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If You See These Symbols You're In Mafia
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Jun 27, 2025
The Sicilian Mafia has operated in the shadows for over a century, using secret symbols to mark their territory, communicate threats, and enforce their power. In this shocking exposé, we reveal the deadly meanings behind seemingly innocent gestures and symbols that could mean life or death on the streets of Sicily. From the chilling "Kiss of Death" that marks someone for execution to the perversion of sacred Catholic rituals, discover how the Mafia has created an entire language of terror hidden in plain sight. Learn why a simple finger to the lips isn't just asking for quiet—it's enforcing Omertà, the code of silence that has protected murderers for generations. We'll also expose how the Mafia hijacked Sicily's beloved Trinacria symbol, turning cultural pride into a tool for criminal control, and reveal the secret star tattoo that sparked a bloody Mafia civil war. These aren't movie clichés—these are real markers of Mafia territory that continue to strike fear into communities today. Subscribe now and hit the notification bell to dive deeper into the world's most dangerous secret societies! #Mafia #OrganizedCrime #SicilianMafia #CosaNostra #HiddenSymbols #MafiaSecrets #TrueCrime #Criminal #Underworld #Sicily --~-~~-~~~-~~-~--~-~~-~~~-~~-~--~-~~-~~~-~~-~- ⚠️ Content Disclaimer: This video is created for educational and informational purposes only. We do NOT glorify, promote, or encourage any form of criminal activity. All visuals, audio, and materials used in this video are either: ✔ Created using AI tools, or ✔ Sourced from royalty-free platforms with valid licenses. No copyrighted content belonging to others has been used without permission. ❤️ Support the Channel: If you enjoy learning about real-life crime stories, history, and social issues, don't forget to:
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0:00
the secret war for New York was over the
0:03
Harlem Kingpins had risen higher and
0:06
faster than anyone could have imagined
0:08
and their fall was just as spectacular
0:12
but they left a permanent mark they had
0:15
shattered the myth of Italian American
0:18
supremacy in organized crime for good
0:22
they proved that the mob's rules could
0:24
be broken their territory could be taken
0:27
and their business model could be stolen
0:30
and done better they showed that a new
0:33
more ruthless kind of organization could
0:36
rise in the modern world the slow
0:38
decline of the oldw world mafia was sped
0:41
up by new laws like the RICO act but the
0:45
psychological knockout punch had already
0:48
been thrown by men like Barnes Lucas and
0:51
Matthews they kicked the door wide open
0:55
showing every other non-Italian criminal
0:58
group that the throne was up for grabs
1:01
the world they left behind was more
1:04
scattered and chaotic the centralized
1:06
power of the five families was replaced
1:09
by a multicultural free-for-all with
1:12
different gangs fighting for a piece of
1:15
the drug trade the story of the men who
1:19
broke the mob's ultimate rule isn't just
1:21
about crime it's about a massive power
1:24
shift that redefined the American
1:27
underworld they were brutal criminals
1:30
who brought incredible pain to their own
1:33
communities but they were also symbols
1:36
of a violent dramatic changing of the
1:39
guard a crew from Harlem who looked at
1:42
an unbreakable kingdom and decided to
1:45
build their own right on top of its
1:48
ruins section one the kiss of death a
1:52
sentence delivered with a touch the
1:54
Bachio de laorte the kiss of death it's
1:58
maybe the most chillingly personal
2:00
gesture in the entire criminal
2:02
underworld it was burned into our
2:05
collective memory by movies like The
2:08
Godfather Part Two where Michael
2:10
Corleone gives his brother Fredo the
2:13
kiss sealing his fate for betraying the
2:16
family but this is no Hollywood
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invention this is a very real and very
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final message the gesture itself is
2:25
deceptively simple a mafia boss or
2:28
another highranking member publicly
2:31
kisses a subordinate on the cheek or
2:34
lips to an outsider it could look like
2:37
respect or maybe even reconciliation
2:41
but to anyone inside Kosanostra the
2:44
meaning is crystal clear you have been
2:47
marked for death it's a formal sentence
2:50
a public announcement that the person
2:52
has committed a betrayal so deep it can
2:55
only be paid for with their life the
2:59
kiss does two things first it tells the
3:02
target their fate plunging them into a
3:05
state of pure psychological terror
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second it's a green light for the
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executioners letting them know the hit
3:15
has been approved from the very top
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where did it come from the origin is
3:20
debated some historians trace it back to
3:24
the kiss of Judas the ultimate symbol of
3:27
treachery where Judas's Scariot
3:30
identified Jesus to Roman soldiers with
3:33
a kiss this religious overtone is
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completely intentional adding a twisted
3:39
layer of somnity to the act it's a final
3:43
bizarrely intimate moment between the
3:45
judge and the condemned it says "We were
3:49
brothers but you broke the sacred vow
3:52
and now you have to pay." One of the
3:55
most famous real life examples happened
3:58
inside the American mafia in the early
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1960s a mob soldier named Joe Velachi
4:05
was in a federal prison in Atlanta with
4:08
his boss the powerful Veto Genevi
4:13
genevi began to suspect Velachi was an
4:15
informant one day Genevvesi gave Veli a
4:20
kiss on the cheek velacei knowing the
4:22
old traditions understood instantly what
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it meant a contract was on his head the
4:29
fear was so intense that in a tragic
4:32
case of mistaken identity Belachi beat
4:36
another inmate to death thinking the man
4:38
was the assassin sent to kill him now
4:42
facing a murder charge and convinced
4:44
Genevese's killers would get him
4:46
eventually Velashi did the unthinkable
4:49
he broke the code of silence he
4:52
cooperated with the authorities becoming
4:54
one of the most important government
4:56
witnesses in history his testimony blew
5:01
the lid off the secret world of Kosan
5:03
Nostra and it all started with a single
5:06
terrifying kiss more recently a case in
5:10
Corsica showed how this symbol is still
5:13
alive and well a female prison guard
5:16
Kathy Senal was convicted for her part
5:20
in a mob boss's assassination her job
5:23
was simple identify the target who was
5:27
trying to be incognito
5:29
to a hitman waiting outside she did it
5:33
by giving the man a kiss as he left the
5:35
prison a modern brutally effective use
5:39
of the ancient Bachio Deamorte
5:43
the kiss of death isn't just a threat
5:45
it's a promise it's the final chilling
5:48
signature on a death warrant section two
5:51
the trinacria a stolen symbol of pride
5:55
imagine a flag in the center you see the
5:58
head of the Gorgon Medusa her hair a
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tangle of snakes attached to three bent
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legs spinning out like a pin wheel this
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is the trinacria the ancient and
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official symbol of Sicily itself you'll
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see it everywhere on the island on
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government buildings tourist souvenirs
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and flying proudly as the regional flag
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its name comes from the Greek word
