In fine, they took all, and gave what they had with good will. It appeared to me to be a race of people very poor in everything.
In this text, Columbus speaks very highly of himself which tells us he sees himself as somewhat of a “hero” for the Native Americans, and saw them in a very close-minded light, making little effort to understand their culture and instead making continuous comparisons to his own.
Great Buzzard
In both the Cherokee creation story and Salinan Indian creation story, the main figure of the story is a bird of prey, implying that birds of prey might’ve been seen very highly in they eyes of early indigenous tribes of the Americas.
He saw the world was incomplete and decided to make some human beings. So he took some clay and modeled the figure of a man and laid him on the ground. At first he was very small but grew rapidly until he reached normal size. But as yet he had no life; he was still asleep. Then the Bald Eagle stood and admired his work. “It is impossible,” said he, “that he should be left alone; he must have a mate.” So he pulled out a feather and laid it beside the sleeping man. Then he left them and went off a short distance, for he knew that a woman was being formed from the feather.
The Bald Eagle created man out of clay, a smooth material that turns rough as it hardens, which can be associated with more “masculine” characteristics. In comparison, the Bald Eagle created woman from a feather from his own body, signifying birth and the softness at which more “feminine” characteristics are associated with.