By Jide Uwechia
(Queen Califia painting by James Gayle)
California, the land of the ever-living Muurish Empress Calafia/Califia. Calafia was the title of each empress. California was her land. She was known to be black of skin, of the muurish nationality, and ruled over Islands and Islands of black people, from California, Baja, to Hawaii.
A muurish Island, ruled by women. It was first mentioned in the records of the western European christians in the seventh century, and retold “The Song of Roland” where a passing mention of a place called Califerne, was made perhaps because it was the caliph’s domain. See (Putnam, Ruth (1917). Herbert Ingram Priestley. ed. California: the name. Berkeley: University of California)
Spanish conquistadors told stories about a mystical black muurish queen that ruled a State of California, situated in the same location as the present day California. The modern state of State California continues the legacy and the memory of this great black Queendom and its Queens.
(Califia, Queen of California painting by Arthur Wright)
The Muurs and Calafia
Khalifa means God’s ruler (in Muurish Arabic).
The story of Calafia was later re-narrated in the book The Adventures of Esplandián, a book written in 1500, probably based on stories gleaned from the old Muurish seamen of Spain, Portugal, Holland, Belgium and England.
Calafia is introduced as “… a regal Muurish black woman, courageous, strong of limb and large in person, full in the bloom of womanhood, the most beautiful of a long line of queens who ruled over the mythical realm of California.”
She supposedly commanded a fleet of ships with which she ruled and maintained peace in the surrounding lands, and islands including Baja and Hawaii. She reportedly kept an aerial defense force of “griffins”, and other fabulous animals which were native to California, trained to defend the land against invanders.
She was so powerful she could project her imperial power over the seas of the mediteranean at will. The Esplandian narrates that Calafia maintained cultural and trading contacts with the Muurs of Africa. It told of her wars in the mediterranean seas, in Anatolia, the Byzantine empire and in southern Europe. See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calafia#cite_ref-Sabir2004_23-1
According to the author of The Adventures of Esplandián:
“Know ye that at the right hand of the Indies there is an island called California, very close to that part of the Terrestrial Paradise, which was inhabited by black women without a single man among them, and they lived in the manner of Amazons. They were robust of body with strong passionate hearts and great virtue. The island itself is one of the wildest in the world on account of the bold and craggy rocks.”(Putnam, Ruth (1917). Herbert Ingram Priestley. ed. California: the name. Berkeley: University of California)
The crusader and conqueror of the territory of California Hernán Cortés and his men were familiar with the book. Cortés quoted liberally from the book and it did have an influence on his decision to look for the Island of California. As governor of Mexico he sent out an ill-fated expedition of two ships, one guided by the famous pilot Fortún Ximénez. That expedition did not fare well at all and most of the ships and the men were lost.
In 1535, Cortés led an expedition back to the land of Calafia or California, and decided to re-named it Santa Cruz. However, that name did not stick, as the natives, and the Muurs and the black Indians and red Indians and so-called whites continued to use the ancient and old name of the land “California”.
Cortes himself and his contemporaries appeared to have used the name too. In 1550 and 1556, the name appears three times in reports about Cortés written by Giovanni Battista Ramusio.
Thus over the years of increasing conquest, colonization and rape of the land of California, the ancient land of the muurs has held onto its name and identity, in the knowledge that one day, it will be as it was in the beginning.
African-Americans and Queen Califia
In 2004, the African American Historical and Cultural Society Museum in San Francisco assembled a Queen Califia exhibit, curated by John William Templeton, featuring works by artists such as TheArthur Wright and James Gayles; artistic interpretations of Calafia.
The show displayed a 1936 treatment of Lucille Lloyd’s “California Allegory” triptych, with Queen Califia as the central figure. Templeton said that “Califia is a part of California history, and she also reinforces the fact that African Americans had always been in California. See, Sabir, Wanda. “Wanda’s Picks”. San Francisco Bayview. Retrieved January 2, 2011. http://sigidiart.com/Docs/WandasPicksCalifia.htm
“Califia is a part of California history, and she also reinforces the fact that when Cortes named this place California, he had 300 black people with him. And throughout the whole Spanish-Mexican war, 40 percent of the population was black.” .
Templeton pointed out that most of the navigators on the explorations to the New World were African, because Africans knew how to get the New World.
For instance, Columbus had a black navigator. Muurish (black) folks had been going back and forth between Africa and America from the dawn of time. All they had to do was get in the wind right off the West Coast of Africa.
A Muurish (African) Emperor Abu Bukari took 1,000 ships to the New World in the 1300s. So Muurish navigators and sea men were highly sought in those days that the previously land-bounded Europeans were in their infancy in navigational and maritime sciences.