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trinius meaning three cornered
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a direct nod to Sicilles triangular
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shape the three legs stand for the
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island's three capes Polyoro Pacers
6:41
and Libeo the head of Medusa was
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traditionally a protective symbol an
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amulet to ward off evil for centuries
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the trinacria has been an emblem of
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Sicilian pride and resilience a symbol
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of independence so how does a symbol of
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pride and protection become a marker for
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mafia territory by cultural hijacking
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the Sicilian Mafia has always tried to
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paint itself not as a criminal gang but
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as a kind of shadow government the
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protectors of true Sicilian values
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against a corrupt government in Rome by
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using the trinacria the mafia quietly
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steals its meaning it's a subtle
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declaration that says "We are Sicily we
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are the real power here we are the
7:33
guardians of its heritage." For a shop
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owner in Palmo or Corleone just seeing
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the trinacria isn't necessarily scary
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but context is everything when a man of
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honor walks into a shop and gestures to
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a trinacria on the wall while talking
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about protection the message is loud and
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clear he's tying his extortion racket to
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the very soul of Sicily to say no isn't
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just defying a gangster it's defying a
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so-called patriot the symbol becomes a
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cover for crime turning a shakeddown
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into a contribution to the community
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this theft of a beloved cultural symbol
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is one of the mafia's most clever and
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insidious moves it blurs the line
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between citizen and criminal between
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patriotism and racketeering
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it creates a shield of cultural
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legitimacy that makes it incredibly hard
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for ordinary people to fight back the
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mafia doesn't need its own flag when it
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can just steal the one that people
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already love the trinacria shows the
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mafia's genius for psychological games
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depending on who's using it it can mean
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welcome to Sicily or you're in our
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territory now the ambiguity is the whole
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point section three sacred oaths and
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burning saints the perversion of faith
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the relationship between the Sicilian
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mafia and the Catholic Church is one of
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the most hypocritical paradoxes you'll
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ever find on one hand the mafia has
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murdered priests who dared to speak out
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against them on the other its members
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are often devoutly religious in public
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more importantly they've woven the
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sacred symbols and rituals of
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Catholicism into the very fabric of
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their organization
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you see this most clearly in their
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secret initiation ceremony the ritual
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that turns a regular guy into a made man
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a full member of Kosanostra
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for decades this ceremony was the stuff
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of myth but thanks to informants like
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Tomaso Busetta and even FBI recordings
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this profane ritual has been exposed
10:00
an aspiring member after being watched
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for years is brought into a room with
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the boss and other highranking mobsters
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the mood is serious almost like a church
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service on a table you might see a gun
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and a knife the tools of the trade the
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ceremony is called the punjuta or the
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pricking the boss explains the rules of
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the organization total loyalty putting
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the family before your own blood
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relatives and the code of silence then
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he pricks the recruit's trigger finger
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with a needle drawing blood that blood
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is smeared onto a holy card usually of a
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patron saint like the Archangel Michael
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this is the key moment the holy card now
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covered in the recruit's blood is set on
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fire it's placed in the man's cupped
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hands and he has to juggle it back and
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forth as it burns to ash trying not to
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get burned while the sacred image turns
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to dust he swears his oath the exact
