While we know our northern friends may not feel it, in the South, Spring is
here. So we thought we'd share a few of our gardening sites appropriate
for this time of the year. Along with gardening, there's grilling, and getting
ready to diet so that you can fit back into that bathing suit this summer!
The Caries, their Islands first visited by
Columbus
The Caries. Their Islands First Visited By Columbus. Origin
And Location Of The Race.
Tokens Of Cannibalism Seen By The Spaniards. Cruise Among The Islands.
Demeanor Of Prisoners Taken. Return To Hispaniola Destruction Of The Fortress At
That Island.
Capture Of Caonabo: His Death. Expulsion Of The Natives From The Caribbee
Islands.
At the time of the discovery of America
by Christopher Columbus, the fierce and
celebrated race of cannibals, which forms
the subject of the present chapter, was
principally located upon the beautiful
tropical islands, extending from Porto Rico
to the main land of South America. The
terror of their invasions, felt by the more
gentle and peace able natives of the greater
Antilles, inspired no little curiosity and
interest in the minds of the early voyagers,
and Columbus had promised the assistance of
the Spanish power to check their ravages.
Upon his second voyage, in 1493, the first
land made was one of the Caribbean islands,
and on the following day, (November 4th,) a
landing was effected at Guadaloupe. Here the
first intercourse took place with the
terrible Caribs.
This singular race of savages, according to
tradition, had its origin upon the continent
of North America, among the mountain
districts of the central United States. Per
haps they, might have sprung from the same
stock as the warlike Monacans and other
savage tribes of the interior, spoken of by
early historians. "They are said to have
migrated," says Mr. Irving, "from the remote
valleys embosomed in the Appalachian
Mountains. The earliest notices we have of
them represent them with their weapons in
their hands; continually engaged in wars;
winning their way and shifting their abode,
until in the course of time they found
themselves on the extreme end of Florida."
Hence they made their way from one island to
another to the southern continent. " The
archipelago ex tending from Porto Rico to
Tobago, was their strong-hold, and the
island of Guadaloupe in a manner their
citadel."
Whether the foregoing account of the
original derivation of the race be the
correct one, it would be difficult to decide
at this distance of time. When first known
to Europeans the different nations of Caribs
were widely diffused upon the continent of
South America. They were to be found upon
the banks of the Orinoco, where their
descend ants are living at this day, and,
still farther south, in Brazil. They were
everywhere noted for the same fierce and war
like spirit. Something of the physical
characteristics of the inhabitants of
eastern Asia has been observed in the Caribs
and the Guarani tribes who inhabited the
country north of the Amazon. As described by
D'Orbigny, the following peculiarities are
noticeable in most of them. "Complexion
yellowish; stature middle; forehead not so
much arched as in other races; eyes
obliquely placed, and raised at the outer
angle."
To return to the experience of the
discoverer of the New World at the Caribbee
islands. At the landing of the Spaniards,
the natives fled from a neighboring village
into the interior. In order to conciliate
them, the visitors fastened hawks-bells and
attractive ornaments to the arms of some
children who had been left behind in the
hurry of flight. The sight of human remains,
among other things, "the head of a young
man, recently killed, which was yet
bleeding, and some parts of his body boiling
with the flesh of geese and parrots, and
others roasting before the fire," at once
suggested the thought that this must be the
country of the Caribs. Columbus took a
number of the natives prisoners, and carried
off several women who had been held in
captivity by the islanders. It appeared that
most of the men of the island were away upon
some war like excursion.
Pursuing his course towards Hispaniola, or
Hayti, where the first colony had been
planted upon his preceding voyage, Columbus
sailed by numerous islands of the Caribbean
group. He landed at Santa Cruz, called Ayay
by the Indians, and secured a further number
of prisoners. Some of these were in a canoe,
and offered a fierce resistance when they
saw their retreat intercepted by one of the
Spanish boats. There were two women of the
party, one of them apparently a female
cacique, and these showed no less valor than
the men. They were taken by upsetting their
canoe; but, even in the water, they resisted
stoutly to the last, availing themselves of
every point of sunken rock, where they could
obtain a foothold, to discharge their
arrows. One of the men was a son of the
queen, and his "terrible frowning brow, and
lion s face," excited the admiration of his
captors. The demeanor of the whole party
reminds one strongly of the early
descriptions of the Maquas or Mohawks when
in captivity.
"When on board," says Irving, "the Spaniards
could not but admire their untamed spirit
and fierce demeanor. Their hair was long and
coarse, their eyes encircled with paint, so
as to give them a hideous expression; they
had bands of cotton bound firmly above and
below the muscular parts of the arms and
legs, so as to cause them to swell to a
disproportionate size, which was regarded by
them as a great beauty, a custom which
prevailed among various tribes of the new
world. Though captives, in chains, and in
the power of their enemies, they still
retained a frowning brow and an air of
defiance."
Arriving at Hayti, Columbus found the
settlement at La Navidad laid waste and
abandoned. Its destruction was owing to a
Carib chief named Caonabo, whose warlike and
commanding nature had gained him unbounded
authority over the natives of the island.
The fact of his uniting himself with another
race by which his own nation was regarded
with the utmost detestation and dread, and
his attainment of rank and influence under
such circumstances, are sufficient proofs of
his enterprise and capacity.
