Mariguana

Hemp History

The word marijuana.....

Many people have speculated on the etymology of Marijuana.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marijuana_(word)

https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/marijuana

“Nothing is known for certain about the origins of the Mexican Spanish word.”

Spanish Word Histories and Mysteries

In these entries and many, many more they state the origin of the word cannot be determined….

This is my little story about the word Mariguana, which can be tied directly to cannabis from a Mexican Farmacopea book in 1846… also several other old books (1)1846, (2)1885, (3)1907, (4)1921

Which then most would agree the words marihuana and marijuana came from mariguana. One other thing I should mention is marijuana is a Spanish surname also which I did not include.

What do we know about the word mariguana….

First

It is an island in the Bahamas discovered by Columbus in 1492, it has another name now but was known as Mariguana Island for many years. (5)1740, (6)1882, (7)1895

The 1740 book is written about the history of Peru, Tierra Firme, Chile and Grenada...

So Mariguana was know as an island in the Bahamas in South America .... before 1740

It still is known as -

Mariguana Island: Bahamas, The

SOURCE: National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency, Bethesda, MD, USA

But it changed its name now to Mayaguana Island or the old books spelled it wrong ?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mayaguana -- Wiki article does not mention Mariguana

Second

Mariguana is a word meaning frog in the native Taino (Arawakan) language pre Columbus’s arrival.

Languages of the Pre-Columbian Antilles, Julian Granberry, Gary Vescelius (8)2004 includes mariguana….

From the table below from the book, it appears the word means frog….

Looking at this table from the book, it's not very hard to determine where possible connections to marijuana came from either.

“frog | mako,mariwana,tona | <maco><mariguana><tona>”

Third - another option….

This is an article which appeared in several newspapers on July 22, 1900, which was also included in a book ; The American Antiquarian and Oriental Journal (9) 1905

Complete article from newspaper; the author of the article is not listed. It mentions the Sabobas Indian Tribe and a superstition they had about a particular mountain peak, Tahquitz peak is in California near San Jacinto….

The Luiseño language is a Uto-Aztecan language of California spoken by the Luiseño

“The Indians said the stuff he had smoked was mariguana, and not tobacco. Mariguana has strange power over the mind but is not usually so strong as to deprive one of his reason for any length of time. They believe the long pipe and pouch of mariguana were bewitched. On summer days when the blue haze hangs over Tauquitz and the drowsy rumbling is heard, the Indians shake their heads and speak of Timoteo and his horrible fate. They tell their children the legend of Tauquitz and the pouch of mariguana. Not a child nor a grown Indian in that region can be induced to approach the peak for fear that a new device of enchantment may entangle their footsteps and capture their reason sending them wandering over the earth like Timoteo, eating roots and berries and holding converse with unseen creatures.”

International Journal of American Linguistics, Volume 1 (10) 1920

Aztec love prayer including Rosa Maria,

The Tepecano language is an extinct indigenous language of Mexico belonging to the Uto-Aztecan language-family

“This prayer is the native's substitute for the love potions of the European necromancer.

When a boy desires the love of a girl who has given him no encouragement he must first fast five days. Then if he does not know the prayer he must secure the services of one who does, paying him for the labor. He has first stealthily secured some article of apparel worn by the girl. A figure or doll is made from this and another from one of his garments. The latter is decorated with the flowers of five narcotic plants guizache, palo mulato, garambullo, rosa maria and toloache.”

In the Mexican Farmacopea the whole name for Cannabis Indica is Mariguana o Rosa Maria

Conclusion

So I believe the word which is used for cannabis now, came from the inhabitants of the West Indies before Columbus’s arrival in 1492.

I was not able to find out how or when mariguana, started to be used to represent cannabis, but found several references...

One possible link....

The Taino word for frog is mariguana, mariwana

According to this article..

https://www.mythicalcreaturescatalogue.com/post/2016/06/05/cueyatl-mexico

“In the ceremonial center of Tenochtitlan (what it's now Down Town Mexico City), several sculptural representations show the veneration that the natives had for frogs (Cueyatl or Cuiyatl). Some indication exist that the Cueyatl (frogs) are associated with the deity Tlaltecuhtli. Tlaltecuhtli is the Aztec’s monstrous earth god.”

The story about Tauquitz peak is about the earth shaking, and two people using mariguana.

With one of them wondering the earth because of it...

Could a frog god got called by another name... which then somehow started to be tied with cannabis.

One thing I can say is the Spanish ruled and enslaved the inhabitants of many of these islands for hundreds of years. They also controlled much of the Southern US, Mexico, South America, Central America, etc.... One thing they did is ban the native inhabitants from using their native languages, which may have something to do with cannabis being associated with mariguana….

Even though cannabis is not native to the America’s, I believe that in most cases cannabis seeds were taken along by the Explorers on their trips…. A proven source of fiber would have been essential to their journeys. So I believe cannabis would have been introduced as soon as they started to arrive.... as well, the explorers needed to determine what other fiber sources may be available.

I included some other search references at bottom

References

(1)

Farmacopea mexicana formada y publicada por la Academia farmacéutica de la Capital de la República

Academia farmaceutica, Mexico, Impr. á cargo de Manuel N. de la Vega, 1846

the University of Michigan

https://books.google.com/books

(2)

Proceedings of the American Pharmaceutical Association at the Annual Meeting

American Pharmaceutical Association., 1885

Cornell University

https://books.google.com/books

(3)

Botánica descriptiva: Compendio de la flora española y estudio especial de las plantas criptógamas y fanerógamas, indígenas y exóticas, que tienen aplicaciones en medicina, agricultura, industría y horticultura …

Blas Lázaro é Ibiza, Librería de los Sucesores de Hernando, 1907

wiki/Blas_Lazaro_Ibiza (1858 - 1921) - Spanish botanist, phycologist and mycologist

https://books.google.com/books

This botany book lists several cultivars of cannabis,

Cannabis Sativa -- 3 meters

Cannabis Indica -- 6-7 meter height

Cannabis Chinensis - 6 meter height

(4)

International Medical and Surgical Survey: Obstetrics and pediatrics, Volume 2, Issue 11

American Institute of Medicine, 1921

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

https://books.google.com/books

(5)

Aviso historico, politico, geographico, con las noticias mas particulares del Peru, Tierra-Firme, Chile, y nuevo reyno de Granada, en la relacion de los sucessos de 205. años, por la chronologia de los adelantados, presidentes, governadores, y virreyes de aquel reyno meridional, desde el año de …

Historical, political, geographical notice, with the most particular news from Peru, Tierra-Firme, Chile, and the new king of Granada, in the relation of the events of 205. years, by the chronology of the advanced, presidents, governors, and viceroys of that southern king, since the year of ...

Dionisio de Alsedo y Herrera, D.M. de Peralta, 1740

Lyon Public Library

https://books.google.com/books

(6)

Report of the Superintendent ... Showing the Progress of the Work

U.S. Government Printing Office, 1882

the University of Michigan

https://books.google.com/books

(7)

The Century Dictionary: The Century cyclopedia of names ed. by Benjamin E. Smith ... vol. I

William Dwight Whitney, Benjamin Eli Smith, Century Company, 1895

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign