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Queen Califia | Did You Know California Was Named After A Native Black Woman?

10:00 AM

Queen Califia bust and painitng representation
Artistic representations of Queen Califia


Was California was named after, Queen Califia, a Black Amazon warrior Queen?


 Spanish writer, Garci Rodríguez de Montalvo, wrote about Queen Califia in 1500 in his novel,Las sergas de Esplandián (The Adventures of Esplandián). Califia was said to rule an “island nation” where gold was the only metal. Whoopi Goldberg even depicted Queen Califia in the Disneyland Film, Golden Dreams.

A seven foot high panel of Califia with her Amazons at the Mark Hopkins Intercontinental Hotel in San Francisco was created for the opening of the hotel in 1926, by Maynard Dixon and Frank Von Sloun. Louise Lloyd created a depiction entitled The Naming of California, which can be seen in Sacramento in the Senate Rules Committee Hearing Chamber on the 4th floor of the State Building.

Africa Resource writes:

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 Califia.

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.”

“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.”

Some may refer to Queen Califia as a mythical character, but why would there be so many exhibits dedicated to someone if they didn’t really exist?

Original Article Found At TheAfroLounge.com

mural of Queen Califia
Queen Califia mural


 The creation of the name California is celebrated on September 9, 1850 (official date Ca. STATEHOOD). The designation “California” is another piece of African American history (derived from a knightly romance book that was published in 1510). The story was about an island paradise
near the Indies where a Black Queen Califia ruled. She was the leader a country of Black Amazons with masses of pearls and gold. Men were only allowed on Califia one day a year to help perpetuate the race.

Legends of Queen Califia and mythology

more artwork and bust of Queen Califia When the Spanish first began exploring the Pacific Coast they thought that they were in search of a magical island, one filled with big black women and packed with gold.

That's because there was this book called Las Sergas de Esplandián, written by a Spaniard named Garci Rodríguez de Montalvo. In the book, there was a mythical, mystical island named California.

Garci envisioned the island inhabited only by large black women, no men, and their queen was named Califa.


 Seriously, look at this excerpt from Wikipedia Etymology of California

 From the novel Las Sergas de Esplandián
The Island of California, from a map circa 1650. Restored.

California was the name given to a mythical island populated only by beautiful black Amazon warriors using gold tools and weapons in the popular early 16th-century romance novel Las Sergas de Esplandián (The Adventures of Esplandián) by Spanish author Garci Rodríguez de Montalvo. This popular Spanish novel was printed in several editions with the earliest surviving edition published about 1510.

The novel described the Island of California as being east of the Asian mainland, "very close to the side of the Terrestrial Paradise; and it is peopled by black women, without any man among them, for they live in the manner of Amazons." The Island was ruled by Queen Calafia. When the Spanish started exploring the Pacific coast they applied this name on their maps to what is now called the Baja California Peninsula, which they originally thought was an island. Once the name was on the maps it stuck.

“Know ye that on the right hand of the Indies there is an island called California, very near the Terrestrial Paradise and inhabited by black women without a single man among them and living in the manner of Amazons. They are robust of body, strong and passionate in the heart, and of great valor. Their island is one of the most rugged in the world with bold rocks and crags. Their arms are all of gold, as is the harness of the wild beasts which, after taming, they ride. In all the island there is no other metal. . . .”
Kind of amazing right?  This stuff is not taught in the schools.

beautiful mural of Queen Califia

There is a strong Moorish connection to the story of Queen Califa as well can be expected considering the strong Moorish influence on Spanish culture.  Check out this excerpt from Wiki:

In the novel, Queen Calafia is a pagan who is convinced to raise an army of women warriors and sail away from California with a large flock of trained griffins so that she can join a Muslim battle against Christians who are defending Constantinople. In the siege, the griffins harm enemy and friendly forces, so they are withdrawn. Calafia and her ally Radiaro fight in single combat against the Christian leaders, a king and his son the knight Esplandián. Calafia is bested and taken prisoner, and she converts to Christianity. She marries a cousin of Esplandián and returns with her army to California for further adventures.[2]

