Introduction
Christopher Columbus was an Italian explorer, navigator, and colonizer. Under the auspices of the Catholic Monarchs who ruled over Spain at the time, he was able to undertake four major voyages crossing the Atlantic Ocean. It was through these voyages and attempts to create settlements in them that he ensured European colonization over the New World. This came at a time where there was increased economic competition and imperialism was the rule of the European nations. Columbus set out to establish new trade routes by sailing westwards and hoping to reach the East Indies so as to increase the spice trade. With the economical benefit in mind, the Spanish crown approved of the voyage. However, in his first voyage he stumbled on the New World in 1492 rather than Southeast Asia as he had intended. Over the rest of his three voyages, he encountered the Greater and Lesser Antilles while also visiting the Caribbean coast of Venezuela which he claimed on behalf of the Crown of Castile. The following report identifies the numerous peoples that Columbus encountered during his voyages and the impact he had on their lives.
The Voyages and the People Encountered
As mentioned earlier, the role of Columbus was to embark on a journey in search of the most appropriate trade route that would help expand the economic powers of the Spanish Crown. He left the Palos de la Frontera on the 3 August 1492 using three ships; Niña, Santa María, and Pinta. The citizens of Palos were forced by the monarchs to contribute a significant amount to the expedition that Columbus would undertake. They first docked at the Canary Islands which also belonged to the Castile while making repairs and restocking provisions. They would set out once again on a 5-week long voyage beginning 6 September. A lookout on one of the ships, Pinta, spotted land at 2a.m. in the morning of 12 October. 1 However, Columbus stated that he had seen a light on the land a few hours before hence claiming the lifetime pension by Ferdinand and Isabella for being the first to see land.
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The spotted land was an island known today as the Bahamas. However, Columbus referred to it as San Salvador. He met natives of this place who referred to land as Guanahani. The indigenous people that Columbus met were peaceful and very welcoming of the foreigners. They included the Lucayan, Taino, or Arawak. This native people wore gold ear ornaments that sparked interest in the voyager as he insisted that they show him where exactly they got the gold. It is possible that the natives of the land were very excited to see people who were far different from them and did not pose significant threat. Columbus did not seek to threaten the people as he was merely looking for a way to Japan. He was not in a rush to conquer the land. However, he did indicate that the lack of modern weapons was a significant vulnerability of the people. He indicated in his diary that it would take only 50 men to conquer the New World that he had found.
During the same voyage he set out to northeast coast of Cuba where he would encounter more people on the new world. The navigator of the ships called Pinta sailed on an unauthorized expedition as he sought to find the island where the natives stated that gold was in plenty. Columbus set out on the northern coast of Hispaniola where he landed on 5 December. It was at this place that he encountered more natives who were friendly to him. The native caciques Guacanagaríx, is one of the leaders in the native land who welcomed Columbus and his men and even allowed some of them to remain behind. The Santa Maria ran aground and he was forced to abandon it. The voyagers used it as a target to aim their canons which got the natives very excited. They were amazed by the things that these foreigners could do and the extent of their powers. On January 13 1493, Columbus made his last stop of the voyage in Bay of Rincón where he encountered the only natives who offered violent resistance. The Cigüayos flaunted long hair and incorporated bows and poisoned arrows as a particular measure of attacking the foreigners. They occupied Peninsula of Samaná which is the regions close to the present-day Dominican Republic. As a result, their legacy is deeply engraved in the folktales of the Dominican people.
The Lifestyle of the People
According to the accounts of Columbus, the people he encountered during the voyages were living in a backward lifestyle. In this case, he identifies the people as having scars on their bodies particularly on their backs a clear indicator that they were often harassed by people from the nearby lands. 2 Columbus decoded this information using signs to identify the direction where their attackers came from. It is at this point that he states that the people were likely to be slaves of the nearby violent tribes around them. He identified that with the support of the Spanish Crown he could conquer the land with as little as 50 men and he could have his way them. 3 Additionally, Columbus thought that majority of the people were barely above the age of 30 and they could be useful to the Spanish monarchs as servants. They quickly repeated whatever he said to them a clear notion of their submissive nature.
