This week. I will be focusing on obtaining 10 more saliva samples from the remaining founding families needed, namely: Herrera, Melo, Sánchez, Bernal, Soto, Carvajal, Pérez, Olivas, Aybar, Rodríguez, Enríquez, Gutierrez, León, Araújo, and Cabral. In addition to this, I will be interviewing Mr. Valera and Mr. Agramonte, Baní's historians. I hope to receive key information in uncovering the lost identity of the Banilejos.
This afternoon I visited Mr. Valera's home once again. It is always a pleasure to speak to him and listen to what he has to say. The following is a transcription of the interview:
Yehonatán: When did the first colonizers arrived to Baní?
Mr. Valera: The first colonizers arrived circa 1510. They were Spaniards from Andalusia.
Yehonatán: Did they have any special characteristics to them?
Mr. Valera: In the rural areas of Baní, the people have a particular physiognomy. We have noticed that the people from El Llano, Bocacansta, and Sombrero have similar phenotype. However, the people from Cañafistol are very different; they usually have hawk-type noses, and upper lips, like your own. My grandfather also had his lips like yours. That is an indication of Andalusian origin.
Yehonatán: Why are the physiognomies different between these two regions?
Mr. Valera: I presume that the people from Cañafistol came at a later date, whereas those from the other rural towns came from the Canary Islands.
Yehonatán: Who were the first settlers that arrived to Baní in the 16th century?
Mr. Valera: They were connected to the Colón family and the Kings of Spain. Some of the first families to arrive were the Guerrero and Báez. The Guerrero were Andalusians and the Báez were first on the Iberian peninsula, then migrated to Hispaniola via Canary Islands. However, Báez is not a last name. It was originally a Jewish name, being "Weiss", which latter became Báez.
Yehonatán: So this name was Jewish from Germany and was latinized into Báez?
Mr. Valera: Correct! The Báez family is the root of all families in Baní.
Yehonatán: When did the Canary Islanders begin to arrive?
Mr. Valera: They arrived in 1718.
Yehonatán: Which are the founding families that arrived from the Canary Islands?
Mr. Valera: Suazo, and others that have disappeared. Let me see if I remember them. Montanel, Arrocha, and Niebla. The Niebla's came from Laguna.
Yehonatán: Did the first settlers migrate as single men or with families?
Mr. Valera: No! They came with their families. We don't see any single men in the records.
Yehonatán: Is is possible that some of them were "New Christians" or so-called "Marranos?"
Mr. Valera: We here affirm that. We have a tradition the Caraballo were connected to the Guerrero family. It is said that there is a mountain here called "Caraballo Hill," where the coffee is planted. Caraballo comes from Carvalho, a Portuguese surname. They were from the Canary Islands, and were possibly Jews. We here have a tradition in Baní that we descend from Jews and that our entrepreneurial spirit comes from our background. It is also said that the wells that were dug was due to the Jews, and not Billini, who came later.
Yehonatán: Why is Matanzas called by that name?
Mr. Valera: It is called Matanzas (slaughters) because that is where the animals were sacrificed and meat was sold. Also, the skin was used to make shoes.
Yehonatán: Which of those Andalusian or Islander families practiced endogamy?
Mr. Valera: All of them!
Yehonatán: All of them?
Mr. Valera: All of them! Baní is the town with the most extensive and exact ecclesiastical records in the country, because we are all cousins.
Yehonatán: That means that my study will demonstrate a high level of endogamy in Baní.
Mr. Valera: Yes, of course!
Yehonatán: How many matriarchs do you think we have in Baní?
Mr. Valera: There are many. It is was common that a man would marry the sister of his deceased wife and for an uncle to marry his niece. This information shocks people when I tell them, producing certain aversion to it, but that is the reality.
Yehonatán: Do you know of any records in Baní that may indicate the presence of Jews, such as Inquisition records?
Mr. Valera: I saw a baptismal record in 1697 where it mentions Don Juan Ortiz, the principal officer of the Inquisition, being the godfather of the child. Therefore, the Inquisition's presence was here.
Yehonatán: Which families in Baní came from Portugal?
Mr. Valera: The Caraballo's, the Bentacourt's, the Decena's, and the Araújo's.
Yehonatán: Do you know of any customs that the Banilejos have that may be of Jewish origin?
Mr. Valera: In the Juzgado de Paz archives, it mentions that the midwives would circumcise the male children. This is mentioned there because of the cases where a child may be at risk of death and the ritual to be performed may be dangerous to the child.
Yehonatán: There is a tradition here of sweeping trash from the front door towards the middle. This has been identified in the Inquisition records as a Judaizing custom from Iberia. Do you know of any indications of a mezuzáh here?
Mr. Valera: I have seen in the rural areas of Baní where people still have a triangle-shaped figure on their doorposts, which is like what the Jews use. All of the rural towns of Baní where built first.