The name of Calafia was likely formed from the Arabic word khalifa (religious state leader) which is known as caliph in English and califa in Spanish. Similarly, the name of Calafia's monarchy, California, likely originated from the same root, fabricated by the author to remind the 16th-century Spanish reader of the reconquista, a centuries-long fight between Christians and Muslims which had recently concluded in Spain. The character of Calafia is used by Rodríguez de Montalvo to portray the superiority of chivalry in which the attractive virgin queen is conquered, converted to Christian beliefs and married off. The book was very popular for many decades—Hernán Cortés read it—and it was selected by author Miguel de Cervantes as the first of many popular and assumed harmful books to be burnt by characters in his famous novel Don Quixote.[2]

Calafia, also called Califia, has been depicted as the Spirit of California, and has been the subject of modern-day sculpture, paintings, stories and films; she often figures in the myth of California's origin, symbolizing an untamed and bountiful land prior to Europeans taking the land by force.

Seriously I can't make this stuff up.

Disney even hired Whoopi Goldberg to portray Queen Califia in show called Golden Dreams that was shown at Disney Land.


 Golden Dreams was a 23-minute film and multimedia experience showing the history of California through several recreated scenes, narrated by Whoopi Goldberg as Califia, the Queen of California. A bust of Goldberg attired in queenly raiment was the target of a projected image showing Goldberg narrating the story—the sculpture appeared to come to life.

   

Sources:
 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Etymology_of_California

 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calafia

http://www.theafrolounge.com/2013/12/11/california-was-named-after-a-black-queen/

 https://domoregooddeeds.wordpress.com/2013/02/07/queen-califia-the-real-amazons/

http://www.afrigeneas.com/states/ca/index-links.html#Queen

http://www.frenchcreoles.com/CreoleCulture/famouscreoles/Adah%20Menken%20Isaac/SAVANNAH%20CHURCHILLcalifa.html

http://russcugno.blogspot.com/2011/10/califia-queen-of-california.html

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30 comments

  1. I'm afraid that this is wholly erroneous.

    It is a name given to the inhospitably HOT lands of Baja California *by _Hernán Cortez*_ .

    California is Spanish, and is a compound word comprised of two 16th century Spanish words: Cali = adjective meaning "heat" + fornia < forno < OVEN. California is a LATER name given to the entire region of Spanish occupation; it was originally name Las Californias Plural.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. He just shovel you a heap of bullshit brotha..I'm college educated and I've learned that when it comes to our creation of science math calenders, medicine, pyramid etc. They make great efforts to make you believe these things aren't true..We are the best kept secret because if we were all awakened at the same time, this world would operate much differently!! Ase

      Delete
    2. On the real my mama collects old books and we have a hella old printing of the spanish story,gorgeous lithographs,
      THIS STORY IS VERY REAL AND I HAVE IT

      Delete
    3. On the real my mama collects old books and we have a hella old printing of the spanish story,gorgeous lithographs,
      THIS STORY IS VERY REAL AND I HAVE IT

      Delete
    4. calentar el horno is heat oven in spainish

      Delete
    5. Anonymous12:40 PM

      Miss Solis are the books your Moms collected found in libraries? If so please share book titles and authors

      Delete
  2. Please don't endure false information.

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    Replies
    1. You can say what you want but all you have to do is Google it and type in who is california named after it will show you the picture and wiki of the African queen in plain sight and besides the article is not about the etymology of the word California it's about its history

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    2. The Queen wasnt Spanish. So im sure her name meant something different in her language. Caliente means hot but it does not mean California

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  3. There is always a K9 that comes in and put his watered down truth in it..Damn Europeans..try their Damnst to take away all the knowledge they've gained through us..If it wasn't for the Moors who helped civilize they filthy bubonic plage having ass they would have been extinct by now! Smallpox in all measles amongst a host of other disgusting diseases from letting their animals run inside of their filthy homes. Them funky Euro-Portuguese & Euro-Spainards are some evil bible toting savages..Such a young race with recessive mutated genes! No wonder they must contiue to dominate and oppress their counterparts. Because we all know Black is the dominate gene and for the most part the sun is rejecting they white ASS!

