to the babies stomach. The charge for this service varies according to the "patient" but the sister of the girl I was talking to was charged $25.000. That included all three visits. "Ojo" can be produced by excessive staring even staring with affection. The mother of the girl I talked to was cited as the responsable (by a sage elderly woman) for ojeando her own grand daughter as a result of too much affectionate staring. During the initial investigation the mother was identified as the culprit and told to leave the room immediately (by the sage elderly woman). 


Can you imagine the stuff you would learn if you lived with an estata one family in Cali for a few months. I think it's fascinating. All of this is remnant from the Black African slave population that was brought to the Pacific coast of Colombia hundreds of years ago. Cali is a bastion of these beliefs because of the long standing and ongoing influx of Blacks from Buenaventura and Tumaco.

There are different variations of this belief,  practiced in parts of Asia as well. Also,  the 'evil eye' belief can extend to (be inflicted upon) infants, children, adults, lovers, etc., etc. In some places, particular persons, even whole families,  are thought to (known) -to have the power to create bad things with their evil eye 'powers'. If they physically touch you, you may be asked by the locals who care for you to touch the evil eye doer to reverse the negative effects.

There is no end to black magic, quack black medicine and bizarre practices in the Philippines, really in a lot of places, in all Asian nations, including '1st world' ones, as well as in South, Central America, Mexico--a lot of places.

After decades involved with the culture, even having a home in the midst of it, there's ton of stuff I still haven't been told. I have a very conversationally open life with my wife, but most of what I hear is learned incidentally as she doesn't want to get into that subject area. She's as Christian,  Roman Catholic, without wearing it on her sleeve, yet a modern woman as you'll ever meet, but one who doesn't care to talk about those 'ways'...

When I lived in the West Indies (Caribbean ) a lot of that stuff was  felt and feared by the locals. We never had any dead animal sacrifices or pains that might've come from voodoo dolls, but that crap's as real as rain to people in these various countries.

I never let it faze me though, I'm way too smart.

I KNOW that being superstitious just leads to bad luck!!!
Whether you think you can or think you can't--you're right!

 

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