Indigenous Peoples Issues and Resources On This Day: In 1493 during his Second Voyage, Christopher Columbus sighted the island of Puerto Rico (the indigenous Taino name is Borikén), which he named San Juan Bautista in honor of Saint John the Baptist (a name that was later retained only for the capital city of San Juan). Under Spanish rule the island was colonized and the indigenous Taino people were forced into slavery. During the Second Voyage, Columbus also raped an indigenous Carib girl from the island of Guadeloupe, beginning the long colonial history of raping, pillaging, and killing. While I was in the boat, I captured a very beautiful Carib woman, whom the said Lord Admiral gave to me. When I had taken her to my cabin she was naked—as was their custom. I was filled with a desire to take my pleasure with her and attempted to satisfy my desire. She was unwilling, and so treated me with her nails that I wished I had never begun. But—to cut a long story short—I then took a piece of rope and whipped her soundly, and she let forth such incredible screams that you would not have believed your ears. Eventually we came to such terms, I assure you, that you would have thought that she had been brought up in a school for whores. Within 30 years of Spanish colonization, between 80% and 90% of the indigenous population had died due to disease, starvation, and other causes. European involvement in indigenous peoples affairs has continued to this day - 520 years of Colonial repression, human rights violations, and denial of rights.
Posted on: Mon, 18 Nov 2013 12:42:09 +0000