Mafia Wars

The word “Mafia” originated in Sicily. However, its exact origins are still uncertain. The Sicilian adjective for mafia is “mafiusu” and “Mafioso” in Italy. This word roughly translates into the meaning “swagger”. However, the meaning of this word can also be taken in other perspectives like “bravado” or “boldness”. When referred to a man, “mafiusu” can be referred to an individual in Sicily during the 19th century who was highly ambiguous. It used to signify a bully, arrogant, proud, enterprising and a fearless individual.
Sicily was once an Islamic emirate. Therefore, it can be said that mafia could have Arabic roots. The association of the word in terms of public appearance can be regarded as the presence of a criminal secret society. This was inspired by a play in 1863 named as “The Mafiosi of the Vicaria”. The words mafia or mafiusi were never mentioned in the play. However, they could have put in the title of the play to add a local flair. The play is about a person from Palermo and a prison gang associated with him that have the similar traits to that of a mafia. They have all the elements like a boss, an initiation ritual, talk of “umirta” (code of silence), and “pizzu” – a codeword for the extortion of money. The play proved to be a great success in Italy. Soon after this, the use of the term “mafia” began to get widespread and had also started appearing in the early reports of the Italian state. The word “mafia” made its first official appearance in 1865 in a report by the prefect of Palermo named Filipo Antonio Gualterio.