The Higa
by Noel Wells
An amulet is defined by Microsoft Encarta Encyclopedia 2000, titled “Amulet,” as “any object worn as a charm. An amulet is most often a stone or piece of metal, with either an inscription or figures engraved on it. Usually suspended from the neck, it is worn as a guard against sickness or witchcraft.”
The word “Amulet” is derived from the Arabic “Hamala,” meaning “to carry.” The Hamala also refers to the necklace that faithful Muslims hang their Qurans on. However, it is not just an Islamic tradition, as many other cultures have similar practices and beliefs. These charms date back to at least 5000 BC. The ancient Egyptians adorned their bracelets with the ankh, a symbol of life, and the eye of Horus, the sun god. The ancient Greeks, as well as the early Jews, carried amulets and charms.
Unsurprisingly, due to this widespread use of charms throughout the ancient world, the early Christian church eventually inherited the use of amulets. The usual inscription on these Christian charms was “ichthys,” the Greek word for “fish.” This word was chosen because it contained the initials of the Greek words for Jesus Christ, Son of God, and Savior. Christians sometimes wore a copy of St. John’s Gospel on a cross or necklace or put a copy of the Lord’s Prayer in their shoes. (Microsoft Encarta Encyclopedia 2000, titled “Amulet.”)
The new Church version of Christianity brought with it different amulets and charms, and rules. The old pagan religions, practiced for millennia, were now considered witchcraft by the Church, and many innocent pagans were labeled as witches. High illiteracy rates and ignorance caused the average person to be more easily bent to the will of their more educated Christian leaders.
Pagan rituals were linked to the powers of darkness or witchcraft. Christians became obsessed with mythical signs of evil, such as dangerous spirits, goblins, and trolls. Rabbits, which play in the moonlight, were thought of as disguised witches, because witches, as everyone knew, used rabbits in their spells and potions. Christians quickly adopted the rabbit’s foot as a talisman.
The early Christians found other symbols for luck. A horseshoe with the opening facing heaven was good for warding off evil. Birthstones, rings, coins, and the St. Christopher medal were all used. Some of them are still used today.
Amulets became so common among Christians that in the fourth century A.D., the clergy were forbidden to make or sell them on pain of deprivation of holy orders. In the 7th century, the wearing of amulets was solemnly condemned. (Microsoft Encarta Encyclopedia 2000) This condemnation did little to stop or slow the popularity of amulets. Unceasing faith in charms was to continue for many hundreds of years.
It’s not clear when the popular amulet called “Higa” or “Figa,” or less often “Fig,” came into use, but as evidenced by its long history, it is one of the most enduring. Examples have been found dating to the Roman era, and even the Roman predecessors, the ancient Etruscans, used the higa charms.
Pablo E. Perez-Mallaina finds the earliest mention of the higa, in the context of Spanish usage, in “Spain’s Men of the Sea, Daily Life on the Indies Fleets in the Sixteenth Century.” The Johns Hopkins University Press, 1998. Pg. 243. “The superstitions of the men of the sea were not expressed through prayers alone.” “There were also cursed islands and places where it was believed that devils raised up great storms.” Heated arguments began regarding whether the ship should pass to the north or to the south of cursed places, i.e., the Bermuda Islands, which had a particularly bad reputation with sailors. “To avoid the evil eye, the crew members wore around their necks the well-known ‘figs,’ that is, small amulets shaped like hands with the thumb placed between the index finger and the middle finger, which have been found in abundance in the remains of shipwrecks.” The reference used by the author says, “Specifically, the Museo de las Casas Reales de Santo Domingo (Dominican Republic) houses various amulets of this type, which came from shipwrecks that occurred on the coasts of that island.”
The first dated mention of the higa is found on page 68 in Jewels in Spain, by Priscilla E. Muller. “… Children’s charms (brinquenos infantiles) of gold, silver, and jet inventoried in 1569 include bells, crosses, reliquaries, and higas with handles shaped as saints …” Other mentions of higas appear in this study. “Badajoz jewelers in 1589 traded in higas of ivory and jet … Coral higas, or fist-shaped amulets directed against the “evil eye,” and diminutive “button” (botocillos) of coral were worked, as is clear from an entry in the Philip II inventory …” (Page 68, 69) An illustration on page 69, figure 94, in Jewels of Spain, of a rock crystal higa, shows the thumb prominently placed between the middle and index finger, as defined by Perez-Mallaina.