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words can change but the promise is
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always the same may my soul burn like
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this saint if I ever betray the secrets
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of Kosanostra
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every single part of this ritual is a
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symbol twisted for a criminal purpose
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the blood is a new birth a baptism into
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the mafia family the burning saint is a
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powerful psychological weapon a constant
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reminder of the fiery punishment for
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betrayal by using religious icons they
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give the oath a sacred unbreakable
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weight it elevates a criminal conspiracy
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into a holy crusade these men don't see
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themselves as just criminals they are
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men of honor and this is their sacrament
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this display of piety acts as a moral
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shield allowing them to believe that
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violence and murder can coexist with
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faith and God it's a profound
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psychological trick turning the most
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sacred symbols of faith into emblems of
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a murderous secret society section 4
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omera the invisible symbol of silence
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not all symbols are things you can see
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some are ideas codes of conduct so
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powerful they define the entire culture
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for the Sicilian mafia the most
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important symbol of all is the invisible
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one omea the code of silence omea is the
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absolute unbreakable rule against
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cooperating with the government or
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interfering in the business of others
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the word itself is thought to come from
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a mix of the Sicilian words for
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manliness
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omu and humility
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[Music]
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um tar
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twisted into a dark code of honor that
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demands silence above all else to a
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mafio talking to the police is the
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ultimate sin far worse than murder and
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the punishment for breaking Omar is
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death no exceptions this code is the
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central pillar holding up the entire
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mafia without it the organization would
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crumble it keeps conspiracy secret stops
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witnesses from testifying and forces
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whole communities into silence through
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fear amea isn't just for mobsters it's
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enforced on the entire society where
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they operate a shopkeeper who sees a
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murder knows to keep his mouth shut a
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wife who knows her husband is a killer
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stays silent to talk is to sign your own
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death warrant and probably those of your
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family too while omiter is a concept it
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has physical signs a finger to the lips
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is a universal sign for quiet but in a
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mafia context it's a death threat the
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oath sworn over the burning saint during
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initiation is at its core a vow of omear
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even the way members are introduced he
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is the same thing as you reinforces the
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code it builds a circle of trust on the
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inside and an unbreakable wall against
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the outside world the power of was so
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absolute that for generations many
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Sicilians and even Italian officials
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refused to even say the word mafia out
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loud it was a thing you just didn't name
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this culture of silence allowed the
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organization to grow like a cancer
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weaving itself so deeply into the
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political and economic life of the
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island that it became almost impossible
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to remove breaking Omear is what makes
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defectors or pentity so despised by the
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mafia and so valuable to law enforcement
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men like Tomaso Buschetta didn't just
15:28
confess their crimes they shattered the
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foundational symbol of their world
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omera is more than a rule it's a world
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view it's a total rejection of the
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state's authority and an embrace of the
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family's law as the only one that
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matters it's an invisible suffocating
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symbol of control a ghost in the room
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the unspoken threat that hangs over
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every single interaction in mafia
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territory section five the star of the
