Yertward Mazamanian
Encyclopedia
Yertward Mazamanian widely known as "Eight Finger Eddie", was an American
hippie
of Armenian
descent, who was credited with popularizing Goa
, India
as a tourist
destination from the mid-1960s onward.
Mazamanian was born with only three fingers on his right hand, and was one of seven children of Armenian immigrants from Istanbul
who apparently settled near Boston. In his memoirs, he claimed to have been a Boy Scout
, a regular churchgoer and an "honors student" at school.
During the Second World War he convinced an Army psychiatrist that he was unfit for military service, and worked for a while for the General Electric Company before being sacked. He later wrote:
He performed occasionally as a bass
player in jazz bands, consumed large quantities of illegal drugs, married, and divorced, before moving to southern California
around 1950. In the 1950s, he lived for a time in Mexico
, and in the early 1960s was based in Copenhagen
, traveling to Spain
, Morocco
and elsewhere with friends in a camper van. Around 1964 he made his first trip to Iran
, India
and Nepal
, eventually settling for a period at Colva
in Goa. Around 1966, he settled at Anjuna
beach in Goa, at that time "a tiny hamlet with a few tea stalls and houses dotting a pristine sandy beach". Mazamanian once stated:
He started a soup kitchen at Anjuna, to assist the growing numbers of western travelers who came to the area as a final stopping place on the "hippie trail
", and, in 1975, set up a flea market
mainly for the foreign hippies wanting to barter their unwanted possessions and "hang out". The presence of Eddie and his companions was tolerated by locals, who would watch as the visitors "consulted the I Ching
, performed yogic exercises
, sucked earnestly on hashish
pipes or argued over the true meaning of Bob Dylan
's Sad-Eyed Lady of the Lowlands" Local writer Dominic Fernandes commented that "[T]hey were in love with this place. And we fell in love with them, because of the way they lived."
Apart from regular visits to Kathmandu, and to Bombay to renew his American passport, Mazamanian aka "Eight Finger Eddie" remained in Goa for the remainder of his life. The area gradually became a top tourist destination with hotels and casinos
catering for a commercial tourist market quite different from its origins in the 1960s and 1970s. The market at Anjuna itself turned into a thriving retail center. In 1991, he commented:
When he became ill, a Danish journalist launched a campaign to raise money for his medical bills. After his death, he was cremated
according to Hindu
rites, and his ashes scattered at Anjuna.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
hippie
Hippie
The hippie subculture was originally a youth movement that arose in the United States during the mid-1960s and spread to other countries around the world. The etymology of the term 'hippie' is from hipster, and was initially used to describe beatniks who had moved into San Francisco's...
of Armenian
Armenians
Armenian people or Armenians are a nation and ethnic group native to the Armenian Highland.The largest concentration is in Armenia having a nearly-homogeneous population with 97.9% or 3,145,354 being ethnic Armenian....
descent, who was credited with popularizing Goa
Goa
Goa , a former Portuguese colony, is India's smallest state by area and the fourth smallest by population. Located in South West India in the region known as the Konkan, it is bounded by the state of Maharashtra to the north, and by Karnataka to the east and south, while the Arabian Sea forms its...
, India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
as a tourist
Tourism
Tourism is travel for recreational, leisure or business purposes. The World Tourism Organization defines tourists as people "traveling to and staying in places outside their usual environment for not more than one consecutive year for leisure, business and other purposes".Tourism has become a...
destination from the mid-1960s onward.
Mazamanian was born with only three fingers on his right hand, and was one of seven children of Armenian immigrants from Istanbul
Istanbul
Istanbul , historically known as Byzantium and Constantinople , is the largest city of Turkey. Istanbul metropolitan province had 13.26 million people living in it as of December, 2010, which is 18% of Turkey's population and the 3rd largest metropolitan area in Europe after London and...
who apparently settled near Boston. In his memoirs, he claimed to have been a Boy Scout
Boy Scout
A Scout is a boy or a girl, usually 11 to 18 years of age, participating in the worldwide Scouting movement. Because of the large age and development span, many Scouting associations have split this age group into a junior and a senior section...
, a regular churchgoer and an "honors student" at school.
During the Second World War he convinced an Army psychiatrist that he was unfit for military service, and worked for a while for the General Electric Company before being sacked. He later wrote:
"I abhor work, begrudging every moment I've wasted as a wage earner. My aim in life is to get through life doing what I want to do."
He performed occasionally as a bass
Double bass
The double bass, also called the string bass, upright bass, standup bass or contrabass, is the largest and lowest-pitched bowed string instrument in the modern symphony orchestra, with strings usually tuned to E1, A1, D2 and G2...
player in jazz bands, consumed large quantities of illegal drugs, married, and divorced, before moving to southern California
Southern California
Southern California is a megaregion, or megapolitan area, in the southern area of the U.S. state of California. Large urban areas include Greater Los Angeles and Greater San Diego. The urban area stretches along the coast from Ventura through the Southland and Inland Empire to San Diego...
around 1950. In the 1950s, he lived for a time in Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
, and in the early 1960s was based in Copenhagen
Copenhagen
Copenhagen is the capital and largest city of Denmark, with an urban population of 1,199,224 and a metropolitan population of 1,930,260 . With the completion of the transnational Øresund Bridge in 2000, Copenhagen has become the centre of the increasingly integrating Øresund Region...