We are told that Brazilians often give little children a figa charm to protect them against bad spirits. “The lucky figa is a clenched hand with the thumb sticking up between the index and second fingers.” We are also cautioned, “the figa is considered obscene in other countries.”
The catalog by Stephen V. Grancsay, Curator of ArmsInsignia of a family or country, containing specific figures and colors and passed along through hereditary lineage. and Armor for the Metropolitan Museum of Art, of the loan exhibition of equestrian equipment to the J.B. Speed Art Museum, in Louisville, Kentucky, May 4 to July 3, 1955, shows a Spanish ring bit dating to the 16th century. This bit has 10 attached pendants called “ornamental charms representing the closed fist to avert the evil eye.” These charms, with the thumbs thrust between the fingers, are easily identified as higas.
In recent years, higas have been found on the beaches adjacent to the Spanish fleet of 1715. One of these beach-found higas was shaped onto the handle of a silver spoon and displayed the thumb symbol. Another beach find higa, was a gold fist with a gold ring and bail, made for hanging or wearing. This example had a flower petal attached to the wrist portion of the higa by two bails and a ring, or loop. This artifact was made from high karat gold and weighed 2.3 grams. The remains of the early Spanish mission site of San Louis, near Tallahassee, Florida, have yielded higas. (James Levy. Personal Communication.) Excavations in St. Augustine have also turned up higas, and one of these was made of wood. (John Powell, PhD. Personal communication.)
Throughout the years, there have been many different kinds of hand gestures. In America, we instantly recognize a closed fist as a threat — a bad gesture. Or the “thumbs up” as positive encouragement. We know the “O” made with the forefinger touching the thumb is “OK” — a good gesture. Everyone has seen the fist with the middle finger raised, meaning … well, a bad gesture. In other countries, hand gestures may have very different meanings. In 16th-century Spain, the forefinger touching the thumb suggests “… the position of the mano cornuta, a potent gesture directed against evil …” (Jewels in Spain, Page 69). We were warned earlier that the figa is considered obscene in some countries outside of Brazil. Whether the figa is used as an apotropaic gesture or worn as an amulet, to be classed as a figa, or higa, it must have the thumb placed between the fingers. This clearly seems to be the only representation that is recognized in the countries that cling to the belief in the higa as a talisman.
During the 2000 salvage season, the motor vessel Endeavor recovered a cuprous higa. (Artifact number 46253) The artifact was so well preserved that, other than a freshwater bath, it required little conservation. The condition of the piece is so nearly perfect that the only imperfections show as faint cracking in the metal. These can be seen only under magnification and are not in any way serious, but merely metal fatigue in some of the striations caused when the piece was made. The minute remains of gilding on the outside surface of the hook can be detected under magnification, giving a hint of how this piece may have once looked.
As higas go, this one is probably average in size, measuring 2.5 cm in length and 8 cm across the hand. The hook-like loop measures 1 cm across the extreme outside. The weight is 2.5 grams.
Having a clear understanding of the form and function of higas, we are now left wondering how this particular higa was displayed. Given the rather large, heavy hook used for hanging, it does not appear to have been hung from a bracelet or necklace. What seems a good likelihood is the kind of use we see illustrated in the 16th-century ring bit. Knowing the Spanish pride in, and value they placed on their horses, one can easily imagine the higa commonly displayed on various pieces of horse tack and accoutrement. An example of this veneration for their horses can be found in Bernal Diaz Del Castillo’s memoirs called “The Discovery and Conquest of Mexico and New Spain.” (John Ingram Lockhart, F.R.A.S. Published in London by J. Hatchard and Son, 187 Piccadilly. 1844.) On page 53 of Volume I, Diaz uses several paragraphs to carefully describe the horses taken to the New World by Cortez, in preparation for war with the natives.
Another animal that accompanied the Spanish to the New World and received several mentions in various chronicles was the war hound. These fierce dogs were used extensively during the conquests. They were trained to track down and kill, and occasionally, eat the natives. These were most often greyhounds (The De Soto Chronicles: The Expedition of Hernando de Soto to North America in 1539 — 1543 Volume I, by Lawrence A. Clayton, Vernon James Knight Jr., and Edward C. More. The University of Alabama Press, Tuscaloosa: 1993, page 257), but other breeds were used as well. Once more, perhaps, we can imagine that the dogs may have worn higas on their collars or leashes. We have no evidence that would indicate that higas were used on any other kinds of equipment, gear, or accessories. There is no reason to suspect the higa was used to avert the evil eye from the ships, either. One may correctly infer that the higa was only used to repel evil from living beings.
