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"The Buccaneers of
America" by Alexander O. Exquemelin, a translation of "De Americaensche
zee-rovers"?
In the Chapter Seven describing the capture of the city of Maracaibo you
can find one whole page describing Aruba or "Ruba" written by Exquemelin
himself an eyewitness to their visit to Aruba in the 17th century.
An older description or eyewitness account of Aruba and the Caribbean
from the 16th century can be found in “Elegias de Varones Ilustres de
Indias”, written by Juan de Castellanos: Segunda Parte, pages 181, 182,
183, 184, describing Venezuela and the islands Aruba, Curacao,etc.
On page 183:
"Curazao y Aruba, que frontera
Desta costa son islas situadas,
Al Joan de Ampies, factor o tesorero,
En perpetuo gobierno fueron dadas,
Las cuales por aqueste caballero
Primeramente fueran conquistadas;
Y pues son tan cercanas desta gente,
Quiero trataros dellas brevemente.
De la costa del mar que represento,
Hasta tres leguas estaran distantes;
Las gentes que las tienen por asiento
Son mucho mas que otros elegantes,
Y tanto que por otro nombramiento
Les llamaban las islas di Gigantes
Por ser en general de su cosecha
Gente de grandes miembros y bien hecha.
No tienen para que formar querellas
De natura por malas proporciones:
Son las mujeres por estremo bellas,
Gentiles hombres todos los varones;
Por consiguiente son ellos y ellas
De nobles y apacibles condiciones;
Tienen para la guerra gentil brio,
Y su lenguaje es el de caquetio.”
More information on these books and writers can be found on the
internet.
I AM WORKING ON GETTING A TRANSLATION OF THE ABOVE, WILL ADD WHEN
RECEIVED. DAN
Here is that translation.
Dan: I finally got the book from storage and found the time to do the
translation. The whole book is written in poetry, rhyming couplets, and
I have not tried to duplicate that in English. Also the vocabulary is
poetic, elevated, and often obscure, and the style tortured, so I have
translated freely and not always searched for exact English equivalent
words. Here goes.
Juan de Castellanos, Elegías de varones ilustres de Indias. 3d ed.
(Madrid: M. Rivadeneyra, Biblioteca de Autores Españoles, 1874). (First
edition 1589, rare.)
All the material I read belongs to the "Segunda Parte". The author
discusses the destruction and diseases caused by the conquest on the
(pearl) island of Cubagua, which we all visited. (DAN'S NOTE: MURDO, WHO
DID THE TRANSLATION, AND HIS WIFE, AND LEE AND I, WENT ON VACATION
TOGETHER IN AROUND 2000. ON THAT TRIP WE VISITED CUBAGUA, a small island
between Isla de Margareta and Venezuela.) He says he
has been there and saw atrocities. (pp. 181,183). He also describes the
area around Lake Maracaibo, its legends, houses, canoes, languages, and
people (pp. 181-182).
The book appears to have been written during the second and third
quarters of the 16th century. The author participated in the conquest of
the coasts of what is today Venezuela and especially Colombia. Later he
became a priest and was a parish priest in the Colombian city of Tunja.
He was a Spaniard of course, probably from the north of the country, but
surprisingly little is known about him or his origins. (Before coming to
Trinidad and Venezuela he had been a minor official in Hispaniola.) My
translation follows.
"Curacao and Aruba are on the frontiers of this coast. They were given
in perpetuity to Joan (Juan) de Ampiés, who was a tax collector and
treasurer (for the Crown). He was the first to conquer these places, and
these peoples are so close to the coast that I want to discuss them
briefly.
These lands are about three leagues distant from the sea coast I have
been describing. The people settled on them are much more distinguished
than others, so much so that as another name the other peoples there
call them and their lands "The Islands of Giants", because in general as
a group they are people of well-formed bodies and large limbs.
They have no reason to fight among themselves because of bad
dispositions. The women are extremely beautiful and the men are well
built. Consequently both males and females are of a peaceful nature, but
they enjoy war (against others) when they have to. Their language is "caquetío".
