The Sicillian Mafia

[Shangas]

The Mafia

THE NAME

Name in Italian/Sicilian: La Cosa Nostra.
Official translation: This Thing of Ours.
Name in English: The Mafia.
Abbreviation in various US. law-enforcement files: LCN (La Cosa Nostra).

THE FACTS

- The Mafia is an Italian (specifically Sicilian) organised-crime syndicate. If the group does not contain Sicilians, or at least Italians, then it cannot be called the Mafia or La Cosa Nostra.

- There's no such thing as the "Chinese Mafia" or the "Japanese Mafia".

MAFIA ORGANISATIONS

The Five Families

Who are the infamous "Five Families"?

Mario Puzo's "The Godfather", would have you believe that the Five Families are the Corleones, the Tattaglias, the Cuneos, the Barzinis and the Straccis. This is purely fictional and is not true.

In real-life, the Five Families are:

The Bonnano Family.
The Gambino Family.
The Colombo Family.
The Lucchese Family.
The Genovese Family.

They are the official names of the Five Families of New York City, New York State, USA.

The Commission

Formed by Mafia-boss Salvatore Charles "Lucky" Luciano and Meyer Lansky in 1931, The Commission is the "Mafia Government", and it regulates all Mafia activities in the United States of America so that each gang, family or faction may benefit equally from any high-profit, money-making scheme and so that peace may be maintained between the families. Going against the Commission is an instant death-sentence to ANY mafioso.

While still in existence today in the 21st Century, the Commission is greatly reduced and is made up mainly of the Five Families of New York.


Mafia Terminology

Most common Mafia slang-terms and Italian names and titles may be found in the Mafia Dictionary, written by me. Located here:

citiesofcrime.proboards101.com/index.cgi?board=coc&action=display&thread=1197281458

[Falcon]

Many People assume that the Mafia Structure was set up right from the start, when all the Mafiosi came over and organized families. This is NOT true, until 1931 all Italian Mobsters were in Loosely organized gangs or groups, bust still usually with just Italians.
It wasn't until '31 that Salvatore Maranzano was sent over, and organized the structure in America. This was refined in the years to come and was perfected later when Lucky Luciano Set up the Commission.

Some other helpful Links:
List of Mafia crime families
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Mafia_crime_families

The Castellammarese War
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Castellammarese_War

Wise Guys
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Made_man

[Anthony Luciano]

You guys forgot about the Omerta.

[Shangas]

Damn!!

But then, the Omerta is extremely complex. I'll add it in another time...

[Anthony Luciano]

I could do it..I'm pretty up on the Traditions of the Sicillian Mafia.

[Shangas]

Sure, go ahead if you can.

[Anthony Luciano]

Mafia Ranks. This is generally how the Sicillian Mafia is ranked, the "food chain" if you will.


The Family


Capo Crimini/capo de tutti capi (super boss/bosses of bosses)
Consigliere (advisor/family counselor)

Capo Bastone (underboss, 2nd in command)

Contabile (financial advisor)

Caporegime or Capodecima (lieutenant, typically heads a faction of 10 or more soldiers comprising a "crew")

Sgarrista (a foot soldier who carries out day to day business of the family. A "made" member of the mafia)

Piciotto (lower-ranking soldiers; enforcers. Also known in the streets as the "button man")

Giovane D'Honore (Mafia associate, typically a non-Sicilian or non-Italian member)

[Anthony Luciano]

Members of the sicilian,italian/american mafiosi were sworn to oath when they become "Made Men".


1. A code of silence - Never to "rat out" any mafia member. Never to divulge any mafia secrets. Even if they were threatened by torture or death.

2. Complete obedience to the boss - Obey the boss's orders, no matter what.

3. Assistance - To provide any necessary assistance to any other respected or befriended mafia faction.

4. Vengeance - Any attacks on family members must be avenged. "An attack on one is an attack on all."

5. Avoid contact with the authorities

[Anthony Luciano]

Origin

The origin of the word is often traced to the Spanish word hombredad, meaning manliness, through the Sicilian word omu for man. According to a different theory, the word comes from Latin humilitas (humility), which became umirtà and then finally omertà in some southern Italian dialects.

Omertà is a code of silence, according to one of the first Mafia researchers Antonio Cutrera, a former officer of public security, that seals lips of men even in their own defense and even when the accused is innocent of charged crimes. Cutrera quoted a native saying first uttered (so goes the legend) by a wounded man to his assailant: “If I live, I’ll kill you. If I die, I forgive you.”

The suspicion of being a “stool pigeon”, a cascittuni (an informant), constituted the blackest mark against manhood, according to Cutrera. Each individual had the obligation of looking out for his own interests and of proving his manliness by not appealing to legally constituted authority for redress of personal grievances. A wronged person is expected to avenge himself, or find a patron who will see to it that the job is done.

Omertà is based partly on fear and partly on idealism – it is an extreme form of loyalty and solidarity in the face of authority. One of its absolute tenets is that it is deeply demeaning and shameful to betray even one’s deadliest enemy to the authorities. Observers of the mafia debate whether omertà should best be understood as an expression of social consensus surrounding the mafia or whether it is instead a pragmatic response based primarily on fear. The point is succinctly made in a popular Sicilian proverb Cu è surdu, orbu e taci, campa cent'anni 'mpaci ("He who is deaf, blind, and silent will live a hundred years in peace").