END
It is evident from Mr. Valera's account, that there was a strong Jewish prescence, enough to catch the eye of the Inquisition. I told him after the interview that I have been able to identify many customs of the Banilejos as Jewish customs from Iberia; he had no idea! I caught his attention and then he started to ask about specific traditions. He applauded me for my work and invited me to come again before leaving to the States. I told him that thanks to his work on genealogy (which I found at the FIU library), I was able to do my research and confirm my hypothesis.
On my way back to the hotel, I received a message from one of the subjects, inviting me to a tv interview tonight on a local channel, so that I can present my work. I hope to gather the remaining DNA samples and interviews needed through this advertisement.
After taking the three samples, I then drove about 10 km northwest of Baní to a rural urbanization called Arroyo La Angostura. I had to ask the people at least three times for the name, since it was difficult to memorize. I had not heard of this place before. As I drove away from the city of Baní, the scenery changed. It seemed as if I were in a desert. The terrain was arid, and the background was mountainous. I noticed that once upon a time, there were many riverbeds that are now dried up. In fact, there was no rain this May season. 
Finally, I interviewed Mrs. Rivera Lara. She had a recent lung operation. I was not sure if I should interview her or not. To my surprise, she consented to the interview despite her condition. I soon found out that Mrs. Rivera Lara was the daughter of two 1st-generation cousins. Her knowledge of family traditions were very clear in her mind. Unfortunately, she apologized for having forgotten the names of her grandparents. When I asked her why her family washed their hands upon leaving the cemetery, she said, because it was bad not to do so. She also added that even though she learned not to eat outside of her home, she would do it because of the extreme poverty. She was very honest. What startled me a bit was that her family killed the chicken by striking it with a stick on its back.
I woke up early this morning to meet Padre Germán at the Parroquia de Santa Cruz. I had been trying to reach him for the past 2 weeks, without success. I finally met him. When I reached the door, I shouted, "hello!" Suddenly a tall Haitian man said, "yes! Come in!" He then pointed to his left where the priest was sitting. Apparently he was the security. Padre Germán stood up and greeted me with warmth and a smile. He was dressed with a white shirt and with his preaching bands. He then asked me, "how can I help you?" I introduced myself and my project. He then started telling me about key people in Baní that could help me. He mentioned a Dagoberto Tejada, who is a fountain of knowledge on the Banilejos and has an office at the Centro cultural. He also mentioned Alexis Agramonte, who gave a speech last night about the history of the Banilejos. Finally, he also mentioned that I should speak with Mr. Manuel Valera. I told him that I already had spoken with him. He then told me that Baní is a special city because it is the third most important city of the Dominican Republic. He was proud to mention that the colonialists that founded Baní bought the lands, and that the inhabitants of Baní are a product of that truth. At this point, I was not sure that he was going to give me access and entry to obtaining 10 more women to interview from his community. He then added, "what can I do for you?" I told him that I needed a formal presentation before his community after a mass, in order to acquire 10 more women to interview. He agreed to do this introduction this upcoming Sunday at 8:30 am. He told me to arrive earlier so that he would know exactly what he is going to say. Padre Germán was happy that I am performing this kind of research. He said, "excelente trabajo!" Then I thanked him for his help and went my way, as he blessed me for the day.
Next, I met Mrs. Lara Díaz, who happens to be the secretary of Dra. Pimentel Mejía. After explaining what the investigation entailed, she agreed to participate and signed the consent form. She then noticed that it was in English and said, "how am I to understand this?" I assured her that everything that I explained was perfectly translated. Now I know for the next time that I will have to translate the consent forms. So, we began with the genealogy. She knew up to her great-grandmother. She made a quick phone call to confirm more of her grandparents. I began asking the usual questions about marriage arrangements in the family; she did not express anything out of the ordinary. Her family is interesting in that they were nominal Catholics and years later, some of them became evangelical Christians. I noticed that she did not have knowledge of many customs of her family. This has to be due to her age (34). I infer that there is a generation gap of knowledge between those that are younger than 50 years old. The younger generation has lost awareness of superstitions and traditions. However, Mrs. Lara Díaz did have knowledge of the weekend preparations in her family. She added that she still keeps this tradition. Her family accustoms to clean the house every Friday and wears the best clothing for Saturday and Sunday. She did mention that her mother would not cook on Saturday, but that she would buy the food. I had a particular interest of the ethical behavior of the family and especially the custom of the men wearing hats the entire time. She also added that the women would cover their hair with scarves. When I asked her if she knew about the Inquisition or having Jewish ancestry, she denied having that knowledge, but heard that there were Spanish ancestors along the maternal lineage. After the interview, she was curious about my questions. I shared some of the meanings and origins of the superstitions. She was amazed that these practices could be so old. She wondered if I was religious. When I told her that I was a Jew, she was amazed and I showed her my kippá (under my hat). She then proceeded to ask me a plethora of questions. I told her that it would take me at least a month to explain our tradition and way of life. She did not even know what or who are Jews.
