Story Time

Story time! Gather round kids (aka adults), pull up a chair and listen!

"I want you to imagine that you are a member of the Caribean indian tribe Taino, just shortly before Colombus "discovered" America. You have tanned skin, with huge almond shaped eyes. Your society is quite succesful, and you couldn't be happier. Your society are great hunters, fishers, navigators, sailors and even have invented the hamock, which you use to sleep in on a regular basis.

Suddenly one day, there are large objects on the horizon, which you've never seen before. It doesn't belong to any of the other indian tribes which you have traded with or fought against, and it doesn't look anything like a canoe, which you usually use to travel and trade with other peoples. Eventually, they get to land, and you realize that they are boats full of people who don't speak your language, don't know your religion and look much different than you. Your scared, but you all agree to help set up the first outpost, which is left behind with between 30 and 40 men. After the rest of the new people leave your island, there is rumor that the new men have tried to take advantage of your women, and your an angry group of people. A part of the society goes and attacks the men, killing each of them. You hope its over, and your life can go back to normal again.

Some time later, however, the other men return and are angered at the Taino for killing their men. You feel it was justified, after all - the men came, invaded your land, and ravaged your women... what were you all supposed to do? The new men set up a new colony, and left more men behind. Then more came. These new men want you to start paying them a tribute, to worship their God, and to convert to their way of life. You are shocked and hurt and scared, because once again your little world which has been around for more than 2000 years is being messed up by these men who expect to have everything their way.

Before you know it, your friends and family are getting sick and dying, from diseases you've never seen before (diseases brought by those new men). The healthy are being forced to work for the new men, in horrible working conditions which are unbearable and often bring them to their deaths. Those who survive are in despair, and many take their lives or flee, just hoping to get away. The rest of the healthy people who are still there are angered, and attempt various different attacks on the new men, only to be beaten miserabley. Things are so bad, that soon there isn't any one left... and you seem to be one of the last of a dying race of people... "

This is a story, based on the facts of the Taino Indians, a tribe who lived from roughly 1000 BC to 1500 AD in the Caribean. The spanierds came to the islands in 1508 and set up colonies. By the early 1520s, the indians were all but non existant. In 1508 their society had roughly 60,000 members. Only a few decades later (I believee 1544) there were 60 people left. 60. The indians died from disease, mistreatment, suicide, and failed uprisings against the spanierds. Those who didn't die, left. Its a sad story really... imagine your life right now. Now imagine people suddenly coming and ripping it all away from you. That's what they (and many other native americans) went through when the Europeans founded the new world. No doubt, the spanierds thought they were doing what was best at the time - who knows, maybe I'd have done the same thing had I been in their shoes - but it's still a sad story...