La India Rosa.

A Powerful Warrior Goddess from Venezuela,

Protector of the ambiguous, homosexuals, transgenders, and “third sex” people.

India Rosa.

One of the best-known spirits of Venezuelan folklore is "La India Rosa". She does not enjoy the fame throughout Latin America that other characters like Maria Lionza have, but within Venezuela, she is one of the most beloved and most appreciated spirits of folklore.

India Rosa is a native spirit that emanates the beauty and magic of the Amazon, she is a warrior, a healer, and a sorceress, she grants love and beauty to her followers, she is venerated mostly by homosexual women and men, her altars are perhaps the most elaborate, full of offerings, honey, roses, expensive perfumes, ceramic jugs full of fruits, garments to be consecrated, and amulets to be blessed.

Rosa enjoys a huge cult in Venezuela, however it is little known outside the country. This does not mean that she does not provide assistance to her devotees outside the country, on the contrary, on several occasions I have carried out or commissioned various works on her behalf, and for different people in different places, and they always work quite well.

Yes! India Rosa likes expensive pleasures, the best brandies, and the largest rose arrangements, so her services are usually the most expensive, when she feels that a client does not pay, she is well known in our folklore, that she granted the client's wishes, and then removed them from their hands at any time.

Her figure in folklore

La India Rosa frames the figure of a native woman, of enormous beauty and with long hair, in fact, these are some of the most common attributes found in her prayers, such as "Prayers to grow hair", or "Prayers to manifest more beauty in the eyes of the loved one ”.

However, Rosa, broke the archetype of the home woman, was a wise sorceress and also a strong warrior knew perfectly the shamanic rites of the native leaders, and also knew the Ojura Jura, the "forbidden songs" that only the chiefs of the tribe should and could sing before participating in a war.

There are many stories that are told about La India Rosa, entering the enemy tribes at night, the forest fairies covered her with their cloak so as not to be seen, and Queen Maria Lionza "Matriarch of fairies and forest spirits ”, Gave him his powers to lull or confuse the enemy.

India Rosa (according to folklore) could read the designs of the stars and clouds, knew all the aphrodisiacs that the earth provided and predicted when a marriage had or had no future.

When La India Rosa appeared at a wedding ritual between members of her own tribe, it was well known that this was a lucky omen, and the marriage would survive the passing of time, but when she did not attend the wedding, it was only a matter of time for one of the newlyweds to die, assassinated by the enemy tribe, or poisoned by ignorance of the use of certain herbs.

India Rosa's role in the LGBT community of Venezuela

La India Rosa represented in Venezuela an ally for those witches and sorcerers, who are also part of the LGBT community. It is very common to find her image on hundreds of altars at home and esoteric stores, surrounded by rainbow flags, photos of same-sex couples, or wedding gifts from these couples seeking the blessing of the Goddess.

The LGBT/Queer community in Venezuela has always been intimately linked to the esoteric cult, largely due to the constant stories of male Indians who fought and loved each other, during the times of colonization, as well as by being (the esoteric community) a of the most open communities to receive those who feel unprotected by the general society or exiled from it.

At first glance, India Rosa is the queen of beauty, love, and aphrodisiacs, but in-depth, she is the protective deity of homosexuals, battered women, transgender people, transvestites, and all members. of the LGBT/Queer community.

It is not unusual that in places in Venezuela such as "La Montaña de Sorte" (Cerro María Lionza Natural Monument), or "El Embalse La Mariposa", sites in Venezuela commonly associated with witches and the practice of witchcraft and Santeria, there are innumerable altars dedicated to her, these altars always properly perfumed and adorned for the deity.

In these altars are placed in honor of the deity, all kinds of offerings to gain beauty, the love of someone special, a romance, an improvement in sexual life, and protection, which is exactly one of the favors (miracles) related to her of which the most is usually spoken.

India Rosa works perfectly well with magicians and spiritists, but she especially has huge favoritism for working with gay men.

According to an article published by the Venezuelan magazine "Todo en Domingo", in March 2009. Seven out of ten followers of the cult of India Rosa were gay men between 18 and 35 years of age, and at least five of these had witnessed at some point, the immediate realization of one of his wishes to the native deity.

In addition, India Rosa has been constantly mentioned in the famous Venezuelan magazine "Los Orichas", for her strong role in Venezuelan spiritualism.

Now a little history about this character:

History of India Rosa

Guaicaipuro Born in Caracas in 1530 and a trusted warrior of the great Cacique Catuche, he assumed the chiefdom at 20 years of age, when this cacique died. Guaicaipuro ruled the Caracas and the Teques, exercising direct control over... The six villages that surrounded his headquarters in Suruapo was romantically linked to Urquia, from whom he had a daughter, during the exercise of his chiefdom one night of the full moon, he visited one of the nearby villages, where the presentation to the tribe of a princess named Rosa was celebrated, whose beauty was impossible to resist, her expressive bright eyes, her long hair, her half-naked body only covered by a skirt adorned with precious stones and gold and her long hair bathed in petals of wildflowers.

That was quite a feast, the Indians danced to the beat of the drum, and the moment came when the beautiful princess would dance this son and would choose her companion in the dance from all those present, she extended her hand and pointed to the Guaicaipuro Chief who I was captivated by her beauty, in such a way that for him, in that magical moment, only both existed.

