Before the world of humans began, there was the world of the gods, made of fields, plains and gardens. Four brothers wandered this celestial realm. They had no family other than each other— they didn’t even know who their parents were. One of the brothers, Deminan, looked different from the others. His skin was covered in painful scabs, and he wondered why he alone had been marked with this affliction.
Sebelum dunia manusia dimulai, terdapat dunia para dewa, terbuat dari ladang, dataran dan taman-taman. Empat orang saudara berkelana di alam dewata ini. Mereka tidak punya keluarga selain mereka sendiri Mereka bahkan tidak tahu siapa orang tua mereka. Salah satu saudara, Deminan, terlihat berbeda dari saudaranya. Kulitnya dipenuhi kudis yang menyakitkan dan dia bertanya-tanya, kenapa hanya dia yang ditandai dengan penderitaan.
One day, while the supreme spirit Yaya was out in his gardens, Deminan and his brothers snuck into Yaya’s house. After feasting and exploring, they spotted a giant gourd hanging in the corner. But as they tried to look inside the gourd, they dropped it. The gourd broke apart, releasing a deluge that swept the brothers away, separating them from the celestial lands forever.
Suatu hari ketika roh tertinggi, Yaya sedang keluar ke tamannya, Deminan dan saudara-saudaranya menyusup ke rumah Yaya. Setelah berpesta dan menjelajah, mereka melihat labu raksasa tergantung di sudut. Ketika mereka melihat ke dalam labu, mereka menjatuhkannya Labu itu pecah, mengeluarkan air bah yang menyapu 4 bersaudara itu. Memisahkan mereka dari alam dewata selamanya.
The waters from the gourd formed a new world. This realm was covered in seas, which didn’t exist in the gods’ world. The waters were full of fish and other creatures, and dotted with islands and caves. This world of seas was also cut off completely from the celestial realm, and the brothers wandered aimlessly, even more lost than they had been before.
Air dari labu menciptakan dunia baru. Sebuah dunia yang dipenuhi laut, yang tidak ada di dunia para dewa. Airnya dipenuhi ikan dan berbagai makhluk lainnya, dan di beberapa titik terdapat pulau dan gua. Dunia laut ini terputus sepenuhnya dari alam dewata, dan keempat saudara itu berkelana tanpa tujuan, bahkan semakin tersesat dari sebelumnya.
One day, three of the brothers stumbled upon a house. In the house lived an elder named Bayamanacao, and he invited them in. When Deminan caught up slightly later, he followed them into the house. Bayamanacao told the brothers he was their grandfather and gave them a gift of special cassava bread. He revealed their family lineage to them: their mother had been the Earth Mother Goddess Itibi Cahubaba and had died when they were born. The brothers were grateful for his hospitality and insight into their past.
Suatu hari, tiga dari bersaudara itu menemukan sebuah rumah. Di dalamnya tinggal lelaki tua bernama Bayamanacao, dia mengundang mereka masuk. Sementara Deminan menyusul kemudian, dia mengikuti mereka ke dalam rumah. Bayamanacao mengatakan bahwa dia adalah kakek mereka dan memberi mereka hadiah sebuah roti singkong spesial. Dia mengungkapkan garis keluarga mereka: Ibu mereka adalah Dewi Ibu Bumi, Itibi Cahubaba dan meninggal ketika melahirkan mereka. Bersaudara itu berterima kasih dengan keramahan dan informasi masa lalu mereka.
But then Bayamanacao turned on Deminan, blowing tobacco spittle from his nose onto Deminan’s back. The spot where the spittle landed immediately began to swell and sting.
Tetapi Bayamanacao beralih pada Deminan Meludahkan tembakau dari hidungnya ke punggung Deminan Tempat yang dikenai ludah mulai bengkak dan terasa perih.
Soon Deminan was delirious and his back was so swollen his brothers feared he would die. Not knowing what else to do, they cut open the welt. A turtle emerged from the wound and swam away, alternating easily between sea and land as she went.
Seketika Deminan tidak sadar dan punggungnya bengkak sampai saudaranya takut dia akan mati. Tidak tahu apa yang harus dilakukan, mereka membuka bulirnya. Seekor kura-kura muncul dari luka dan berenang pergi, bergantian dengan mudah dari laut dan daratan.
When Deminan recovered from his delirium, he finally understood what the curse of his disease meant: he was a caracaracol, able to communicate with the gods. He was the link between the celestial realm and the earthly realm.
Ketika Deminan sadar, Dia menyadari apa maksud dari dari penyakit terkutuknya: Dia adalah seorang caracaracol, mampu berkomunikasi dengan para dewa. Dia adalah penghubung dari alam dewata dan bumi.
Deminan was the first in a long lineage of caracaracols. The world of seas he and his brothers had created when they dropped the gourd became the world of humans, where the caracaracols who followed Deminan maintained the delicate balance between people and gods. But their unique power came at a price: Deminan and all the caracaracols who followed him continued to suffer from the illness that had first marked Deminan as special. Represented in Taino carvings and figurines with a swollen back and emaciated arms, the caracaracol is both cursed and blessed to be a conduit between worlds.
Deminan adalah caracaracol pertama dalam garis keturunan yang panjang. Dunia laut yang dia dan saudaranya ciptakan ketika menjatuhkan labu menjadi dunia para manusia, dimana caracaracol yang mengikuti Deminan memelihara keseimbangan halus antara manusia dan dewa. Tapi kekuatan unik mereka memiliki harga: Deminan dan semua caracaracol yang mengikutinya terus-menerus menderita penyakit yang awalnya menandai Deminan sebagai istimewa. Ditunjukkan pada ukiran dan patung Taino dengan punggung bengkak dan tangan kurus, caracaracol adalah kutukan dan berkah untuk menyambung dua dunia.