﻿ABORIGINES 
  OF 
  HISPANIOLA 
  KEIEGER 
  477 
  

  

  the 
  dreaded 
  Carib. 
  An 
  Indian 
  was 
  induced 
  to 
  come 
  aboard 
  the 
  

   Nina 
  where 
  it 
  was 
  anchored 
  in 
  Samana 
  Bay. 
  This 
  Indian 
  intimated 
  

   that 
  the 
  island 
  of 
  Carib 
  (Porto 
  Rico) 
  lay 
  to 
  the 
  east. 
  Columbus 
  gave 
  

   several 
  presents 
  to 
  the 
  Indian, 
  among 
  which 
  were 
  two 
  pieces 
  of 
  red 
  

   and 
  green 
  cloth 
  and 
  some 
  small 
  glass 
  beads, 
  and 
  sent 
  him 
  ashore. 
  

   When 
  approaching 
  the 
  shore 
  in 
  the 
  ship's 
  boat 
  more 
  than 
  50 
  armed 
  

   Indians 
  were 
  discovered 
  lurking 
  in 
  ambush 
  in 
  the 
  thickets. 
  The 
  

   Indian 
  who 
  had 
  been 
  aboard 
  the 
  Nina 
  persuaded 
  them 
  to 
  come 
  from 
  

   ambush 
  and 
  to 
  lay 
  down 
  their 
  weapons, 
  but 
  they 
  soon 
  took 
  alarm 
  

   and 
  showed 
  fight. 
  The 
  boat's 
  crew 
  defended 
  themselves 
  and 
  wounded 
  

   two 
  of 
  the 
  natives. 
  This 
  hostile 
  encounter, 
  the 
  first 
  armed 
  conflict 
  

   between 
  Indians 
  of 
  the 
  New 
  World 
  and 
  Europeans, 
  occurred 
  on 
  Sunday, 
  

   January 
  14, 
  1493. 
  The 
  following 
  day 
  the 
  Indians 
  returned 
  in 
  large 
  

   numbers 
  with 
  their 
  cacique 
  Mayobanex 
  and 
  his 
  three 
  attendants. 
  

   Columbus 
  invited 
  them 
  to 
  lunch 
  with 
  him 
  on 
  honey 
  and 
  ship's 
  biscuit. 
  

   Mayobanex 
  presented 
  Columbus 
  with 
  a 
  necklace 
  of 
  shell 
  beads, 
  and 
  

   on 
  his 
  arrival 
  at 
  the 
  ship 
  Columbus 
  gave 
  him 
  and 
  his 
  attendants 
  red 
  

   caps 
  and 
  bits 
  of 
  cloth 
  and 
  beads. 
  When 
  Mayobanex 
  returned 
  to 
  his 
  

   village 
  on 
  the 
  north 
  shore 
  of 
  Samana 
  Peninsula 
  near 
  the 
  mouth 
  of 
  the 
  

   San 
  Juan 
  River, 
  he 
  sent 
  to 
  Columbus 
  by 
  messenger 
  a 
  "coronet" 
  

   of 
  gold. 
  

  

  Because 
  of 
  the 
  hostile 
  attack 
  of 
  the 
  Ciguayan 
  Indians 
  with 
  their 
  

   bows 
  and 
  arrows, 
  Columbus 
  named 
  the 
  small 
  bay 
  where 
  he 
  lay 
  at 
  

   anchor 
  the 
  Bay 
  of 
  Arrows. 
  Tradition 
  places 
  this 
  bay 
  a 
  short 
  distance 
  

   east 
  of 
  the 
  town 
  of 
  Santa 
  Barbara 
  de 
  Samana, 
  on 
  the 
  north 
  shore 
  of 
  

   Samana 
  Bay. 
  The 
  inlet 
  is 
  still 
  called 
  "Golfo 
  de 
  las 
  Flechas" 
  or 
  the 
  

   Bay 
  of 
  Arrows. 
  

  

  The 
  costume 
  of 
  the 
  Ciguayan 
  Indians 
  of 
  Samana 
  was 
  negligible. 
  

   The 
  hair 
  was 
  worn 
  long 
  and 
  tied 
  in 
  a 
  tuft 
  incased 
  in 
  a 
  bag 
  decorated 
  

   with 
  parrot 
  feathers 
  and 
  hanging 
  from 
  the 
  back 
  of 
  the 
  head, 
  giving 
  an 
  

   effect 
  "as 
  the 
  women 
  of 
  Spain 
  wear 
  it." 
  No 
  mention 
  is 
  made 
  in 
  the 
  

   literature 
  of 
  a 
  headdress 
  of 
  feathers 
  arranged 
  vertically 
  in 
  the 
  form 
  of 
  

   a 
  half 
  crown 
  wherein 
  each 
  feather 
  is 
  attached 
  at 
  the 
  base 
  of 
  the 
  quill 
  

   to 
  a 
  woven 
  band, 
  a 
  form 
  of 
  feather 
  headdress 
  characteristic 
  of 
  the 
  

   Carib 
  and 
  Arawak 
  of 
  Venezuela 
  and 
  Guiana. 
  

  

  Columbus 
  took 
  with 
  him 
  to 
  Spain 
  four 
  young 
  male 
  Ciguayans 
  who 
  

   were 
  to 
  serve 
  as 
  guides 
  to 
  the 
  islands 
  occupied 
  by 
  the 
  Caribs. 
  The 
  

   Ciguayans 
  themselves 
  have 
  been 
  called 
  Caribs 
  erroneously 
  because 
  of 
  

   certain 
  peculiarities 
  in 
  speech 
  and 
  dress. 
  Their 
  name 
  of 
  "Ciguay" 
  

   applies 
  to 
  their 
  custom 
  of 
  not 
  cutting 
  their 
  hair, 
  which 
  contrasted 
  

   with 
  the 
  practice 
  observed 
  by 
  other 
  Arawak 
  groups 
  on 
  the 
  island 
  of 
  

   Hispaniola 
  who 
  cut 
  their 
  hair. 
  South 
  American 
  Arawaks, 
  like 
  the 
  

   Ciguayans 
  of 
  Samana, 
  did 
  not 
  cut 
  their 
  hair. 
  

  

  On 
  his 
  second 
  voyage 
  to 
  the 
  New 
  World, 
  Columbus 
  again 
  touched 
  

   on 
  the 
  shores 
  of 
  the 
  island 
  of 
  Hispaniola 
  on 
  November 
  12, 
  of 
  the 
  same 
  

  

  