Mouhamadou bah

RNG 2200

Professor Noonan

9/9/23

VIDEO:  Lost history of the Taino people.

I found the documentary video on the lost history of the Taino people very disturbing to me, because of all the horrors the Taino people suffered at the hands of the people they thought were sent from heaven. A key theme that I believe people should think about after watching this video is what colonization looks/looks like. I know that everybody’s history of colonization is messed up, but this video proves how it looks for the colonizers and the colonized.

For example, we see images of the Taino people being overworked, beaten half to death, and dismembered. Some even killed their offspring and committed suicide.

And it’s really disturbing because the more I look at it the more I think that those colonizers had no morals. I know those were different times, but I keep wondering how a human being could do that to another human being.

At the end of the video, it is explained that luckily there are still people who are or think of themselves as Taino and I guess not killing all the Taino had something come out of it.

 

READING: An optimistic letter by Columbus “On His First Voyage to  America, 1492”

I found the letter by Colombus very interesting to read because I had always thought that Columbus was a major colonizer. I had read stories of how he colonized most of West Africa the moment he stepped foot in it, but after reading this I feel like I was a bit biased because of the histories I learned.

His letter “On his first voyage to America” explained the way he saw the Taino Indians and their home in very detailed ways. He describes by mentioning the mountains, the trees, the resources, the people, and the gold. It talks about how he treated the Taino people, with kindness and goodness and how they treated him in return with goodness, care, love, and admiration. He talks about the places he visited and claimed his king, queen, and country. And the allies he made by introducing his culture and religion to the people who had none. It’s all so fascinating. He also talks about how timid these people are and how they do not know how to protect themselves, which makes it easier to dispose of anyone who does not accept their rule.

But I also think it’s too bad that he sent that letter, describing all the beautiful things you could find on this island. Because after he did the Taino people suffered a lot.

I think he should have chosen his wording wisely because if he had thousands of people would not have suffered because of his letter.