History keeps getting better and more enjoyable with time, especially African history or history outside Africa but connected or linked to the black population. The deeper one digs, the more one gets to understand more about a particular account. Some histories are strange, and one may wonder how they came to be—for example, naming a foreign state in a foreign land after a black person. That state is California. We will go through evidence or theories suggesting California got its name from a black Queen known as Queen Calafia.
Las Sergas de Esplandián Origin Theory
In the early 16th-century romance novel called ‘The Adventures of Esplandian,’ California was a mythical island that only black warrior women populated (similar to the African Dahomey Amazons). The famous Spanish novel got printed in several editions, with the earliest surviving edition published in the early 16th century (1510). The author was called Garci Rodriguez de Montalvo also called Ordonez de Montalvo. The book described the California Island as being East of the Indies, near the Terrestrial Paradise, and in which Queen Calafia, a black Queen, ruled.
For several years the de Montalvo novel languished obscurity, with no link or connection between it and California’s naming. That changed in the 19th century (1862) when Edward Everett Hale made such a connection. He presented his findings or research to The Antiquarian Society in that year. He laid out his research and a portion of the initial or original novel in March 1864, Atlantic Monthly magazine. Edward Everett Hale concluded that when Spanish explorers came upon the Baja California Peninsula, they called it California after the fictional Island in Montalvo’s novel as the explorers thought that the Peninsula was an Island, East of the Indies, similar to the Island talked about in de Montalvo’s novel or book.
An excerpt from the book, where California is 1st mentioned, using a modern-day English translation, says that:
‘Know, then, that, on the Indies’ right hand, there is an Island known as California, very near or close to the side of the Terrestrial Paradise, and black women peopled it, without any man among them, for they lived in the Amazon’s fashion. They were of hardy and strong bodies, of ardent bravery and great force. Their Island was the strongest in the world, with its steep cliffs and rocky shores. Their arms were all of gold, and so was the harness of the wild beasts they domesticated and rode. For, in the whole Island, there was no metal but gold.’
Edward Hale supposed that in inventing the names, Montalvo held in his mind the Spanish word ‘calif,’ the term for ahead of an Islamic community. Many accept Edward Hale’s joint derivation of Calafia and California. However, few scholars who sought further proof questioned it and offered their interpretations. In the early 20th century (1910), George Davidson wrote that Edward Hale’s theory was the best yet presented but offered his addition. 7 years later, in 1917, Ruth Putnam printed a detailed record of the work performed up to that period.
She wrote that Calafia and California most likely originated from the Arabic word ‘Khalifa,’ which means leader, successor, or steward. The same name in Spanish was ‘Califa,’ easily made into California to stand for the land of Calafia (female caliph).
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Song of Roland Origin Theory
The Roland Song is an 11th century ancient French epic poem that describes the August 15th, 778 defeat, and withdrawal or retreat of Charlamagne’s troops by the Basque military at the Battle of Roncevaux Pass in the Pyrenees. On line 2924 of the poem, which is in verse 209, the term or word Califerne is one of the lands mentioned with no indication of its location. However, it’s mentioned after a reference to Affrike or Africa.
With the above statement, the name California might have its origin from the Black Queen Calafia. Considering the fact that Califerne, which is close to California, is mentioned after an African reference and the Queen being black, which is in connection to the African continent, then we might conclude that this theory is supporting the fact that California is named after Queen Calafia.
An English translation of verse 209 (lines 2920-2924) goes as follows:
‘Dead is my nephew, who overcame so much for me!
Against me will resist the Saxons,
Hungarians, Bulgars, and many harsh men,
Romans, Apulians, and all those of Palermo,
And those of Africa, and those of Califerne.’
The word ‘Califerne’ may have served as an inspiration to Montalvo for the name California since both works have a similar plot point.