A black man used to own the San Fernando Valley. That was Pio de Jesus Pico (1801-1894). He was also the last Mexican governor of California. In total, in the 1800s, there were atleast four black governors of the state of California. See Sabir, Wanda. “Wanda’s Picks”. San Francisco Bayview. Retrieved January 2, 2011 http://sigidiart.com/Docs/WandasPicksCalifia.htm
Dr. William E. Hoskins, director of the museum, said that very few people know the story of Queen Califia. He said, “One of the things we’re trying to do is let people have the additional insight and appreciation for the contributions of African Americans to this wonderful country and more specifically to the state of California”. See Sabir, Wanda. “Wanda’s Picks”. San Francisco Bayview. Retrieved January 2, 2011 http://sigidiart.com/Docs/WandasPicksCalifia.htm
Jide Uwechia
Thank you Jide Uwechia for your wonderful article!!! I am an African American male and my first name is “Khalifa”! I was absolutely surprised to learn the role my name has played in African American history and the shaping of the state of California! I salute you sir! Thank you for your very informative article!!!!! You have created in me a thirst to know more about our past. YOUR TORCH HAS LIT THE MIND OF THIS CANDLE!!!
Khalifa read your response. I saw a documentary on KRON here in the that area a long time ago in the 90’s that told of California history. I was surprised by that fact also how Calidornia got its name & the Moor Queen it was named after. That’s not all I read also that there was a religious group in Seville Spain that adorned the hood & robe centuries ago before the KKK started dressing up in them. Hitler stole the symbol of the swastika from a dark race of people. Every day they steal our history. They’ve distorted history to make themselves look civiliZed & superior. What really ticks me off is we do not teach our children & they took black history out of High School never taught it in elementary when I come up in the 50′ s 60’s… By the time I got to high school BSU’s (Black Student Union) which my dad would not let me join (out of fear I believed for my safety) our history was not yet being taught in the class. All I’ve learned I’ve researched learned on my own. Don’t trust this American system to teach our children. They do not educate they indoctrinate.
You are absolutely correct We as a ppl MUST educate ourselves and our children so we can have our own truth and understanding about OUR true history Peace B W U
People, the story is based on a 17th century novel by a Spanish guy, I forgot his name. There was no black queen of California.
Derek there is documentation from the 1500’s from shipmen whom have described this tribe… Do research before you hate smh
Please post the documentation by all means i would love to read it
http://www.newnetherlandinstitute.org/history-and-heritage/more-historical-fun/dutch-treats/early-impressions-of-new-netherland/
Please post your pictures of mongol native americans with afros. I’d love to see them.
sixteenth century novel, Las Sergas de Esplandian by Garcia Ordonez de Montalvo
I think his name was Cortes.. I was wondering if she was real because reports say she was a character..
I am a ”freckled” woman , whatever difference that makes, who seeks the truth. Much history has been ”squashed” but the bits I have culled over time strongly support the existence of many black queens in California, not one, as Kalafia means queen. So naysayers stop denying the obvious facts and let true facts prevail.
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OMG seriously. Califia was a fictional story written by a Spaniard. The book was pretty popular. Thats why they named California after it. The olmecs we’re dark indigenous Indians or possible south Pacific islanders. Stop twisting fake stories to your liking.
ok..so she is just a character from a story??
what they say copper tone natives right theres a old panting by some euro homo painted showing you mary with here big long cape see said the ones who stay under my cape will be safe and we all have eyes right so take a look at the natvies in the back praying on there knees with black copper tone skine omg nergo women with long nappy hair and men with short curly nappy hair if nappy hair and copper tone are not black i dont know what is black and im fucking black so we are everywhere deal with it my pale little brother ????
My pale little brother? First of all I’m not even white. Second of all, im a woman. Afro centrists are a joke….along with the euro centrists. I almost feel sorry for them. They are delusional. The people in the picture don’t even look black wtf? Do you only see what you want to see?
http://www.newnetherlandinstitute.org/history-and-heritage/more-historical-fun/dutch-treats/early-impressions-of-new-netherland/
I see afros in this picture, so please post pictures up of mongol native americans with afros.
Afrocentrism is there to balance off the European notions that has become popular opinion. The history that extremist blacks believe is more accurate than the tales Europeans like to write as his story. We actually need more of a balance btwn the two. But it only begins with those who are Afrocentric, speaking on the tales that his story has tried to mask.
There is no such thing as Afrocentrism, there is only truth. So called Afrocentrists use information by whites to verify the truth. When whites call people like myself Afrocentrists, it means that they don’t read or research and are not worthy of speaking to. Besides, since when does a cat let a dog speak on its history. Its high time that we tell them to mind their damn business and stop even letting them into the conversations to begin with.
They just show their ignorance usually and will never have anything to say against verified truth that THEIR historians wrote. Its akin to having a conversation with kindergartners about Tesla and all they are doing is reguritating E=MC squared. Besides most whites are too afraid to even acknowledge the possibility of us being right using the information we point them to.
