The origins of La Cosa Nostra: From its roots to emigration
http://gangstersinc.ning.com/profiles/bl...s-to-emigration

no la in cosa nostra.. the G added it

Who started using the term cosa nostra first and when did it become the name for the American mafia?

In The Last Testament Of Lucky Luciano it says that Meyer Lansky advised Lucky to call it the Unione Siciliani. From what I recall that term had been used in the past. Also there is no mention of cosa nostra.

To men of honour belonging to the organization, there is no need to name it. Mafiosi introduce known members to other known members as belonging to "cosa nostra" or la stessa cosa, meaning "he is the same, a mafioso, as you" Only the outside world needs a name to describe it, hence the capitalized form "Cosa Nostra".

Unione Siciliana was different organization in Chicago with its own membership and rituals.

joe valachi, in his book, "the valachi papers" and also his testimony in front of congress in 1963. said "cosa nostra" meant "this thing of ours" and in the initation ceremony after he was made he was told you are now in cosa nostra.

he said it went back centuries.

I know it's linguistically incorrect and I know the FBI added the La, but why do the wiseguys themselves use La Cosa Nostra??
I've heard Franzese, Gravano and Leonetti all use the term.

John Gotti is even heard on a wiretap above the Ravenite using the term La Cosa Nostra, here's an excerpt from Five Families by Selwyn Raab:

I personally knew of only one of the Pittsburgh Family that was a direct descendant of The Black Hand that emigrated from Sicily.

Charlie Imburgia aka. Charlie Murgie's Father was a member of The Black Hand.

hello Billy, as far as gotti on tape,, he says ah cosa nostra, with the watering down of italian speaking mafia members they have adopted what they hear on the news and read..wiseguys say i.e. regime.not decina..look the jersey guys used playing cards in stead of a saint.most don't even say amico nostri. they say friend of ours or 'he's made' also with i.e. colombo's..

I know what you mean, in the the tape when he said ''This is gonna be a Cosa Nostra 'till I die, be it an hour from now or hundred years from now when were in jail..'' but in the transcript above he definitely says 'La'.

Doesn't really matter, because what you said is true, a lot of things have lost their original meaning from when that thing was started in the late 1800's..

correct, Billy

From my understanding, "The Black Hand" wasnt an organization, not in Sicily , not here. It was an act of extortion. There were Black Hand groups, which basically specialized in the extortion of prominent Italian citizens. There were early Camorra groups in Pennsylvania that used the Black Hand letter writing, and threat of bombs to extort from fellow Italians. Some early bosses here in the states were sometimes victims of "The Black Hand" as well. So it was never its own organization.



Also, according to David Critchley's book, dual membership in Sicilian & American coshe were a thing and was allowed. It happened through a system of letters which were basically vouchers for members immigrating from Sicily. A member merely wrote to his capo via telegram and informed him of what American family he desired to belong to. The capo in Sicily would then write to the head of the desired American family, vouching for the Sicilian mafiosi/immigrant, allowing him to be trusted enough to be initiated into the American family. Thought that was interesting as dual membership is a interesting debate on these forums, at times.


"Boss of bosses", prior to Masseria & Maranzano was merely a title. Many who held this title in America in the early 19th century, simply didnt have the pull to affect mafia going-on's in other states. For instance, Morello merely had a loose network of relationships with various members in Louisiana, and he wished for a "reorganization" of the Louisiana "family" and wanted more Corleonesi, due to all the conflicts the New Orleans family haf then. His wishes merely had no effect and the Corleonesi were a depleted force by the 1920's. And many of Morello's allies within the New Orleans group were killed, inactive, or dead by the 30's.

This 100% correct, how can someone claim otherwise? It has been proven by historians that The Black Hand (La Mano Nera) was an extortion tactic indeed. Criminals dripped their hands in ink and put it on the letter in which they made the demands and threats.

Italian criminals from the pre-prohibition era were often also called Black Handers, even if though they never practiced the tactic. Al d'Arco also did it in his book..