A Kalinago Reader's Comment Regarding Columbus

A fantastic comment in response to our post Tamarack Song and Christopher Columbus was left by a kind reader who is justifiably outraged by Euro-American attempts to fig-leaf their own acts of genocide with lies about the lifeways of the indigenous people Columbus murdered.

Pepper said...

I know this is an old post but I had to comment. I am Kalinago Indian, one of the tribes that Spreace alleges practiced cannibalism and slavery. We never practiced cannibalism. Period. I get tired of saying this. I have no clue why people seek to define us by this one act. We didn't have a less elaborate social structure we had a "different" social structure, where as the community helps each other as a whole rather than specific class levels. We had "slaves" but they were more like servants. It was NOTHING like the slavery practiced in the US. Our lives did NOT center around warfare and cannibalism. I don't even know why Americans celebrate Columbus, he's a man like any other, and he never even set foot on the American continent. He didn't discover America, he "stumbled upon" the Caribbean. Him and is followers are guilty of disgusting and horrifying atrocities against the Taino people. Why would someone celebrate that? It's like celebrating Idi Amin or something.

Spreace needs to take a good look at this man he wants to celebrate.