In a village near to the Bay of Jagua (Cienfuegos, Cuba) and long before the Spaniards arrive, there lived a beautiful Indian woman named Aipiri. She was the envy of women of the region and allure of men.

Aipiri liked to call attention, stand out for her way of dressing with colorful outfits and floral decorations, and because of her skills as a dancer and singer. He had a lovely voice and was present at all ciboney meetings, being the main attraction of these events.

The beautiful young woman shining hair, slanted eyes, fell in love with a hardworking young ciboney and great hunter. They joined and formed a household. As natural, over the months, the passion went placating a bit and Aipiri spent the

 A tatagua moth (black witch)

days engaged in the housework, waiting patiently for her husband come tired of his hunting bringing the livelihood of the day.

Aipiri was bored and being a married woman annoyed her; she wanted to return to her amusements, she wanted to hear blandishments, to sing, to dance. She wanted to bewitch men with their friendliness and charm. She was jaded and missed her former life.

She gave birth to her first child and boredom became even greater. The girl found no fun in having to take care of a crying child, day and night.

She began to leave the house, leaving the baby alone. She joined the neighbors, going to meetings and parties. Every time she spent more time away from home, though her husband did not even notice, since Aipiri was very careful to return home shortly before he returned from his daily job.

Thus, from getaway to getaway and from party to party, the time passed and they already have had six children. These poor dears were starving, and their mother disregarded to take care of them or even to keep them clean; there were like totally abandoned little animals. The children were crying and crying in that hut in the countryside where nobody could either hear or help them. They wept with a “guao, guao, guao”.

But it turned out that they were listened by the demon Mabuya, an evil spirit that roamed the region and was very tormented by that sound coming out of the throats of the children at mourning. One day the demon, in an awful outburst of anger, decided to shut up once and for ever that “guao, guao, guao”. He turned the children into bushes of guao (a poisonous plant of Central America).

Poor little children! Because of the crazy and disobliged behavior of their mother, they were converted into an awful and cruel shrub that produces sores, swelling and itching to whom touch it. But it could not stay that way: the culprit was the mother and, obviously, where there is an evil demon there must be a good counterpart, then appeared the spirit of good.

When in the evening Aipiri arrived at home did not find the children anywhere but six strangers bushes had grown in the garden; the young woman became very nervous: something had happened that day during his absence.

Suddenly everything went dark around her! Aipirí felt very small; what was happening to her? She raised an arm and then the other and – what a surprise – she found himself pinned to the ceiling! The spirit of good, seeking vengeance for what she had done to her children, had turned her into a tatagua; she was a moth (Ascalapha odorata whose common English name is black witch) of the dark and ugly ones called witches: she was a butterfly witch! And this terrible way, Aipiri paid for her heartbreak and frivolity.

The legend points out that the husband of Aipiri looked for his wife and children for a long time and one day he disappeared from that place and nothing was heard of him forever.

The belief exists in the popular myth that if a black witch enters a house this is an announcement of ill omen. Nevertheless, the intention of the spirit of good when transformed Aipiri into one of these moth was to warn the mothers that their obligation was, and still is, to take care of their children and that a mother should never abandon or neglect her offspring.

Since then the guao is a plant feared and evaded by everyone. The children transformed into bushes are still alone and those who dare to touch them are in danger. While the mother is obsessed with the evil she did to her children, looking for them house to house terrorizing the inhabitants of these, who tremble at her presence believing she is carrier of some misfortune.