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others lastida for a long time Kosa
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Nostra was seen as the one and only
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criminal power in Sicily but in the
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1980s during the chaos of the Second
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Mafia War a rival group emerged they
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were a faction of outcasts and rebels
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who became known as lasida and like any
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group trying to build an identity they
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needed a symbol of their own
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stitter is the Sicilian word for star
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appropriately the symbol of this rival
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group is a tattoo it's not big or flashy
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which fits the secret world they live in
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the symbol is five small greenish dots
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tattooed in a circle to form a star it's
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usually placed on the right hand in the
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web of skin between the thumb and index
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finger a discrete mark that only
17:00
insiders would recognize these marks are
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called e puntid deella malavita which
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translates to the points of the criminal
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life unlike Kosanostra which usually
17:13
avoids tattoos because they draw too
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much attention Lashida used this symbol
17:20
to identify fellow members the group was
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mostly made up of men who were kicked
17:25
out of Kosanostra during the bloody
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power grab by the Kionese clan these
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guys were enemies of the establishment
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so they desperately needed a way to spot
17:36
their allies in the war against the big
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mafia families the star tattoo became
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their banner the rise of Lastida and its
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symbol shows us something crucial about
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the criminal underworld
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branding matters even in secret
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societies a visual identity can unite a
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faction build loyalty and scare your
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rivals
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for a member of
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[Music]
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Lastida that little star tattoo was a
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declaration of war it said "I'm not with
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Kosanostra i'm with the other guys." in
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Sicily at that time this was an
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incredibly dangerous thing to declare
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and the war that followed between the
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two groups left thousands dead the
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Stitter symbol is a great contrast to
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the more established emblems of Kosan
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Nostra while the mafia stole symbols of
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church and state to give themselves an
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air of legitimacy the Stitter went with
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something more raw and personal a mark
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burned right into the skin it was a
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secret handshake made permanent a sign
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of a new rebellious brotherhood born
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from blood and conflict seeing that
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five-pointed star on a man's hand meant
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you weren't just in mafia territory you
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were caught in the crossfire of a civil
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war where violence was the only language
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both sides spoke perfectly these symbols
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from a simple gesture to an ancient flag
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are a chilling reminder that there are
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other worlds operating just beneath the
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surface of our own worlds with their own
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rules their own languages and their own
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brutal forms of justice to understand
19:34
them is to understand the very nature of
19:38
power and fear if you found this look
19:41
into the secret world of the mafia
19:44
fascinating make sure you subscribe and
19:47
hit that notification bell so you don't
19:49
miss our next investigation into the
19:52
shadows and we want to hear from you
19:55
what other secret societies and their
19:58
symbols are you curious about let us
20:01
know in the comments below the symbols
20:03
of the Sicilian Mafia are so much more
20:06
than movie props or historical footnotes
20:09
they are the living language of a shadow
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nation they are tools precision
20:14
engineered to create loyalty on the
20:17
inside and project terror on the outside
20:21
a burning saint in a new recruit's hands
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forges a bond of loyalty through
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blasphemy and fear a kiss from a boss is
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a death sentence more final than any
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court's decision the proud trinacria of
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Sicily is twisted into an emblem of
20:41
criminal control blurring the line
20:44
between patriotism and extortion
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and the invisible code of murder acts as
20:52
the ultimate symbol a wall of silence
20:55
that allows the entire organization to
20:59
thrive in the dark these symbols give
21:02
the organization legitimacy in the eyes
21:05
of its own members and intimidate the
21:08
communities they rule they create a
21:10
shared identity a sense of belonging to
21:13
something powerful important a thing of
21:17
ours a kosanostra
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they are a constant silent broadcast of
21:23
power reminding everyone who's really in
21:27
charge so the next time you see one of
21:29
these symbols whether it's in a movie or
21:32
on the streets of Sicily remember what
21:34
you're really looking at a declaration
21:37
of power from one of the most ruthless
21:39
and enduring criminal organizations the
21:43
world has ever known