I remember learning about Christopher Columbus during early elementary school. A detail I remember learning is that Columbus “found” the U.S. Many stories and teachers make it sound like Columbus was the first person to ever step foot in the U.S. even though the land was occupied by the Indigenous people. I also remember Columbus being viewed as a person that should be looked upon. After this week, I now know that Columbus was not someone that should be known for establishing land in America. I also learned that food was a significant part of indigenous culture since it helped shape the colonies. Early Europeans believed that some foods protected them from the New World. In the passage “‘If You Eat Their Food’” by Rebecca Earle, she explains that “Spaniards believed that they would suffer from the excessive damp and dangerous heavens of the Americas if they ate European food” (1). From this information, the audience can infer that Indigenous settlers were highly disciplined about their diet. They believed that their diet influenced the way that their overall life would be.
This week I also learned that there is a significant difference between Amerindians and Spaniards. Indians had darker skin and straighter hair, and the men also had less facial hair. The Indians were also seen as more timid and they suffered from less health issues such as gallstones. Spaniards had lighter skin with full beards, and they suffered from more health issues that the Indians didn’t. In the passage “If You Eat Their Food” it mentioned that these differences are a result of the different environments that the two groups lived in. Earle explains how the climate affected physical appearance along with impacting individual health. That helped me understand why groups of people can be seen as similar, but still be completely different from one another.
I also thought that our class discussion on Friday was helpful in understanding how Indigenous people settled. I have always thought that the use of natural resources from history was interesting. Especially when it comes to building houses because nowadays we have set materials that are used in building houses. Early settlers were very intelligent when it came to using their resources.
Hi Ben!
I think we share a very similar experience in learning about Columbus during elementary school. It is interesting to think about how we’ve had to deconstruct that narrative over time. I don’t think I read Columbus’ journals until undergrad, which really showcase (in his own language) a negative perception of Indigenous peoples and actively trying to enslave them.
I also really enjoyed Rebecca Earle’s piece from this week– it is such an interesting take on the history of Spanish colonialism. It highlights just how important it is to consider history from unique vantage points (like diet, or archaeology from Friday’s reading) to shed new light on long-discussed topics.