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THE GENOCIDE OF THE AMERINDIANS

(PARTICULARLY THE TAINOS)

Genocide- is the systematic murder of members of a particular ethnic group or race.

The Spanish settlers introduced the Repartimiento system which gave grants of land to these settlers to develop. This land had to be worked by the Indians.

The Encomienda system was then introduced which gave each Spanish settler or encomendero a share of Indians. These settlers had a right to exact tribute (usually in the form of labour or crops or both) from the Indians. Under this system the Spanish settlers were expected to protect and christianise the Indians.

Question: How did the Spanish disrupt the Taino way of life?

Answer: The Indians were enslaved. It began when Christopher Columbus carried a number of Indians back to Spain. Under the encomienda system many Indians were enslaved. The Indians were forced to mine for gold and every Indian over fourteen years had to bring a hawksbell full of gold every three months. The cacique had to bring a calabash full of gold. Indians who did not bring these tributes were punished by death.

Many Indians were taken to Cubagua, an island near the coast of Venezuela and made to dive for pearls.

Another way their life was disrupted was under the repartimiento system. Their land was taken away from them and given to Spanish settlers. They were not used to hard labour and they now had to grow food not only for themselves but for the Spanish as well. Many died of starvation since there wasn’t enough food for everyone.

The Spanish also brought diseases such as smallpox which the Indians had no immunity too.

The Spanish also took many Taino women as wives and so there was miscegenation (mixing of the races).

The Spanish would use dogs and horses to round up the Indians. These animals brought out from Spain were greatly feared by the Indians who were not accustomed to such fierce animals.

The life that the Indians knew was over. They could no longer idle in the sun, catch fish, pick fruit and wander where they pleased over land and sea. Their dignity, freedom and morality were taken away and so many Indians died of grief and hopelessness while others committed suicide and infanticide. Many of them also escaped to the mountains and some took to the sea in their canoes.

As a result of all these factors the Indian population rapidly decreased. A Spaniard who knew Hispaniola well was able to estimate that when Hispaniola was discovered it contained 1,130,000 Indians. In 1518 the population did not exceed 11, 000.

References:

Honychurch, Lennox. The Caribbean People Bk. 2

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