who were cannibals, and that when they captured an enemy they beheaded him and drank his blood…
I find it sad that it sounds like from Christophers point of view that this specific group of Native Americans were looking out for them and that they were willing to share all their findings but Christopher came looking for things that only benefit him.
These people are very simple as regards the u.se of arms, as your Highnesses will
Christopher is writing these journal entry's to the King and Queen of Spain to report his finding and how it is going to benefit them and that there is no threat.
They came to the ship in small canoes, made out of the trunk of a tree like a long boat, and all of one piece, and wonderfully worked,
I find myself in awe when learning about about the way our early ancestors adapted to the world around them. I am curious of who would have thought of this idea and then made it happen. How long did it take them to make the canoes and even the boats that Christopher sailed on and how much trail and error happened before the first one succeed.
horse hair
This is the second comment of relating their hair to horse hair.
They should be good servants and intelligent
This comment Columbus makes of the Native Americans being good servants defiantly marginalized them as if they are good to be put to work and easily moldable.
race of people very poor in everything
It is interesting that he calls them a race of people very poor in everything when he called the "island" assembled and the Native Americans had things worth trading. It is also interesting the different perspectives of poor. I wonder if the Native Americans would have agreed with that statement during this time period.
He also predicted easy success for missionaries seeking to convert these people to Christianity.
How was he able to predict an easy success of conversion?
Highnesses
What a person with royal ranking would be referred to.
that we might form great friendship, for I knew that they were a people who could be more easily freed and converted to our holy faith by love than by force,
I believe that this is important because it shows his first intention of a relationship with them was with the hopes of it being great before it would take a turn even though his intentions still were still on the selfish side of he could benefit.
Indies
He refers to the Native Americans as the Indies.
island assembled
Christopher writes the island as assembled meaning it is ready to be used rather than needing to be put together which is interesting to me the way he included that.
First encounters between Europeans and Native Americans
This is between the Europeans and the Native Americans and how Columbus could gain from the Native American people for the European economic interest.
Journal of Christopher Columbus, 1492
This Document was written by Christopher Columbus in 1492 as it is titled. This document discuses Christopher Columbus's point of view of when he arrived to America.