The book by Eng. Mr. Vivienno L. Frank titled ‘Aruba en een keuze uit haar toponiemen’ has been translated into English. This publication provides an explanation of the names of neighborhoods and districts in Aruba. Director Ms. Astrid Britten of the National Library of Aruba received two copies from Vi Frank Jr., son of Mr. Vivienno L. Frank Sr. This book will now become part of the National Collection.
Place names in Aruba such as ‘Cudarebe’, ‘Marawiel’, ‘Macuarima’, and ‘Hudishibana’—where do they come from? What is their origin? Why are they called that? The famous Greek philosopher Aristotle once said, “Doubt is the beginning of wisdom.” Ten years ago, doubts surrounding all the stories and legends circulating about the origin of Aruban place names led Eng. Vivienno L. Frank, former head of the Land Registry Office (Kadaster) in Aruba, to embark on an odyssey to decipher many of the enigmas surrounding Aruban toponyms.
It was a ten-year adventure that involved consulting numerous ancient documents and maps, debunking many old legends while allowing new mythologies to see the light of day as “possible truths.” It is true that they tied wheels (mara wiel) at Marawiel… but not in the manner described by local folklore. Most people in Aruba know that ‘Hudishibana’ and ‘Cudarebe’ have their roots in ancient indigenous language, but which language they belong to and what their translation is in Papiamento form one of the central topics of the book. Does Macuarima come from the name of an indigenous princess? Not according to Eng. Frank, who relegates this story to the fantasy realm of a well-known Aruban writer and presents arguments for the name’s likely true origin.