no. i columbus's landfall — wolper 27 



Columbus described their paddles as like a baker's peel ; the natives 

 use a similar peel today on Guanahani-San Salvador to lift their 

 cassava (Manioc or Manihot esculentej 4 " and sweet potato (Ipomoea 

 batatas) cakes into their stone ovens to bake. They resemble the 

 drawing of a paddle carved by an Indian, which is on a stone 

 petroglvph (fig. 7) 41 in the New World Museum, San Salvador. 



The fishing boats carry calabashes or cocos 42 cut in half, which 

 are still used today for baling water. They also employ the largest 

 calabashes, left whole, as vessels to transport water while they work 

 their farms. These keep water cooler than do glass bottles or tin 

 containers, and are lighter in weight to carry. 



When Columbus learned by signs that he would have to go south 

 by "doubling the island," he could see that from First Landing Bay 

 he would have to go around Sandy Point, also called Southwest 

 Point (see fig. 2) to go south. He would not have to go around this 

 piece of land to go southwest, where he planned to sail the follow- 

 ing afternoon. 



When Columbus approached the island it must have impressed him 

 as large, level, and green, and as he explored away from First Land- 

 ing Bay up to the ridge where the settlements were, he could see for 

 many miles around. Trees of a wide variety and that are native to 

 this place grow in abundance all over the island. From this ridge 

 he could see the great lake in the middle, surrounded by many lakes 



40 Root crops and maize are the main diets here today. Two types of cassava 

 are grown: the white has seven leaves, the red has five leaves. The abundance 

 of cassava griddles found in every site indicate that cassava must have pro- 

 vided the Indians with their starch, cereal for babies, flour for bread, and cooked 

 whole vegetable, which it does today. The sweet potato here is different from 

 that in America ; it is dry and tastes like the chestnut. Staghorn coral, which is 

 found with the sherds of griddles and milling stones, is plentiful and well worn. 

 Not only was it used for "cobbing their corn" as it is used today but it is likely 

 that the coral was used for grating cassava and sweet potato for bread. 



41 The author recommends that this cave be scientifically preserved before the 

 petroglyphs are eaten away. This one is from a cave at Rum Cay, and has 

 already been eroded to a depth of 7\ inches and over 1 foot on the shaft. The 

 length is 31 inches overall. Dr. David M. Seaman wrote to the author to say 

 that, "The altered material is decomposed limestone, now forming sand of lime- 

 stone or calcite particles, which mineral makes up the composition of lime- 

 stone ... I see no possible way to save the walls from erosion in a cave facing 

 the rough sea and covered with algae in a damp atmosphere." ( Analyzed at the 

 American Museum of Natural History, New York.) 



4 - The calabash is similar to the coco, according to Oris Russell, Department 

 of Agriculture, Bahamas; calabash grow on trees and the coco grow on vines. 

 It is most likely that it was the large coco Columbus saw. 



