The Mafia - Sicily - page 607

Origins
The word 'mafia' was in common usage for more than 110 years before it was officially ac-
knowledged as referring to an actual organisation. Although formally recorded by the
Palermitan prefecture in 1865, the term was not included in the Italian penal code until
1982.
The origins of the word have been much debated. The author Norman Lewis has sugges-
ted that it derives from the Arabic mu'afah or 'place of refuge'. Nineteenth-century etymo-
logists proposed mahjas, the Arabic word for 'boasting'. Whatever the origin, the term
mafioso existed long before the organisation known as the Mafia, and was used to describe
a character who was elegant and proud, with an independent vitality and spirit.
The concept of the mafioso goes all the way back to the late 15th century when commer-
cial opportunities were so restricted that even the overprivileged feudal nobles were forced
to make changes in order to survive. They introduced a policy of resettlement that forced
thousands of farmers off the land and into new towns; the idea was to streamline crop
growth, but it also destroyed the lives of the peasants in the pro- cess. Many of the aristo-
crats moved to big cities such as Palermo and Messina, leaving their estates in the hands of
gabellotti (bailiffs), who were charged with collecting ground rents. They, in turn, em-
ployed the early mafiosi - who were small gangs of armed peasants - to help them solve
any 'problems' that came up on the way. The mafiosi were soon robbing large estates and
generally causing mayhem, but the local authorities were inept at dealing with them as they
would quickly disappear into the brush.
The bandits struck a mixture of fear and admiration into the peasantry, who were happy
to support any efforts to destabilise the feudal system. They became willing accomplices in
protecting the outlaws, and although it would be another 400 years before crime became
'organised', the 16th and 17th centuries witnessed a substantial increase in the activities of
brigand bands. The bands were referred to as Mafia, while the peasants' loyalty to their
own people resulted in the name Cosa Nostra (Our Thing). The early-day Mafia's way of
protecting itself from prosecution was to become the modern Mafia's most important
weapon: the code of silence, or omertà .
The residents of Corleone once petitioned to change the town's name in order to get away from its criminal
connotations.