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Relación acerca de las antigüedades de los indios
La Relacion del fraile Jeronimo Ramon Pane terminada de componer a fines de 1498, es considerada por algunos el primer libro escrito en el Nuevo Mundo. Es tambien la primera descripcion de la religiosidad de los indios tainos, habitantes de Santo Domingo. Fray Ramon Pane, pobre ermitano de la Orden de San Jeronimo como el mismo se presenta, llego a la Isla en compania de Colon en su segundo viaje en 1494. Despues de vivir un ano en el fuerte de la Magdalena, por indicacion de Colon y con el fin de aprender la lengua se traslado a vivir con el cacique Guarionex. Durante casi dos anos permanecio con este cacique hasta que decepcionado porque este abandonaba las ensenanzas cristianas, se traslado a vivir con el cacique Mabiatue que manifestaba su deseo de adherirse al cristianismo. Pane estuvo tres anos con este cacique. Se piensa que Pane habria entregado su manuscrito a Colon, al regreso de este a Espana en agosto de 1500. En Espana el manuscrito fue visto y usado por al menos tres personas: Pedro Martir de Angleria quien lo incluye en la primera de sus Decadas del nuevo Mundo; fray Bartolome de Las Casas que lo extracta e incluye en su Apologetica historia de las Indias y Hernando Colon que lo reproduce integro en la Historia del Almirante don Cristobal Colon. Sin embargo, el manuscrito original de Pane desaparecio.
70 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1498
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
November 28, 2017
Unfortunately, this is a book everyone from the Caribbean/South America should read. I say unfortunately because this is an account of a 15th century Catholic Friar about the religion of the aborigines and it goes exactly how you would expect. He mixes the names of different fruits and herbs and constantly confuses the fauna of the Island. He refers to the Tainos as ignorant, heathens and discards their religious belief in every chapter. However, this book contains a lot of very interesting elements of their gods and legends that are alive thanks to him so it's a mixed bag that will make you love more the Tainos and hate Columbus, if you haven't hate him already.
January 5, 2025
3.5 - interesting narration of the Taíno from Hispaniola with a few mentions of other islands. Sadly, there aren’t much details about the rites/rituals or other traditions of the Taíno recorded by fray Ramón Pané; however, at least there are some details gathered from those times.
December 9, 2018
Deve ser só o jeito que eu aprendi, mas sinto que existe um senso comum que trata a história como algo já-escrito, já-definido. O passado não tem nada de novo a dizer ou mostrar e não há nada de novo a ser dito sobre o passado. Se a história se baseia em documentos e já foi escrita, então o único jeito de dizer algo novo é encontrando um novo documento, porque os que já foram encontrados já foram também lidos e não tem como eles dizerem nada de diferente... Ou tem?
A Relación é um dos documentos mais curiosos e difíceis da colonização da América, o primeiro tratado escrito sobre um povo ameríndio, uma espécie de modelo de tudo que veio depois: evangelização, escravidão, mestiçagem, antropologia... Como outros dos documentos da conquista, muito já foi dito sobre ele. Como todo texto, sempre existe a possibilidade de encontrar um caminho pouco explorado, de fazer perguntas diferentes.
A Relación é um dos documentos mais curiosos e difíceis da colonização da América, o primeiro tratado escrito sobre um povo ameríndio, uma espécie de modelo de tudo que veio depois: evangelização, escravidão, mestiçagem, antropologia... Como outros dos documentos da conquista, muito já foi dito sobre ele. Como todo texto, sempre existe a possibilidade de encontrar um caminho pouco explorado, de fazer perguntas diferentes.
December 22, 2008
This is about a guy who lived among the Natives of Hispaniola. His account is very interesting and can help one understand the Natives, but I wish there was more to his journal.
September 4, 2026
I really enjoyed this book, although “enjoyed” feels like a slightly strange word for something I also found a little sad.
Ramón Pané’s An Account of the Antiquities of the Indians, written around 1498 after Pané had lived among Hispaniola’s Indigenous people, is the only surviving direct early source on their myths and religious ceremonies. He recorded creation stories, zemis, cohoba, healing practices, ideas about the dead, and other aspects of Taíno life that might otherwise have disappeared almost completely.
José Juan Arrom’s scholarship makes this edition invaluable. The original manuscript is lost, and what survives has passed through translations and garbled transcriptions. Arrom works through them carefully.
A lot of personality survives in these fragments. The zemis are far more interesting than the simple category of “idols” suggests: they have names, histories, relationships, powers and agency. The myths can likewise be funny, strange, violent, and puzzling, fragments of a living religious world caught mid-disruption.
That’s where it turned painful. By the mid-sixteenth century, Taíno society had largely collapsed due to conquest and disease. As a descendant of Indigenous Cubans, I felt everything left unrecorded.
This book left me grateful it survived, fascinated by what it reveals, and grieving somewhat for what didn’t.
Ramón Pané’s An Account of the Antiquities of the Indians, written around 1498 after Pané had lived among Hispaniola’s Indigenous people, is the only surviving direct early source on their myths and religious ceremonies. He recorded creation stories, zemis, cohoba, healing practices, ideas about the dead, and other aspects of Taíno life that might otherwise have disappeared almost completely.
José Juan Arrom’s scholarship makes this edition invaluable. The original manuscript is lost, and what survives has passed through translations and garbled transcriptions. Arrom works through them carefully.
A lot of personality survives in these fragments. The zemis are far more interesting than the simple category of “idols” suggests: they have names, histories, relationships, powers and agency. The myths can likewise be funny, strange, violent, and puzzling, fragments of a living religious world caught mid-disruption.
That’s where it turned painful. By the mid-sixteenth century, Taíno society had largely collapsed due to conquest and disease. As a descendant of Indigenous Cubans, I felt everything left unrecorded.
This book left me grateful it survived, fascinated by what it reveals, and grieving somewhat for what didn’t.
May 31, 2024
Fray Ramón Pané fue un misionero de la orden de San Jerónimo, y será quién escribe el primer escrito acerca de los indígenas.
Viajará junto con Cristóbal Colón a la Isla Española y en este manuescripto anotará mitos correspondientes sobre las creencias de los indios taínos.
De esa forma sabremos más de los indígenas taínos, los diferentes nombres que atribuyen muchas objetos o profesiones, por ejemplo “Cohoba” como una sustancia alucinógena, “Behiques” que eran los sacerdotes taínos que realizaban ceremonias y curaciones, “Guabonito” que era alguna forma de escritura, “Tona”asi se la llamaba a las ranas, entre otras palabras.
Viajará junto con Cristóbal Colón a la Isla Española y en este manuescripto anotará mitos correspondientes sobre las creencias de los indios taínos.
De esa forma sabremos más de los indígenas taínos, los diferentes nombres que atribuyen muchas objetos o profesiones, por ejemplo “Cohoba” como una sustancia alucinógena, “Behiques” que eran los sacerdotes taínos que realizaban ceremonias y curaciones, “Guabonito” que era alguna forma de escritura, “Tona”asi se la llamaba a las ranas, entre otras palabras.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews