A Made Man is a member of the American Mafia who is a fully initiated member of a Mafia family. Other common names for members include man of honor, goodfella and wiseguy, though the last two can also apply to non-members who work closely with the Mafia. In Sicily, the proper term for a member of the Sicilian Mafia is in Italian uomo d'onore, or in Sicilian omu d'onuri. Mafioso is a common term used by the press and academics, but is not used by members themselves.
It is believed the ceremony consists of pricking the index finger of the candidate (most often the one the candidate answers when asked "which finger do you use when pulling the trigger?" ) then being made to smear the blood over a picture of the family saint of the candidate. The don tells the candidate that loyalty to the crime family supersedes all, even that to the candidate's blood family. The picture is then set aflame and placed in the candidate's hands. The candidate recites an oath that if he exposes secrets or cooperates with the government, his soul is to be burning in Hell as the picture is currently burning in his hands. Upon this, the candidate is now "made".
Traditionally, in the Italian-American Mafia, in order to become a true made man, the inductee had to be a male of full Italian (preferably Sicilian) descent. Today, it is believed that the Italian-American Mafia has loosened this requirement so that males of half-Italian descent through their patrilineal line can be made. This was evidenced by the rise of John Gotti, who was born to a Serbian mother and Italian father.
