Ciguapa

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The ciguapa (Spanish pronunciation: [siˈɣwapa]; see-GWAH-pə) is a mythological creature of the folklore of the Dominican Republic. While variations abound, it is typically described as a back-footed nude woman with knee-length hair, with siren-like magic powers of attraction, seducing men that wander the forests at night. The ciguapa's legendary home are the forests and rivers in the mountains of El Cibao. The malevolence of the ciguapa varies considerably, sometimes depicted as a spritely nature being, other times naive and self-destructively jealous of love, and further as a cannibal. While the legend is largely accepted to have been first written in 1866 by Francisco Javier Angulo Guridi, it is disputed whether the legend stems from Taíno mythology, or was fakelore derived from other Caribbean lore for the purpose of Dominican national myth-building. In the 20th century, the legend of the ciguapa became a propaganda piece as a symbol of mestizaje during the dictatorship of Rafael Trujillo, entrenched as proof of the Dominican national identity and history of mestizaje. The legend has since been re-contextualized as a multicultural and feminist Dominican cultural icon, and as a focus of Dominican fine art, writing and popular culture.