Isaiah Jones vs the Sea (A 21st Century Odyssey) Concerning the Albino:
The Legend of Dead Eye Polly Ovejero: Sins of the Father
Isaiah Jones vs the Sea (A 21st Century Odyssey)
Chapter 13: Concerning the Albino
The Legend of Dead Eye Polly Ovejero
Polly’s father was the head of the Cuban mob’s interest in New Orleans. Big Polly was a six-foot-nine-inch tall Afro-Cuban who met and married his mother during the early 1970s. After he and the High Priestess Lady Laveau, the direct descendant of the infamous Marie Catherine Laveau, betrayed him to the DEA, Polly was only seven years old when the shootout at his family’s home in the bayou occurred. The local cops, FBI, and DEA all opened fire on the modest wood-framed farmhouse.
When the shooting was over, Big Polly lay dead. His mother’s body, riddled with bullets, was covering his. Miraculously, she lived and was sentenced to death by the electric chair for the death of the 13 officers they killed in the shootout. Polly was turned over to the state while his mother was in prison appealing the sentence.
Polly ran away from the orphanage when he was nine and began working for local gangs, then mobsters. As he grew older, he worked his way across the South towards Florida, where he had a few distant relatives. It took him seven years to make it to Florida, and the albino grew into a large man like his father. By the time he was 16, he had his own crew and traveled from Florida to Cuba to claim his family’s seat of power.
But first, he had to kill the man who betrayed his father: the head of the Cuban crime families, now his father’s brother, his uncle Luis. He met the old bosses at their villa in Havana. They were ready to let him talk and then send the young albino away with nothing to show for his efforts. Dead Eye Polly had a different plan.
When they refused to give him his place, formerly held by his father, he drew his guns. The first shot removed Luis’s head completely. His men, already in place, had killed all the kin of the men at the table during the meeting. There would be no one to avenge them, for he wiped out the line of their people in one bloody fell swoop. When the gunshots went silent, only he was alive. This was his method: to kill those who would avenge their deaths. It was medieval, gruesome, unfair, and effective.
He took care of the widows and children to keep an eye on them as well as to make them feel indebted to him. After he killed their husbands and fathers, they were indeed grateful he did not kill them as well. He actually was a better provider for them than the men he killed. He understood how to use pain, grief, and suffering to twist human emotions to his will as well as how to use a gun. His mind was as devious as a pimp’s—what else would you expect from a child raised in the finest whorehouse in New Orleans?
It was his uncle, Luis Ovejero—Big Polly Ovejero’s own younger brother—who betrayed him out of jealousy. Luis always wanted to be number one and hated working for his brother. He wanted to be the boss. To add insult to injury, he was in love with his brother’s wife, Catarina. When she and Big Polly were married, Luis, in a fit of jealous rage and anger, conspired with Tosca-like villainy to get his brother Polly out of the picture for good by turning him in to the feds.
He had not intended for Catarina to be harmed, but his brother was eliminated—killed in the shootout with the police at his cabin in the bayou where Catarina was wounded as well. They convicted her on 13 counts of murder for the deaths of the police officers and federal agents in the gunfight that left her husband dead. She killed only seven of the 13; the rest were the good work of her Polly. When he was 16 years old, they executed Catarina Laveau—she was the last person to die in the electric chair in the state of Louisiana.
Naomi finished her story and sighed as she looked at Isaiah. “And that, my young friend, is the story of our Señor Polly.”
Notes:
Abuelita Orúnmila’s Long-Standing Connection with Dead Eye Polly and Her Historical Significance
Name: Abuelita Orúnmila (née Circe-Catriana Dubois), nicknamed Madre CeeCee/Abuela Circe
Age: 73
Physical Description: Abuelita Orúnmila is a dignified woman with striking, deep-set eyes that hold a lifetime of wisdom. Her white hair is neatly styled in a bun, and her dark skin is marked by the lines of age and experience. She often wears elaborate, vibrant clothing that reflects her Afro-Cuban heritage, as well as symbols of her dual faith in Santería and Catholicism.
Background:
Born Marie-Louise Dubois in a small Louisiana town steeped in Vodun traditions, Abuelita Orúnmila was deeply influenced by her family’s involvement in the spiritual and mystical practices of the region. Her mother was a revered Vodun priestess and a close friend of the late queen of the order, who was also Dead Eye Polly’s mother. Abuelita Orúnmila’s early life was marked by her immersion in these sacred traditions, which shaped her into a powerful and respected figure within both Vodun and Santería.
Connection to Dead Eye Polly:
When Dead Eye Polly, then known as a young and ambitious figure in Louisiana, began his rise to power, Abuelita Orúnmila was a constant and loyal presence. She was one of the two Vodun priestesses who accompanied him as he moved from Louisiana to Havana to take his late father’s place among the powerful bosses of the Cuban underworld. Her role was both spiritual and strategic, guiding him with her wisdom and ensuring his transition into this new phase of his life was seamless and fortified by his ancestral traditions.
Role in Cuba:
Since arriving in Cuba, Abuelita Orúnmila has remained by Dead Eye Polly’s side, serving as a spiritual advisor and a confidante. Her expertise in Santería has been instrumental in helping him navigate the complex world of the Cuban underworld, while her deep understanding of Vodun traditions continues to connect him to his roots. Her cigar-rolling skills, a cherished tradition from her upbringing, have become a symbol of her enduring influence and respect.
Personal Life:
Abuelita Orúnmila leads a life marked by both humility and reverence. Despite her high status, she maintains a low profile, focusing on her spiritual practices and her role within Dead Eye Polly’s sphere. Her home in Havana, like her life, reflects a blend of the sacred and the practical, filled with symbols of her dual faith and the tools of her craft.
Cultural and Spiritual Significance:
Her presence at Dead Eye Polly’s side is a testament to her role in bridging cultural and spiritual worlds. She embodies the confluence of Louisiana Vodun and Afro-Cuban Santería, maintaining a balance between these traditions and integrating them into the fabric of the powerful underworld scene in Havana. Her involvement in high-profile events and her deep spiritual practices add a layer of authenticity and respect to the environment she inhabits.
Additional Note:
Marie Laveau was a Louisiana Creole practitioner of Voodoo, herbalist, and midwife renowned in New Orleans. Her daughter, Marie Laveau II, also practiced rootwork, conjure, Native American and African spiritualism, as well as Louisiana Voodoo and traditional Roman Catholicism (Source: Wikipedia).
- Born: September 10, 1801, New Orleans, LA
- Died: June 15, 1881 (age 79 years), New Orleans, LA
- Place of Burial: St. Louis Cemetery No. 1, New Orleans, LA
- Descendants: Marie Laveau II, Marie Philomène Glapion, Felicite Paris, Marie Angèlie Paris
- Spouse: Jacques Paris (m. 1819–1820)
- Parents: Charles LaVeau, Marguerite Darcantrel
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