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Cosa Nostra (our thing, our stuff, between us): the name by which members of the Sicilian mafia call their group. This term was publicized by the American repentant Joe Valachi in 1963. The testimony of Tommaso Buscetta showed later that the term was also used by the Sicilian Mafioso. Although it is impossible to determine it precisely, it’s probable that this term appeared in the United States of America, in the Sicilian immigrated communities, its meaning, “our thing”, shows that the organization was not open to other ethnic communities. The noun “Cosa Nostra” is commonly used to mention Sicilian mafia existing since the 1860s (in Sicily or elsewhere in the world), showing the difference with other Italian mafias.

A Cosa Nostra’s family structure
Cosa Nostra counts for approximately 186 families of different sizes and intensity. We think that the number of people affiliated (bosses, soldiers, insiders, people who are faithful to the clan, etc.) is of 5,400 on the Sicilian territory and 65,000 associates.

Each family is organized in a pyramidal way:

1. Family (Cosca)

2. Godfather/family chief (Don)

3. Advisors (Consigliere) – normally only one, never more than three

4. Underboss (Sotto-capo)

5. Crew chief (Capodeccina, Caporegime)

6. Soldiers (Soldato)

7. Associates

Cosa Nostra recruitment
The 10 commandments:

In November 2007, the Sicilian police declared having found a list with 10 commandments in the belongings of Salvatore Lo Piccolo, Capo di Tutti I Capi (Boss of Bosses) of Cosa Nostra. This explains how to be a good, respectable, and honorable Mafioso.

1.	Nobody has to present himself directly to one of our friends. A third party must be present.

2.	Do not covet the women of another man of honor.

3.	Never cooperate with the police.

4.	Bars and nightclubs are forbidden.

5.	Always be available for Cosa Nostra, even if your wife is giving birth to your baby.

6.	Appointments must always be respected.

7.	Women must be treated with respect.

8.	When someone asks you for a piece of information, you have to answer the truth.

9.	Money cannot be given to you if it belongs to another friend or family.

10.	People who have a relation in the police, in another Mafioso family, someone who behaves badly, who does not have moral values and homosexuals cannot be part of Cosa Nostra.

Selected members:
Cosa Nostra is scrupulous regarding the initiation of a future member within the “family”. A Mafioso must be:

•	Of Sicilian ascendance (on the mother’s and father’s side),

•	Male and catholic.

Are directly refused:

•	People born outside of the Sicilian territory,

•	Unlawful sons (even from divorced parents),

•	Communists or sons of communists,

•	Sons or brothers of prostitutes,

•	Homosexuals,

•	Divorced people,

•	Spouses or relations of Cosa Nostra victims (the vow of truth between men of honor would tell them the murderer’s name and would trigger lots of vendettas),

•	Close relations of policemen, magistrates or civil servants of all repressive authority.

Initiation rite
As soon as age of reason is reached, and frequently from father to son, the young boy is steeped in Mafioso’s values. He is observed, evaluated for a long time by the former Mafiosi. He is then carefully approached by innuendos, half-silences, or allusions. If the evaluation is positive, the candidate is invited to enter Cosa Nostra. This is a one-way introduction, and you can only get out of it through death or exclusion. The initiation rite, as Tommaso Buscetta describes it to Giovanni Falconne, the novice is gathered with at least three men of honor from the family and the oldest member warns him that this “house” is created to protect the weak against abuse of power. Then, he jabs the young boy’s finger and pours his blood on a sacred picture, usually a Saint. The picture is put in the insider’s hand, and they are united by fire. The novice must resist the fire’s pain; pass the picture from one hand to the other, until the picture is consumed, all this swearing solemnly to keep faith with Cosa Nostra’s principles. He has to use the spell “to see my flesh burn as this Saint if I do not keep my oath”. Joseph Valachi was the first person to say this in a court.

During his initiation, the new Mafioso has to take an oath. He is told the following honor code:

•	Do not steal, do not be a procurer,

•	Do not kill other men of honor, except orders from the “Cupola”,

•	Never talk about Cosa Nostra in public,

•	Respect the omertà, the law of silence required by the Mafia (“I do not see, I do not hear, I do not talk”). The non-mafiosi are scared of reprisals for those who talk. The breach of the omertà is punished by death, even decades after the sentence: according to this law the betrayed person has to kill the one who is guilty of talking too much. To illustrate the omertà, Mafiosi do not under any circumstances leave written traces of their activities. Thus, at the end of the ‘60s, while the young and brilliant Michele Cavantaino of the Acquasanta family was talking about the Sicilian capital territorial boundary changes with the Palermo provincial commission members, he took a piece of paper and explained his idea by drawing a diagram. He was convicted to death by the commission, and executed after the meeting. The first test after the initiation is usually a murder designated by the Cupola to show submission and obedience to the organization. However, businessmen, civil servants, professionals and ecclesiastical are dispensed of murder.

Are purely forbidden
•	Notorious adultery,

•	Alcoholism (a man of honor has to keep his head and his dignity in every circumstance. Drunkenness is severely prohibited because a drunk person has no secret),

•	Usurious loan (for yourself), procuring and any other dishonorable activities,

•	Kidnappings on the Island.

Activities:
In Sicily, Cosa Nostra is present in these different activities:

•	Drug traffic,

•	Cigarettes traffic,

•	Illicit interventions in the sale by auction contracts of the public works and constructions,

•	The pizzo tax: it’s the name of extortion in Sicily. It’s a system which permits the mafia to set some taxes to storekeepers and firms to control the territory. Storekeepers are compelled to pay this « tax» to be protected. Sicilians get together more and more, and make advertising campaigns to encourage people to stop the omertà,

•	Usury,

•	Money laundering in the legal economy,

•	Diversion of grants from the community helps on the markets of wine, fishing, citrus fruits and oil-production,

•	Debit cards traffic,

•	Games and clandestine bets,

•	Weapons traffic,

•	Kidnappings,

•	Criminal fires used as way of pressure on people who do not want to pay the pizzo,

•	Murders for the traitors and all the opponents of Cosa Nostra. The murder between Mafiosi is prohibited except if the commission or the “Capo Famiglia” decides differently.

For extortions, the Mafia doesn’t spare the big Italian firms particularly those involved in big public works such as Italcementi (cement), Impregilo (number one in the Public buildings and works sector), and Condotte (Public buildings and works sector and water conveyance). These firms prefer making a pact rather than denounce blackmails that concern them.

(Report 2007, “SOS Entreprises”, Confesercenti)