Posted
on December 5, 2016
There
is a fairly large island in the Caribbean Sea that some Taino
Amerindians, back in the 1400s, called Haiti (“Mountainous Land”).
The Taino lived on the various Caribbean Islands, including Haiti –
therefore it would incorrect to say that Christopher Columbus and his
men “discovered” the island on this date in 1492.
And
yet many people do say just that, and the holiday name makes the
claim, too!
Have
you ever heard the truism, “History is written by the victors?”
Columbus
was sailing in the name of the Spanish monarchs, and as he and other
Spanish men explored and settled the Caribbean islands, they often
killed or raped the Taino. Even more Taino died from smallpox and
other infectious diseases accidentally brought to the New World by
the Spaniards. So, the Taino nearly died out. In the meantime, the
Spaniards conquered the territory, wrote the history, and foisted
their names on inhabitants and lands.
Columbus
named the island La
Isla Española,
or “the Spanish island.” It was later shortened to Española.
These names are, of course, in the Spanish language. Another language
used by Columbus was Latin – and in Latin the name of the island
was Insula
Hispana.
Spanish
and French people colonized different portions of the island. The
various peoples living there called the island Haiti, Santo Domingo,
or Saint-Domingue, but somehow English speakers came up with a
different name : Hispaniola. (Note that it is influenced by the Latin
version of the island's name.) By the 1900s official groups like the
National Geographic Society adopted the name Hispaniola for the
entire island.
When
enslaved and free people of color living in the western portion of
Hispaniola revolted against their French colonizers, they had to
fight Napoleon Bonaparte's army. But they won! The nation of Haiti
was established on January 1, 1804, becoming the first independent
nation of Latin America, the first independent nation of the
Caribbean, and the second republic of the New World (after the United
States). Revolutionary hero Jean-Jacques Dessalines chose the name
Haiti for the new nation as a way of honoring the original
inhabitants of the island.
The
larger portion of the island of Hispaniola is the Dominican Republic.
This region was colonized by Spain, not France. The islanders
declared their independence from Spain in 1821. They were annexed by
Haiti the next year, but a couple of decades later, the Dominicans
were able to successfully break away.
I'm
not positive how Haitians and Dominicans celebrate Discovery Day, but
I have seen photos of parades!
 |
| Historians believed that, although Columbus died in Spain, his remains were buried in what is now the Dominican Republic. However, there is now some doubt about this claim. |
Check out the beauties of Haiti...
Also
on this date:
.jpg)
Plan ahead:
Check
out my Pinterest pages on:
And
here are my Pinterest boards for:
-->
No comments:
Post a Comment