Other Origin Theories
Researchers have proposed several alternate theories as of possible origins of the name California, but scholars have dismissed them, or at least historians have determined them to be less compelling than the novel ‘Las Sergas de Esplandian.’ Some of the most studied alternate theories are Calida Fornax, Kali forno, and Calahorra.
The term Calida Fornax could derive from the Old Spanish Calit Fornay, an adjustment or alteration of the Latin Calida Fornax, meaning ‘hot furnace.’ This theory explains why the Circa 1650 map of California’s Island has the name as 2 words Cali and Fornia.
Another proposed source is Kali forno, a local phrase meaning high mountains. The other possible source for California’s name may be Calahorra in Spain.
Brief Description of Queen Calafia
As mentioned earlier, Califia or Calafia is the fictional Queen of the California Island, 1st introduced by 16th-century poet Garci Rodriguez de Montalvo in his epic ‘The Adventures of Esplandian’ written around 1510. The Californias, a North American region encompassing the United States of California and the Mexican states of Baja California Sur and Baja California, take their name from Queen Calafia and her Empire.
In the novel, Queen Calafia is a pagan warrior Queen who ruled over an Empire of black women living on California Island. Queen Calafia later raised an army of women fighters or warriors and sailed away from California with a big flock of trained griffins so that she can join a Muslim battle against Christians who are protecting Constantinople. Queen Calafia and her friend Radiaro fought in a single fight against the Christian leaders. Queen Calafia fell as a prison victim and converted to the Christian faith. The Queen later marries Esplandian’s cousin and returns with her army to California for further adventures.
People have depicted Queen Calafia as the Spirit of California and has been the subject of present-day paintings, sculpture, stories, and films. Queen Calafia often figures in the myth of California’s origin, representing an untamed and bountiful land before Europeans took the land by force.
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Her Legacy
Vicente Blasco Ibanez, a Spanish novelist, wrote a book entitled ‘La Reina Calafia’ in the 20th century (1924). A 1926 Queen Calafia’s portrayal and her Amazons are found in a mural in the Dons’ Room at the Mark Hopkins Hotel in San Francisco. In 1937, Lucille Lloyd showed her triptych mural ‘California Allegory,’ which got displayed at the State Building in L.A. until some years later when the structure got destroyed for safety reasons. The paintings got archived and restored, and mounted later in the California Room of the state capitol.
Queen Calafia’s mural is featured at the top of the new African-American Freedom Trail brochure, which the ReUNION produced. Within the Society for Creative Anachronism, the San Diego, CA native chapter is the Barony of Queen Calafia (established in 1972). In November 1975, the over 10000 capacity Plaza de Toros Calafia got finished, a bullfighting arena in the Mexicali city. The arena is also called la Reina Calafia.
At an outdoor park in Escondido, the sculptor Niki de St Phalle built her piece, Queen Califia’s Magic Circle, dedicated in October 2003. Jack Smith, a Los Angeles Times columnist, owned a sailboat that he called Calafia. In 2004 the AAHCSM (African American Historical and Cultural Society Museum) in San Francisco assembled a Queen Calafia exhibit, curated by John William Templeton, featuring works by artists like James Gayles.
John William Templeton said that Queen Califia is part of California history and that she also reinforces the fact that when Cortes labeled this place California, he had over 250 black people with him.
William Hoskins, the director of the African American Historical and Cultural Society Museum, said that few people know Queen Califia’s story.
He said:
“One of the things we are trying to do is let people have the extra insight and appreciation for the contributions of African-Americans to this wonderful state and more specifically to California state.”
He added by saying that Queen Calafia’s exhibit is particularly poignant.
William Hoskins’s words are deeper than a normal statement. It might be a mistake to term the fact that the black people contributed much to the current U.S. as an overstatement. Most of these foreign lands, particularly those in the New World, would not have been developed as they are now if it were not for the black people.
In conclusion, we might say that the whole world needs to respect African contributions and acknowledge more Africans’ positive side than the negative side.
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