The friendly Indian chief Guacanagari had in
vain ex tended his assistance to the little
band of Spanish colonists. Caonabo had heard
at his establishment among the mountains of
Cibao, of the outrages and excesses
committed by the whites, and during the
absence of the admiral, he made a descent
upon the fort. All of the Spaniards
perished, and Guacanagari was wounded in the
encounter. As a further punishment for his
espousal of the cause of the de tested
strangers, his village was destroyed by the
revengeful Carib.
Guacanagari and other Haytian Indians were
taken on board the Spanish vessels, and,
among other proofs of superiority and power,
were shown the Carib prisoners, con fined in
chains. This seemed to affect them more
powerfully than any thing else that they
witnessed. These captives were afterwards
sent over to Spain for instruction in the
Spanish language and in the true religion,
it being intended that they should
thereafter act as missionaries among their
own savage countrymen.
The circumstances attending the capture of
the Spaniards most dreaded enemy, Caonabo,
are too singular and well attested to be
passed over. This was accomplished by the
celebrated Alonzo de Ojeda, commandant of
the fortress of St. Thomas. The Carib chief
was able, it is asserted, to bring no less
than ten thousand warriors into the field,
and his personal strength and courage
rendered him no despicable foe in open
combat. Ojeda had recourse to the following
stratagem to secure his enemy: He proceeded,
accompanied by only ten mounted companions,
direct to the chiefs encampment, upon
pretence of a friendly mission from the
admiral.
The cacique was, after great persuasion,
induced to undertake an expedition to
Isabella for the purpose of peaceful
negotiations with Columbus. Among other
inducements, Ojeda promised him the
chapel-bell, as a present. Accompanied by a
large body of armed warriors, the party set
out for the Spanish settlement. Near the
river Yagui, in the words of Mr. Irving, "Ojeda
one day produced a set of manacles of
polished steel, so highly burnished that
they looked like silver. Those he assured
Caonabo were royal ornaments which had come
from heaven, or the Turey of Biscay," (the
location of certain extensive iron
manufactories); "that they were worn by the
monarchs of Castile in solemn dances, and
other high festivities, and were intended as
presents to the cacique. He proposed that
Caonoba should go to the river and bathe,
after which he should be decorated with
these ornaments, mounted on the horse of
Ojeda, and should return in the state of a
Spanish monarch, to astonish his subjects."
The bold device was completely successful.
Caonabo, en croupe behind Ojeda, for a short
time exulted in his proud position,
curvetting among his amazed warriors; but
suddenly the little cavalcade dashed into
the forest with a rapidity that defied
pursuit. The cacique was safely carried a
distance of fifty or sixty leagues to
Isabella, and delivered to the admiral. He
ever after expressed great admiration at the
skill and courage with which his captor had
duped him, and manifested a reverence and
respect towards Ojeda which his proud and
haughty spirit forbade him to exhibit in any
other presence, even that of Columbus
himself.
Upon the occasion of the admiral s second
return to Spain, in 1497, Caonabo, with
several of his relatives, and a number of
other Indians, was taken on board. Baffled
by contrary winds, the vessels were a long
time delayed at the very commencement of the
voyage. A landing was affected at Guadaloupe,
for the purpose of procuring fresh
provisions.
The inhabitants exhibited their natural
hostility of disposition, and it was
especially observed, as upon a former
occasion, that the women were as warlike and
efficient as the men. A number of these
females were made prisoners, among the rest,
one who was wife of a chief of the island, a
woman of most remarkable agility and
strength. On setting sail, the admiral,
desirous of conciliating the good will of
the natives, set his prisoners free, and
gave them divers presents in pay for the
provisions and stores plundered by his crew.
The cacique s wife was allowed to remain on
board, with her daughter, at her own
request, she having become enamored of the
captive Caonabo. This distinguished
chieftain died before the vessels reached
Spain.
The Carib tribes who occupied the islands
where the race was first encountered by
Europeans, maintained pos session of their
homes as long as courage and desperation
could avail against the superior skill and
weapons of the whites. Spanish cupidity, and
love of novelty and ad venture led to the
gradual occupation of the Caribbee islands.
In some of them, bloody battles were fought:
"At St. Christopher's," according to the
Rev. W. H. Brett, "in 1625, two thousand
Caribs perished in battle, whilst their
European invaders lost one hundred men. In
the other islands their losses were equally
great. These calamities would cause a
migration of the natives when they found it
useless to fight any more. Some of the
islands, as Martinico, were suddenly
abandoned by them, after a fierce but
unavailing struggle.
Those of the Caribs who chose to forsake the
islands entirely, would naturally take
refuge with their brethren already settled
in Guiana, and by their valor secure to
themselves such portions of the country as
they might think proper to occupy; as few
tribes would be able, or indeed dare, to
oppose them. A remnant of the Caribs still
remained at St. Vincent, and they were
transported, about the end of the last
century, to the island of Ruattan, in the
bay of Honduras."
This once terrible and dreaded race so
dreaded by the Spaniards that vague reports
of the approach of an army of Caribs could
terrify the conquerors of Peru in the midst
of their successes is now reduced to a few
insignificant tribes. They are scattered in
the wilderness of Guiana, and mingled with
other nations of the interior. About the
upper waters of the Pomeroon is one of their
most considerable establishments, and the
tribe there located numbers but a few
hundred savages, living in almost as
primitive a state as when Columbus first
coasted along these tropical shores.
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Indian Races of North and South America, By Charles De Wolf Brownell, 1865
