Excerpt about the mythology and the Kanijugu symbol:

What is the curse and what happens when an evil-hearted tribal leader dies?  Bridget Murphy, archeologist and expert in antiquities explains the mythology: "This can seem a little complicated, so hang in there." Bridget Murphy said.

“When a malevolent tribal leader dies, he is treated with disdain and no gifts are allowed. The evil leader’s gravestone is prepared under the supervision of the shaman who directed the stonecutter to chisel a gash through the “pon” of the symbol, severing the sacred connection between the two spirals. This process defaces the Banimaya symbol and creates the Kanijugu symbol. The Kanijugu represents mal, mauvais and dépravée,” Bridget said.

“What does that mean?” Quinn asked.

“It’s French for evil, bad, and depraved,” Adama Baptist, NYPD Deputy Chief said.

“Correct, and since the ‘pon’ is the link between worlds, a severed pon dishonors, banishes, and prevents the bad leader’s transition, thereby trapping his evil spirit for all eternity.” Bridget said.

“What constitutes evil and how is it applied?” Dr. Pearson, NYPD Chief Medical Officer asked.

“The legend is passed down as folklore and is based on a person’s heart, or soul. So, if the tribal leader had an evil heart, meaning he was power hungry, greedy, and cruel, and he deceived, cheated, tortured, raped, or murdered people, it’s likely he became enriched with power and wealth, at the expense of others.”

“So, the Kanijugu symbol or curse prevents the soul transcending, and the evil heart remains interred. We learned that bad leaders were segregated to a plot of rotten earth and kept isolated to ensure no transfer or contamination in the world of the living,” Adama offered.