What lies beneath the sun, white sands, and crystal waters of Jamaica is a beautiful history enriched with cultural development and nationalism. However, while the picturesque island has a strong sense of confidence and charm, it too has a comparable dark history to that of America, Brazil, or any other nation settled by past European explorers.
The story of Jamaica begins with the Tainos, an Arawak-speaking tribe that traveled about the Caribbean after leaving South America (JIS). While they left very little evidence of their existence in Jamaica, their influence was profound. The Tainos named Jamaica “Xaymaca,” which means “land of water and wood. (JIS)” The Tainos farmed and fished the land. They even invented the modern day hammock! Unlike many other islands in the area, they were never at war with enemies inhabiting the Caribbean region.
Just like America, Jamaica was discovered by Christopher Columbus in 1494 (JIS). Columbus had heard about Jamaica, from the Cubans who described it as “the land of blessed gold (JIS)”. Columbus was soon to find out that there was no gold in Jamaica. Unlike America, the Tainos were not welcoming to the Spanish on their first encounter. They attacked the Spanish and engaged in a short, defense like battle. Columbus, obviously, was not deterred from conquering this land in honor of the king and queen of Spain. The Spanish quickly started enslaving and torturing the Tainos and established their first settlement around 1510 (JIS). By the 16th century, the Tainos had been almost completely diminished from hard labor or European disease (JIS). As the early settlers of America had done, the Spanish quickly replaced the native Jamaicans with African slaves. The Spanish settled the first town called “New Seville,” which developed into a center of government and trade (JIS). The in later years of Spanish control, the island remained poor due to few Spaniards settling there. It served mainly as a supply base for food, men, arms and horses for neighboring America. The Jamaican economy soon diminished and frequent attacks by pirates also played an important role in their failure.
While the Spanish failed to turn Jamaica into a prosperous island, the English saw a swift opportunity to turn Jamaica’s tide. In 1655, William Pen and Robert Venables led an attack on Jamaica, which proved to be successful (JIS). The Spaniards surrendered to the English and fled the islands. An important part of their loss was the fact that they freed their slaves (JIS). The freed slaves and their future descendants became known as the Maroons (JIS). Early settlement if England’s Jamaica gained attention from buccaneers in Port Royal. Tortuga and Hispaniola pioneered buccaneering. Buccaneers were wild, ruthless sea travelers who fought for loot of gold, silver, and jewels. With the influence of the buccaneers in Port Royal, the once insignificant town in Jamaica turned into the wealthiest cities in the world, at that point in time (JIS). It was also considered wicked with sin. The greatest hero and buccaneer of Jamaica, who was later appointed governor, was Henry Morgan. He set raids on Spanish colonies and kept Jamaica protected (JIS).
As many settlement stories continue, slavery is at the heart of most issues. America, Brazil, and Jamaica during this time period were centers for slavery. It would be decades for each nation to resolve this issue.
Jamaica gained independence from England in 1962 (JIS). It now has its own constitution to provide freedom and justice for its inhabitants.
What is most interesting about the settlement story for Jamaica is that it is so easily comparable to America’s settlement story, and in a sense Brazil’s as well. They all were foreign lands inhabited with native and were overtaken by either Christopher Columbus or other European explorers. The natives of each land were exploited for their economic materials and then most died out. As a result, slaves were brought in to each newly conquered nation and then were settled as a completely new nation under European influence. The question then comes into mind: Was it worth it? Are the once foreign lands better off now with European influence and economic prosperity? Would they have been better off as uncivilized natives? There is no real way to answer these thoughts. However it is interesting to note that while many are please with the conquered past, many natives – especially Jamaicans – are at dismay with their past and wish their conquering would have happened differently.
*All information in this blog was found via:
"Government of Jamaica." Jamaica Information Service (JIS) - Government of Jamaica News Online. Web. 03 Sept. 2011. <http://www.jis.gov.jm/government/history>.
YouTube
Jamaicanisms:
No comments:
Post a Comment