In recent years omertà has been broken by mafiosi. Joe Valachi was one of the first persons to betray the omertà when in 1963 he publicly spoke out about the existence of the Mafia and testified before the United States Congress. In Sicily, the phenomenon of pentito (Italian he who has repented), broke omertà in the 1980s.

Among the most famous Mafia pentiti is Tommaso Buscetta, the first important state witness who helped judge Giovanni Falcone to understand the inner workings of Cosa Nostra and described the Sicilian Mafia Commission or Cupola, the leadership of the Sicilian Mafia. (A predecessor, Leonardo Vitale, who gave himself up to the police in 1973, was judged as suffering from 'mental illness' so his testimony led only to the conviction of himself and his uncle.)

In English, it is often rendered omerta, without an accent, leading to frequent mispronunciation. This grave accent in Italian and Sicilian indicates that the final a is stressed.


A more popular and more simplified definition of the code of omertà is: "Whoever appeals to the law against his fellow man is either a fool or a coward. Whoever cannot take care of himself without police protection is both. It is as cowardly to betray an offender to justice, even though his offences be against yourself, as it is not to avenge an injury by violence. It is dastardly and contemptible in a wounded man to betray the name of his assailant, because if he recovers, he must naturally expect to take vengeance himself."


The concept of Omerta is a strong valued idea in the Mafia. Without honor and silence there is no way a secret society can function to its greatest capabilities. Omerta is the entire backbone of the Italian Mafia. It is something that if not taken seriously, one is sure to receive the fatal consequences. There is one proverb that seems to sum it all together: "He is truly a man who reveals nothing, even under the blows of a dagger."

[Anthony Luciano]

Rituals of Sicilian Cosa Nostra

The orientation ritual in most families happens when a man becomes an associate, and then, a soldier. As described by Tommaso Buscetta to judge Giovanni Falcone, the neophyte is brought together with at least three "men of honor" of the family and the oldest member present warns him that "this House" is meant to protect the weak against the abuse of the powerful; he then pricks the finger of the initiate and spills his blood onto a sacred image, usually of a saint. The image is placed in the hand of the initiate and lit on fire. The neophyte must withstand the pain of the burning, passing the image from hand to hand, until the image has been consumed, while swearing to keep faith with the principles of "Cosa Nostra," solemnly swearing "may my flesh burn like this saint if I fail to keep my oath." Joseph Valachi was the first person to mention that in court.

The Sicilians also have a law of silence, called omertà; it forbids the common man, woman or child to cooperate at all with the police or the government, upon pain of death.

[Anthony Luciano]

Origins
It has long been debated whether the mafia has medieval origins. Deceased pentito Tommaso Buscetta thought so, whilst modern scholars now believe otherwise. It is possible that the "original" mafia formed as a secret society sworn to protect the Sicilian population from the threat of Catalan marauders in the fifteenth century. However, there is very little historical evidence to suggest this. It is also feasible that the "Robin Hood" origins, which are closely intertwined with the Sicilian outlaw Salvatore Giuliano, were perpetuated by the earliest known mafiosi as a means of gaining goodwill and trust from the Sicilian people. This origin states that the Mafia is a means for righteous rebels to defend the people against oppression, Roman and Northern Italian control, and outside invasion.

After the Revolution of 1848 and the revolution of 1860, Sicily had fallen to complete disorder. The earliest mafiosi, at that time separate, small bands of outlaws, offered their guns in the revolt. Author John Dickie claims that the main reasons for this were the chance to burn police records and evidence, and to kill off police and pentiti in the chaos. However, once a new government was established in Rome and it became clear that the mafia would be unable to execute these actions, they began refining their methods and techniques over the latter half of the nineteenth century. Protecting the large lemon groves and estates of local nobility became a lucrative but dangerous business. Palermo was initially the main area of these activities, but the Sicilian mafia's dominance soon spread over all of western Sicily. In order to strengthen the bond between the disparate gangs and so ensure greater profits and a safer working environment, it is possible that the mafia as such was formed at this time in about the mid-19th century.

[Anthony Luciano]

Ten Commandments
In November 2007 Sicilian police reported to have found a list of "Ten Commandments" in the hideout of mafia boss Salvatore Lo Piccolo. Similar to the Biblical Ten Commandments, they are thought to be a guideline on how to be a good, respectful honorable mafiosi. The commandments are as follows:

No one can present himself directly to another of our friends. There must be a third person to do it.

Never look at the wives of friends.

Never be seen with cops.

Don't go to pubs and clubs.

Always being available for Cosa Nostra is a duty - even if your wife's about to give birth.
Appointments must absolutely be respected.

Wives must be treated with respect.

When asked for any information, the answer must be the truth.

Money cannot be appropriated if it belongs to others or to other families.

People who can't be part of Cosa Nostra: anyone who has a close relative in the police, anyone with a two-timing relative in the family, anyone who behaves badly and doesn't hold to moral values.

[drussthelegend]

This is really good keep it up

[Anthony Luciano]

Ty. >D. I know I C&P'd some of it from other sources but they just word it better than I do. Meh.