I didn’t say that blacks were the first in Europe, David MacRitchie a white man said it.
I didn’t say that blacks where in the Americas first. Christopher Columbus did.
But will they acknowledge their own people saying these things? No, they completely skip over them and act like they don’t exist. You cannot teach these people, they have been lied to by their own so much that they are afraid and when you give them information, books, resources, etc by THEIR OWN PEOPLE that counters this you are called an Afrocentrist – its a simple way to deflect from a conversation no different from a child putting their hands into their ears and singing Lalala to its highest pitch. “We have inherited the lies of our fathers” – The Bible.
That is exactly who they are.
Fiction is closer to the truth than the lies around us… I love this article!… I’m happy that there’s history available to us to read and intercept… To not be in the dark… History can explain the simplest thing…. Even why we speak different languages… I’m of African (maroon) and German decent…. I was brought up in a country that’s really lacking in original roots because it has no native persons left but we’ve all mixed or different cultures and found our own identity…. I’m a appreciative of its motto #OutOfManyOnePeople #Blessing #Selah Jah Rastafar I lives!
For those who are interested in more truth please head over to http://www.realhistoryww.com
And for those clowns who try to challenge, again feel free to post up pictures of native americans with afros like below.
http://www.newnetherlandinstitute.org/history-and-heritage/more-historical-fun/dutch-treats/early-impressions-of-new-netherland/
Thank you for this article & the link that was posted. There’s so much history, but all that’s taught is that blacks began with slavery in this country! It’s refreshing to learn of these things, as I always thought there has got to be more to the story. Many think of African ancestors as only slaves, but barely any light is shed on what they were before being rounded up & all their dreams taken away. Our earlier ancestors left the continent of Africa to populate the world, which is why the more folks dig looking for origins, they find us! Those in power have done a fine job for the past 400+ years convincing us that our ancestors were nothing more than savages. As surely as day emerges from night, the TRUTH shall always come to light!
@Wes J
Unfortunately so called African Americans are mixtures of three different black groups primarily.
1. Afro Indians of the Americas
2. Afro Europeans thrown into slavery at the end of the Jacobite wars in Europe
3. Actual africans and most “Africans” were taken to the south to Brazil. We as unlearned fools unfortunately buy into the bullshit myth that Brazil had more freedoms than us so that’s why they have a better connection to the “motherland” with their cultures. That’s nonsense. 1. Brazil was the last place to stop importing Africans through slavery and 2. We don’t have that connection because we were never -directly- from Africa in the first place. If we knew what -really- happened to us who knows what would happen. Black Brazilians while our cousins are NOT part of our direct family tree. Sorry African Americans. Even our Carribbean kin were partially brought there from Europe. Worse yet it isn’t whites that are fooling us nowadays, its our own – Please watch the video below. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i3akC9P_rYQ
Jahdey you fellas need to seriously do a page about the Boule. Our people need to know who our worst enemy is – and how they look just like us!
What? You are displaying cognitive dissonance – you feel that somehow Africa has nothing for you. Don’t let American TV fool you, brother. If it’s ‘economic parity’ that you’re seeking look here for yourself; images that American TV will not show uou about Africa, today. Maybe in some years. https://www.google.ca/search?q=16+african+cities&client=ms-android-hms-tmobile-us&prmd=minv&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&fir=b8ap_-V4TOxurM%253A%252CFETjFq4S-1yjHM%252C_%253BIQmZ5Mr-DaB-sM%253A%252CFETjFq4S-1yjHM%252C_%253BRSeFMFudy-JRaM%253A%252CYSEwt1FTAwcCwM%252C_%253BtsFuYIWBOo9mrM%253A%252CuLfdRzai7Xe_JM%252C_%253Ba8ub_C7WhzBY0M%253A%252CRFSXRPs-4a3IgM%252C_%253Bub0DIBzdzMZrhM%253A%252CKu4v6dUxGPzJyM%252C_%253BKYxiZocoxJQJVM%253A%252Cc9KbbooHwpShLM%252C_%253BD9CVI8yFKOZ_kM%253A%252Ct8-eh35n9migRM%252C_%253B4Cr8BdMtEeff5M%253A%252CXXndjbEXHxcv9M%252C_%253BrU-8BEMBayQ4bM%253A%252CGGJPTik3HsNh2M%252C_&usg=__jq4FgShpfKAXK9ioVUEJciefgeo%3D&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiH3-Xz7vHLAhXjnYMKHZFHCokQ7AkILw&biw=360&bih=559#tbm=isch&q=african+cities
This is so amazing too know your history that the Queen Califia was over California too Hawaii and blacks were in California before all cultures came in. I never said anything first time posting stop hating