During his second voyage, Columbus travelled with his childhood friend Michele da Cuneo from Savona who wrote clearly on the events that they encountered during the trip. He identifies that the natives had beautiful women and the lord Admiral gave to him a Carib woman. 4 He identifies that the woman was first resistant to his sexual advances but soon gave in after he had whipped her with ropes. He points out that the aftermath was a clear indicator that the women could become good sexual slaves. In this case of high brutality, it brought about the belief that using force and violence had significant impact on the attitude the natives had towards the European explorers. Columbus also notes that the natives of the New World did not seem to have a significant religion that they recognized. Therefore, it would be fairly easy for the foreigners to influence them and turn them into Christians.
Impact of the Discovery
The voyages of Columbus had significant effect on the natives in the New World and the rest of the world including Africa and Asia. More European explorers began to take sail seeking to conquer different parts of the world. The Spanish and Portuguese focused mainly on the South of the New World. The English would focus on the Northern parts where there significantly more violent resistance. The more the Europeans advanced into these foreign lands, the more vulnerable the natives were. 5 As noted in the second voyage, Columbus who had authority over the ships and explorers who encountered the new land, he had the power to take numerous natives as his personal slaves. He would go further to gift his childhood friend with a native woman who suffered the brutality of the foreigners and was forced to become a sex slave. 6 The second voyage began as a means of making permanent settlement in the foreign lands. Therefore, despite majority of the natives being welcoming and friendly to the Europeans they were forced into abandon their lands that were rich in numerous minerals including gold and silver. Many of the natives lost their lives during the expedition as the Europeans benefited greatly due to the increased wealth.
The impact of Columbus’ voyages was felt by the Africans too. Due to the steady rise in Europeans seeking permanent settlement in the Americas, there was a surge in the need for casual laborers. 7 The primary economic activity among the advanced societies was agriculture. The large-scale killings of the natives in their own land meant that there were few people available to perform the difficult tasks at hand. As a result, for nearly four centuries that would follow, Africa became an integral source of slaves. The Europeans merchants would rip families apart by separating the captured individuals from their loved ones. As if this was not enough, the treatment they would experience was beyond humanity. In cases where the individuals captured for sale were family members, the traders would make sure to separate them. The owners who awaited them in Virginia and other of the 13 Colonies would mistreat them. The African people were flogged mercilessly for making the slightest error. The clear indicator being that their lives did not matter. They were merely products for use by the white man.
Conclusion
During the four voyages, the actions of Christopher Columbus towards the natives provide contrasting views on his nature. However, the most prevalent is that of a villain. Despite the fact that Columbus was able to find great wealth that benefited the expansion and growth in power of the European nations, he was a major contributor of the negative consequences that affected the natives of the land. He started off the slavery practices whereby he identifies the people of San Salvador as the perfect fit for servants much needed in the imperial and economic goals of the European nations. He went as far as forcing the natives to direct him to the sources of rich minerals like gold that they used as ornaments. He based his beliefs of the people on the kindness and respectful nature towards the foreigners.
Bibliography
Blacker, Irwin R., and Harry M. Rosen. Conquest: Dispatches of Cortes from the New World . New York: Grosset’s Universal Library, 2011.
de Las Casas, Bartolomè. Of the Island of Hispaniola . 1542.
Dunn, Oliver and James Kelly. The Diario of Christopher Columbus's First Voyage to America . London: University of Oklahoma Press, 1991.
Equiano, Olaudah. The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano, or Gustavus Vassa, the African, Vol. I . Herndon, VA: Apex Data Services, Inc., 2001.
1 Irwin R. Blacker, and Harry M. Rosen. Conquest: Dispatches of Cortes from the New World . New York: Grosset’s Universal Library, 2011.
2 Ibid.
3 Oliver Dunn, and James Kelly. The Diario of Christopher Columbus's First Voyage to America . London: University of Oklahoma Press, 1991.
4 Bartolomè de Las Casas. Of the Island of Hispaniola . 1542.
5 Oliver Dunn, and James Kelly. The Diario of Christopher Columbus's First Voyage to America . London: University of Oklahoma Press, 1991.
6 Bartolomè de Las Casas. Of the Island of Hispaniola . 1542.
7 Olaudah Equiano. The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano, or Gustavus Vassa, the African, Vol. I . Herndon, VA: Apex Data Services, Inc., 2001.
