HI 217 Quiz 1-- "Columbus was a Cannibal"
who does henige think wrote columbus's diario?
bartoleme de las casas working from a copy of columbus's journal
how did columbus claim maravedi?
based on his sighting of a "light" in the hours before land was sighted on 12 october
it was suggested as early as 1520 that the name cannibal derived from what?
canis, the latin word for dog
the diario contains five references to a taino province called what?
caribata
who discovered cannibals?
columbus
what is the difference between columbus's "caniba" and the tainos "caniba"?
columbus believed them to be nothing else of the gran can and the tainos called the caribes, the men of caniba who had come to capture them
the diario makes it clear that columbus had difficulty with what?
communicating with the native peoples
when las casas amended the diario, what did he do?
did so in the margin notes
provide an example of a quotation in the diario that is apparent that las casas did not alter; explain how
"he (columbus) understood also that, far from there, there were one-eyed men, and others, with snouts of dogs, who ate men, and that as soon as one was taken they cut his throat and drank his blood and cut off his genitals"-- Nov 4; las cases's retention of such seemingly far-fetched observations, which subsequent explorations would have challenged, suggests is substantial conformity to the original text
what had las casas named himself?
"protector of the indians"
that the caribe are properly assigned to the realm of taino mythology can be determined in what two ways? why are they each important?
1. by the interplay of actors from different cultures 2. by the spanish record of the physical and behavioral characteristics that the tainos attributed to the caribe; 1. only one of the cultures, the spanish, recorded the events 2. it suggests certain ideational categories of the tainos
current understanding of this "carib culture" of cannibalism is an amalgam of what four distinct concepts?
1. caribes 2. caniba 3. cannibals 4. carib and island carib
testimony that the tainos identified the spanish as caribes comes from what two sources?
1. the diario
queen isabel had a copy made of the diario for columbus, but neither the original nor the copy can be accounted for after what year?
1554
when did columbus introduce the names caniba and canibales in the diario?
22 november
when did columbus introduce the name caribe in the diario?
26 december, when he reached the taino province of caribata on the north coast of hispaniola
the fact that canibales were not found in caribata confirms what?
a linguistic separation of concept and geography. in other words, caribs existed independently of the geographical location that shared their name
what version of the diario survived but remained unpublished until the end of the eighteenth century?
a third-hand holographic manuscript written sometime in the mid-sixteenth century by bartoleme de las casas
all of the passages in the diario in which the people known as caribes, caniba, canima, and canibales are discussed represent what? what does this mean?
abstractions made by las casas; that it's possible that he altered the original text
with the exception of one extensive first-person quotation ("the very words if the admiral") which covers columbus's sojourn through the bahamas (12-24 october) most of the diario consists of what?
abstractions transcribed in the third person
how did columbus interpret taino accounts of raiding by caribes?
as a meaning that subjects of the can were doing the raiding
the diario makes it clear that columbus freely combined what three things?
european mythology, taino mythology, and wishful thinking
according to anthropologist neil whitehead, what has necessitated such a detailed treatment of the topic of cannibalism rather than its overall sociological significance for carib peoples?
european pre-occupation with this subject
true or false: columbus's first voyage touched on the lesser antilles
false
true or false: the concept of caribe is simply a corruption of caniba
false
according to what was columbus a cannibal?
father ramon pane's 1496 rendering of the taino account given
the diario makes it clear that columbus had what very specific objectives in mind?
gold and an audience with the gran can of china
what did las casas gain notoriety for?
his polemics on the spanish treatment of the native west indians
how were cannibals characterized by the spaniards?
idolaters and consumers of human flesh who could not be converted to christianity and were therefore suitable for enslaving
oliver dunn and james e. kelley, jr., in their recent transcription of the english translation of the diario, have greatly simplified efforts to do what? how have they done this?
investigate specific aspects of the first voyage; including a concordance that lists ten passages in which peoples known as caribes, caniba, canima, and canibales are discussed
how is caniba a mythical construct?
it was an asian culture based loosely on the reports of marco polo and others
what is the downfall of the diario?
it's a subjective account prepared to convince the spanish sovereigns of the importance of columbus's "discoveries"
how is the caribe a mythical construct?
it's the mythical antithesis of proper taino conduct
according to columbus, the names caniba/canima and caribe have separate what?
linguistic sources
carib and island carib
modern anthropological constructs that were used as names for indigenous cultural groups in lowland south america and the west indies. europeans have also used these names since the fifteenth century to denote native peoples
cannibals
natives who refused to submit to the spanish
according to las casas's record, what did columbus say was caniba?
nothing else but the people of the gran can
some scholars have used the record of columbus's first voyage as if it were what?
objective science
the account of columbus's claim of maravedi together with an unusual account of the claiming of guanahani are how long in length in the diario?
one page
the original diario was presented to whom in 1493?
queen isabel
recent textual critiques by peter hulme and david henige have shown what? explain
that descriptions in the diario cannot be accepted uncritically; henige has demonstrated that columbus may have inserted a page into his diary at a later date
what does the name of the caribata province indicate?
that the word carib, or something that sounded like it to the spanish, came from the taino language
what did geographer carl sauer observe decades ago about the diario?
that to the spanish humanist ramon iglesia, columbus seemed to be writing the promotional literature of a tourist bureau which he did with italian exuberance
what was the justification for the possibility of columbus having inserted a page into his diary at a later date?
the 10,000 maravedi prize awarded to the first person to sight land
what is the most complete ship's log of its day?
the diario
gran can
the grand khan of cathay (china)
the origins of cannibals can be situated in what?
the initial discourse between columbus and the tainos
caniba
the name that columbus gave to denote the gran can's subjects
information recorded by christopher columbus during his first voyage has influenced in some way all discussions of what?
the peoples of the lesser antilles
cannibalism has remained in the fore of western thought at least since when?
the publication in 1580 of the essays of michel de montaigne
diario
the so-called daily log of columbus's first voyage
where is caribata located?
to the west of cap haitien in present-day haiti
true or false: the diario was remarkably detailed
true
caribes
understood by the spanish to be real people when in fact they were creatures who only existed in taino mythology