, traveling to Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
, Morocco
Morocco
Morocco , officially the Kingdom of Morocco , is a country located in North Africa. It has a population of more than 32 million and an area of 710,850 km², and also primarily administers the disputed region of the Western Sahara...
and elsewhere with friends in a camper van. Around 1964 he made his first trip to Iran
Iran
Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...
, India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
and Nepal
Nepal
Nepal , officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal, is a landlocked sovereign state located in South Asia. It is located in the Himalayas and bordered to the north by the People's Republic of China, and to the south, east, and west by the Republic of India...
, eventually settling for a period at Colva
Colva
Colva is a white sand beach in the South Goa district of Goa, India. Colva beach is one of the longest in the world . On the weekend, the crowd explodes with locals as well. The beach also gets particularly busy in October, when hoardes of pilgrims come and visit Colva Church...
in Goa. Around 1966, he settled at Anjuna
Anjuna
Anjuna is a village in Goa, one of the twelve Brahmin comunidades of Bardez.Its church, St. Michael's Church, Anjuna, founded in 1595, is dedicated to S. Miguel, and celebrates the feasts of S. Miguel and Nossa Senhora Advogada . There are three large chapels in the parish: the one to S...
beach in Goa, at that time "a tiny hamlet with a few tea stalls and houses dotting a pristine sandy beach". Mazamanian once stated:
"I was the first freakFreakIn current usage, the word "freak" is commonly used to refer to a person with something unusual about their appearance or behaviour. This usage dates from the so-called freak scene of the 1960s and 1970s. "Freak" in this sense may be used either as a pejorative, a term of admiration, or a...
in Goa. I turned up and liked it so much, I just wanted to stay. And then others started coming. In those days, they came overland from Europe in camper vans and no one had any money..."
He started a soup kitchen at Anjuna, to assist the growing numbers of western travelers who came to the area as a final stopping place on the "hippie trail
Hippie trail
The hippie trail is a term used to describe the journeys taken by hippies and others in the 1960s and 1970s from Europe overland to and from southern Asia, mainly India, Pakistan and Nepal...
", and, in 1975, set up a flea market
Flea market
A flea market or swap meet is a type of bazaar where inexpensive or secondhand goods are sold or bartered. It may be indoors, such as in a warehouse or school gymnasium; or it may be outdoors, such as in a field or under a tent...
mainly for the foreign hippies wanting to barter their unwanted possessions and "hang out". The presence of Eddie and his companions was tolerated by locals, who would watch as the visitors "consulted the I Ching
I Ching
The I Ching or "Yì Jīng" , also known as the Classic of Changes, Book of Changes and Zhouyi, is one of the oldest of the Chinese classic texts...
, performed yogic exercises
Yoga
Yoga is a physical, mental, and spiritual discipline, originating in ancient India. The goal of yoga, or of the person practicing yoga, is the attainment of a state of perfect spiritual insight and tranquility while meditating on Supersoul...
, sucked earnestly on hashish
Hashish
Hashish is a cannabis preparation composed of compressed stalked resin glands, called trichomes, collected from the unfertilized buds of the cannabis plant. It contains the same active ingredients but in higher concentrations than unsifted buds or leaves...
pipes or argued over the true meaning of Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan is an American singer-songwriter, musician, poet, film director and painter. He has been a major and profoundly influential figure in popular music and culture for five decades. Much of his most celebrated work dates from the 1960s when he was an informal chronicler and a seemingly...
's Sad-Eyed Lady of the Lowlands" Local writer Dominic Fernandes commented that "[T]hey were in love with this place. And we fell in love with them, because of the way they lived."
Apart from regular visits to Kathmandu, and to Bombay to renew his American passport, Mazamanian aka "Eight Finger Eddie" remained in Goa for the remainder of his life. The area gradually became a top tourist destination with hotels and casinos
Casino
In modern English, a casino is a facility which houses and accommodates certain types of gambling activities. Casinos are most commonly built near or combined with hotels, restaurants, retail shopping, cruise ships or other tourist attractions...
catering for a commercial tourist market quite different from its origins in the 1960s and 1970s. The market at Anjuna itself turned into a thriving retail center. In 1991, he commented:
"Some people say it's not like it used to be, and it's not. But I like it here now. I like the parties. And I like the music. It's good to dance to."
When he became ill, a Danish journalist launched a campaign to raise money for his medical bills. After his death, he was cremated
Cremation
Cremation is the process of reducing bodies to basic chemical compounds such as gasses and bone fragments. This is accomplished through high-temperature burning, vaporization and oxidation....
according to Hindu
Hindu
Hindu refers to an identity associated with the philosophical, religious and cultural systems that are indigenous to the Indian subcontinent. As used in the Constitution of India, the word "Hindu" is also attributed to all persons professing any Indian religion...
rites, and his ashes scattered at Anjuna.