Miskito Religion

The Miskitos are a indigenous people of Central America who speak the native Miskito language. Many can also speak Miskito Coast Creole, Spanish, English, and German. Spanish is the language of education and government. Some African people arrived at the Mosquito Coast from wrecked slave ships in the mid-17th century. These people, along with escaped slaves from nearby Providence Island colony, settled around Cape Gracias a Dios and intermarried with the indigenous people. Those living in the southern (Nicaraguan) region were less racially mixed. Rivalries between these two groups and competition for territory often led to wars, which were divisive in the 18th century. English privateers working through the Providence Island Company made informal alliances with the Miskito and began to crown Miskito leaders as kings, or chiefs, whose territory was called the Miskito Kingdom. The king did not wield power except in wartime. These kings were not recognized by the Native American Tawira Miskito. Because of their geographic isolation and military prowess, the Miskito Coast remained independent throughout much of the period of the Federal Republic of Central America. In 1894, Nicaragua finally absorbed the territory. The Miskito were polytheistic in the Pre-monarchic era, but there are no records of human sacrifices like those of the Aztec, Maya, or Incas. Their pantheon included Lapta (god of the sun), Kati (god of the moon), Slilma (god of the stars), Alwani (god of thunder), Imyula (god of lightning), Dusdawanka (god of trees and plants), Lidawanka (god of ocean, lakes and rivers), Rayakadawanka (god of living creatures), Sinslakadawanka (god of wisdom), Disangdawanka (god of fertility) Rakidawan (god of healing), Lasadawanka (god of dead souls) and Pruradawanka (god of death). Prior to contact with Westerners, Miskito people practiced a type of Shamanism. The shaman (known as Sukya) was regarded as a healer by the community. A Sukya discovered cures by dreaming about them, and then blowing smoke on the affected part of an ill person's body. Group traditions included ritual dancing and the drinking of a beverage known as mishla. Funeral traditions included a commemorative ceremony one year after a person's death called Sikro. Only one leading shaman, known as Supreme Sukya or Okuli, could exist at a time. The Okuli was revered by neighboring tribes as well. The Okuli's role was to represent humanity before the evil spirits (Lasas). The Moravian Church, pioneering overseas missionaries, attempted to proselytize the Miskito beginning in 1849. In the 20th century, the Moravian Church enhanced its institutional presence by forming schools, producing religious materials, and conducting services in the Miskito native language. Catholic converts existed in the Miskito region as early as the 1930s. Due to a scarcity of properly trained parsons and pastors, Miskito Catholicism exhibits practices specific to the Miskito Coast. The lack of institutional presence led to many Moravian practices being infused into Catholic theology and liturgy. The Miskito experience divinity through dreams and discussions of good spirits, bad spirits, and the spirits of human beings. Shamans known as prapit, or pasa yapti, are the only individuals who physically experience divinity. The Miskito share folktales called kisi for entertainment. Kisi often include stories of a trickster rabbit named Tibang, or Bangbang.