The Indian Princess unleashed a great passion in Guaicaipuro, to the point of breaking ties with Urquia. Since then, the Indian Princess Rosa was accepted as the only woman and companion of this great Cacique in her village. Rosa was always characterized by having an incredible perception, she had the gift of deciphering dreams sponsored by her Mother Moon, who alerted her of imminent dangers, as well as the star king, the Sun who bathed her with energy in the sunrises.

Rosa was characterized by being the only woman in the tribe who learned in an amazing way the warrior songs of Guaicaipuro, she herself possessed an excessively loving and warrior essence, her caresses and whispers awoke in the Cacique the most immense and intense love, her skins they boiled with love when they gave themselves to each other.

One night Rosa could not fall asleep, in her hut she watched the Great Chief at her side and kissed his forehead while he slept, and a chill ran through her body, at that time they both had a daughter, whom they placed By name Luna, the Princess decided to leave her hut, and sit at the foot of a tree in front of the river to observe the moon, she asked her because of that fear, she knew that some danger was coming for the tribe.

And he cried a lot in silence, he closed his eyes and when he opened them he saw the moon of intense red color, and he concluded, saying to the moon: death haunts our lives? Is that what you give me as meaning? While she felt the moon respond to her: Daughter goes to sleep, in dreams, you will know... she did so, she lay down next to her beloved and crying in silence, she closed her eyes and a deep sleep enveloped her.

In an instant, she observed many horses were huge like monsters from their mouths fire and blood came out and these as they passed through the village left desolation and death…. Startled, she opened her eyes, and felt in the distance, gallops of horses, she ran very quickly and in a matter of seconds she climbed the highest tree, where she observed how white men on horseback were approaching very quickly to the village, it was an entire army Spanish conqueror, she raised a loud cry singing one of her warrior songs waking up her beloved and all the men in their huts, in seconds Guaicaipuro already with his poisonous bows and arrows had his men ready and prepared for the intense fight that was taking place. approached them.

Guaicaipuro knew that death would wreak havoc on her tribe and that many of the women would suffer the worst, so she took the princess by the hand and kissed her forehead, Rosa felt in her heart that it would be the farewell, she took her daughter and the Great Cacique led them to a cave away from the place where they should remain hidden.

The battle was bloody and many men, women, and children lost their lives, many of the women were bloody raped and taken as slaves. This continued for a long time until some Spaniards discovered the cave where the Princess and her daughter remained.

Guaicaipuro, realizing immediately, ran to the cave accompanied by several caciques, where some were injured... so he understood that the danger that his wife and daughter were running was imminent, so he got to the cave hugging India Rosa, and her daughter, The Indian knew in her heart what her beloved would do and understood it, it was her honor as Chieftain and before seeing the blood of what she loved most flow at the hands of Spaniards, it would run through her own hand, she knelt before him, and he kissed her hands with love, while Guaica with deep pain in his soul and his heart killed them both.

In January 1562, Guaicaipuro and Terepaima confront and kill Captain Luis de Narváez. Guaicaipuro then summons a strategic alliance of all the caciques of the region, the chiefs Baruta, Naiguatá, Chacao, Aramaipuro, Guaicamacuto, Paramaconi, Terepaima, and Chicuramay accept the pact.

For years this alliance which was always successful. but Guaicaipuro lost its opportunity in Maracapana, in 1568, a key battle in which all the allied tribes participated. Defeated by the conquering army in a forceful way, the coalition dissolves and the chiefs return to their lands.

Guaicaipuro took refuge in Suruapo. That same year, he attacked Diego de Losada, who ordered Mayor Francisco Infante to attack Guaicaipuro on the site of Suruapo itself. Infante looked for pacified Indians who were faithful to Spain who knew the way to get to the cacique's house. In Suruapo they penetrated towards the Caney of the Indian chief, Guaicaipuro took the sword and killed those who attacked him. Then he took refuge in his hut, but the Spaniards set him on fire and, when he was ordered to surrender, the chief did not accept and preferred to die trapped by the flames.

Her cult today

India Rosa is the head of the Court of the Venezuelan Indies. When Indian women come from other lands to work here, they are also under her command. She likes to have the essence of roses to perfume herself when she arrives in some matter.

It is manifested by a very strong smell of roses. She loved nature very much. When she was a child, she liked to embellish her hut, her hair, and those of the other Indian women with ornaments made with roses and other flowers. As an adult, she always liked to decorate everything with flowers.

In countries like Venezuela and Colombia, where the rights of people identified as part of the LGBTQ collective, they do not have any kind of political-social entity that safeguards or promotes their rights. The cult of the deity is quite large and continues to increase, its priests and priestesses make beautiful offerings to the divinity to obtain its favors, its protection, love, and beauty.

She is a powerful ally of the LGBTQ community, in fact, she is one of the few native spirits who accepts to perform trance (spiritual possession) to communicate with the living beings, using a transgender or transvestite person as a medium.

Article originally published in two parts as "India Rosa, an anthology of a cult, parts 1 & 2", for Venezuela Tuya Magazine, edition XXIV, March 2011, and complete version in "El Universal" national newspaper, January 2012. 

 © Copyright, 2011, Elhoim Leafar.