(The author had already mentioned this language as being one of the ones
around Lake Maracaibo.) (p. 183 ends).
They are very skilled when on water and very agile on land. They are
excellent marksmen when hunting for birds, rabbits or fish. They have
all been washed in the fountain which takes away stains and sins. (I.e.,
they have all been baptized as Christians.) They have settled villages,
temples, and their chiefs lead by good example.
No people in the New World are better archers than they are, because
from the age of babbling little boys they are trained to be good at
hitting targets. At times many of the boys gather, hoping to be the
best. They take their places at the end of a plaza, with a green ball
like a squash.
Then, with all of them waiting, the ball is thrown as hard as an arm can
do it, and any boy who cannot hit it from a kneeling position loses a
certain prize that is awarded.
They move about alertly and with such a careful tread that they never
miss a rabbit or a hutia ("a gnawing edible rodent found in some of the
Antilles; there are various species".) Nor do they ever fire an arrow in
vain.
They were first given instructions in Christianity by Juan de Ampiés and
then by Bejarano, both of them, with Christian zeal, wanted to lay a
good foundation.
But these two did not always have handy a person who could administer
the sacraments (i.e., an ordained priest or friar), but if such a person
was lacking they provided a layman who could give instruction.
I know one such person, not an old man, and although he showed me that
he was not frivolous all that solitude and lack of facilities made him
live with little chastity. He was advised to give up his evil ways, but
this proved how difficult it is not to be scornful and to give up bad
habits.
Sometimes there was a priest there (on the islands) to take care of
these matters, at least when that unfruitful position was granted to
someone. But I also want to note that it was very hard work for a priest
to reside among a flock that he wants to heal when he himself needs to
be healed.
To find ways of consoling himself with his soul full of stains, he used
to cross to Venezuela in a little canoe when he heard that the sea was
calm, sometimes with great risk to his life. Because when things at sea
appear favorable that is when one should have the least confidence in
it.
There is a good herd of cattle there of all breeds, but of such a size
that, if I don't deceive myself, they are larger than those we usually
see. This harms the local Indians because the herd is so large. The
Indian understands more how to work small herds when he wants to herd
them into a corral.
Lázaro Bejarano succeeded to the government (of the islands), and I
claim that as a successor and as a fine person he turned out to be a
great protector of the Indians. His ways earned him eternal fame, and I
don't say that because I am his friend but rather because of his
positive attributes and qualities. I doubt if his equal can be found.
I went to these islands; it must have been about the year 40 (i.e.,
1540). There I saw him with his lady María, unhappy because of all the
loneliness there. We arrived in a storm and they were happy to see us.
He had come from Hispaniola with all his goods to inspect properties
there.
Although he had important holdings (in Hispaniola) including a sugar
mill and a considerable inheritance, it is the condition of us mortals
that when we already have a good material living, we always try to make
our wealth grow excessively. We don't fear risks or hard work, or long
roads and sudden crises.
At the time we reached the islands' port there had been a grave
misfortune there. His only son and heir had died. But he, a wise and
thoughtful man, was bearing his loss with Christian fortitude. But his
fine and straightforward wife was suffering badly and impatiently.
But the newly arrived people consoled her with Christian words, and then
in a sturdy caravelle, weary of such a sad and lonely life, they sailed
down to Cabo de Vela ("Sail Cape"), with a view to continuing on to
Hispaniola, and in Río de la Hacha, where I am at present writing this,
they gave them a great reception.
Rich and strange inventions, various colored fiesta clothing, and there
were bullfights, jousting, and the game of cañas. They held races for
rich prizes, in which all showed great skill, because each contestant
was performing in front of his godess (girlfriend). But the whole fiesta
was put together to show respect to doña María.
She certainly deserved such a huge and generous fiesta. For, in addition
to being a capable and virtuous person, that lady was like the dawn when
compared to other women, and was beautiful in every way.
With this we conclude, and here we stop this discussion of Aruba,
Curacao and "Buinare". (Bonaire). (p. 184).
(Then Castellanos continues to describe the mainland coast and discusses
the German conquistadores who arrived there with the permission of
Carlos V.) |