    #Melanin

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    Replies
    1. It's interesting how whites make our Queens either appear non black or mythical with no birthdate or death date, so California's army can fight against Christians defending Constantinople which is named after Constantine who is "real" but California who is named after Khalifa is "mythical" because she's black? White people are unbelievable!!! So real people battled a mythical character?

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    2. Ms. Crystal, Continue on speaking the truth. They always want the glory for everything and never lift and finger

      Delete
    3. Ms. Crystal, Continue on speaking the truth. They always want the glory for everything and never lift and finger

      Delete
    4. The book THE MYTH OF ANDALUSIAN PARADISE by Dario Fernandez-Morera. This is a history of the Muslims and their conduct in Spain. It is unlike any other. It is not politically correct. The information is well documented.

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  4. I'm so excited to have found this. There is so much to know when it comes to black peoples legacy around the world

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    Replies
    1. Anonymous10:31 AM

      You should see the history of black people in Israel. These Black Native peoples were Hebrews who'd escaped Assyrian captivity hundreds of years prior and who had sailed to the Americas and settled th4ir. THEY were the first people of the New World.

      Read a book titled Lost Tribes and Promised Lands by Rudolph R Windsor.

      Delete
    2. Quuen Califa4:15 AM

      Exactly...WE are the True Jews.

      Delete
  5. A mythical queen in a fictional story? Perfect for the bizarre rarity that is California.

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  6. Thank you for providing more information on the origin. This information expands what is currently available about the origin of California. Some Europeans act like Jesus was white so I research everything I am told.

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  7. Anonymous6:04 AM

    History has a way of being "whitewashed" and in general truth is what you learn
    as you go through life,truth and lies,fact and fiction are mirror images siblings who look alike.Time buries the truth and the victors bury the legends of the conquered​.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Hi, are you aware that your site is infected with the virus:HTML/Exokit.Gen2?

    I ask because Avira just now blocked it. I thought someone should know. Too bad could have been a good resource.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Anonymous11:06 PM

    The name California originates from the Spanish conquistadors, after Califia, a mythical island paradise described in Las Serges de Esplandian by Garcia Ordonez de Montalvo ​(a Spanish romance written about 1510)

    ReplyDelete
  10. The lengths that the black American will go to expose their lack of culture is QUITE amazing. All of this tuff is made up .

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Made up by WHO exactly? The article gave you a backdrop of the history. You can research from there.

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    2. WE'RE NOT BLACK IT'S A COLOR NOT A NATIONALITY THERE'S NO SUCH COUNTRY CALLED BLACK GENIUS.

      Delete
  11. The following is something we sent out a couple of days ago and we just happened to run into this blog a few minutes ago.

    Greetings All. This msg is related to those things Afrikan (by default of birth and dna) ppl allow to sidetrack them from being Afrikan in being. Things like this also stop there progress towards collective prosperity. This is simple info that, on this was end, we have been aware of for years... BEFORE Wikipedia...yet Wikipedia has the basics right there in our faces.

    Mythological "island of California" made up by whites. Whole concept of California being "founded" by a black woman comes from this myth. At some point, black americans will have to accept the fact that they have accepted being the cultural children of others. Eventually, some will become Afrikan and escape the black american quagmire.
    https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Island_of_California

    Also, so called Queen Khalifa was created as a MYTH in a NOVEL by whites. The search for validation from others by the black american has become fairly embarrassing as these myths are continually perpetuated by the "conscious/woke" people that don't know they are cultural children and that "woke/conscious" is just another feel good mechanism no different than the religious opium passed out by islamic imams on Friday's and christian preachers on sunday - or any given day. Smh.
    https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calafia

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous8:25 AM

      Things get so ignorant, when we stop searching. Stop it. Stop hating what you don't know. Just leave it alone, for your own sake. Travel for the truth, in heart, mind, spirit,and reality. It's like people walked on the moon . . .and never went back? Or what's is really happening in/on the south pole. We are not only talking about history, or reality o reality, but also plausibility (if we can work with that word. . .) I usually don't like to throw this out in the ether . . .But,nothing is created least it come out of darkness. . .roll with that , and please enjoy your own truths. Live long and prosper. . .

      Delete
  12. I wonder where inspiration comes from?

    ReplyDelete

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