Christopher Columbus arrived on the mainland on October 12, 1492. The natives living at his first destination were the Arawak people, or as they’re also known, the Taino. They shared their Arawak language with other groups in the Antilles.
With the arrival of Columbus, the Arawak became subjected to slavery, persecution, the decimation of their land, and the transfer of their properties to Spanish landowners. Obviously, the conquistadors also introduced various diseases after the conquest.
Columbus’ first encounters with the Arawak were peaceful until he noticed the gold pieces they wore as earrings in their nose and ears. This was a fundamental milestone for Christopher Columbus to formally initiate the discovery of America and thus inaugurate a commercial route through the Atlantic that would allow Spain to launch new expeditions in search of new lands.
Howard Zinn, an American historian, explains the context of Columbus’ later expeditions and his relationship with the indigenous peoples:
“The objective was clear: to obtain slaves and gold. They went around the Caribbean, from island to island, seizing natives. But as word spread about European intentions, they found more and more empty villages. In the province of Cicao, in Haiti, where he and his men imagined the existence of enormous gold deposits, they ordered everyone over the age of fourteen to collect a certain amount of gold every three months. When it was brought to them, they were given a copper pendant to wear around their necks. Any Indians found without a copper pendant had their hands cut off and bled to death.”
All that is known about the contact between the Arawak and the Spanish comes from Fray Bartolomé de las Casas, one of the most important chroniclers of the time.
What is the culture of the Arawak?
The term Arawak originally applied specifically to the South American group that self-identified as Arawak, Arhuaco, or Lokono. Arawak speakers in the Caribbean were also historically known as the Taino, a term meaning good or noble.
The Arawak languages probably arose in the Orinoco River valley (an area that includes South America, mostly Venezuela, and part of Colombia). Soon this language became the most widespread linguistic family in South America.
What was the occupation of the Arawaks?
Michael Heckenberger, an anthropologist from the University of Florida, was one of the founders of the Central Amazon Project. With his team, he found elaborate pottery, ringed villages, raised fields, large mounds, and evidence of regional trade networks that are indicative of a complex culture. There is also evidence that they modified the soil using various techniques, such as deliberately burning vegetation to transform it into black soil, which even today is famous for its agricultural productivity.
This demonstrates that the Arawaks or Taino were highly advanced societies whose knowledge and culture, as many around the world, were decimated by the ambition of colonization.
Translated by María Isabel Carrasco Cara Chards
