The Story of Califia - Essay Example

The story of Califia is largely classified as a myth but to what extent is known only to Spanish explorers? The island of California, as described in a 1510 novel by Garci Ordonez de Montalvo, was located near the coast of Southeast Asia and inhabited by only women, large, muscular Amazon women. Califia was well known for her humanitarian efforts and her sense of loyalty to the island people. She dealt fairly with friends and foes alike and could travel the world whenever she pleased. The weapons were made of gold as were all other metallic objects because gold was the only type of metal found on the island. A glorious, exotic setting to be sure whether it was real or imagined (Wright, 2005).

When Spanish explorers found what is today known as Baja California, they thought it to be an island. No shame in this as GPS positioning systems would not exist for another half a millennia or so. Maybe the explorers found gold or a dark woman when they landed, no one knows, or maybe the recently published novel was fresh on their mind and the story was deemed worthy of naming a previously unknown (to Europeans) piece of land. The name ‘California’, as some have suggested, may not originate from Queen Califia at all but be derived from a combination of the Spanish words caliente and fornia meaning ‘hot oven.’ Others point to the Latin words Calida and Fornax meaning ‘hot furnace’ (Zwinger, 1961). Baja California’s climate has certainly been described accurately as both metaphors but the Amazon story is much more entrancing. The romantic and adventurous lives that the Spanish explorers led are evidence enough to me that they would likely name what they found to be a large exotic island after a large, exotic, and adventurous Queen rather than the benign and unimaginative name ‘hot oven.’

The question is why would anyone care? Few do or they would know this story. Life is a quest for knowledge, which is especially true among those who spend their days on a university campus. Most people think it important to gather knowledge regarding the world around us. It makes life interesting if nothing else. Why would many Californians not have a clue as to why their license plates, driver’s licenses, and addresses have the word California printed on them? When they do discover its origins, however, the interest is obvious by their reaction and the discussion that follows. It seems to be a hidden and largely forgotten yet significant piece of history. When studying the historical aspects of the State of California, it only makes sense to start at the beginning but that essential facet is often overlooked, buried under the massive amounts of historical data amassed in the State since that time.
Queen Califia ruled over a beautiful, warm, and exotic place with benevolence and strength, all qualities that can be associated with California today. The State is also an island of sorts, separated by distance and culture from other regions of the U.S. such as the Corn Belt, Bible Belt, the tundra of the Northern States, the industrial Midwest, the Deep South, etc. The Californian society is also, arguably, more advanced than many other regions and socially speaking, assuredly on a metaphorical island apart from the rest of the country. Ask anyone from Nebraska and they will tell you the same thing but probably in a derogatory manner. In addition, people still pan for gold in the streams of California and bronzed beauties grace the shorelines, both of which refer back to the original Island of California.

The universal lack of knowledge concerning the historical origins of the name California is unfortunate. It’s as if there is a conspiracy to hide this colorful story from the inheritors of the State. California has a rich history worthy of telling but how it started, and how it came to be known as California is a story often left untold. Stories that go untold are usually forgotten which in most cases is a tragedy of immense proportions. The directions taken by our ancestors direct the path of our future but if the past lies buried, hidden beneath the thick, dusty pages of history, the future becomes increasingly uncertain. This is a broad statement that may apply only marginally when referring to the name of a state; however, knowing this intriguing tale gives one new perspective regarding old and familiar perceptions of the vast region known as California.

Black women have played a major role in the history of the U.S. since the days of the naming of this ‘new’ land. The brave exploits of Rosa Parks, Sojourner Truth, Ida Wells-Barnett, and Althea Gibson amongst many others have made their mark on all our lives, but none of these women has a state named for them. Califia alone boasts this distinction and to what degree the story of the great Queen was imagined is unimportant. Much of recorded history is grossly one-sided and thus inaccurate therefore Califia is as legitimate as most other accounts and a piece of historical knowledge deserving of more attention than it receives.