The Indian Chronicles

by José Barreiro

This is a novel about American Indians discovering the Europeans.

Genres: Native American, Historical Fiction

Hardcover

First published September 1, 1993

About the author

José Barreiro is a Cuban-born American writer, journalist and former professor of Native American Studies at Cornell University. He is a member of the Taíno Nation of the Antilles.

Reviews

[Jaime · Rating 4 out of 5]

I classify this book as a docu-history/historical fiction account of the meeting and interaction between Admital Christopher Columbus and the Taino Indians. Based on diaries, letters and eyewitness accounts, the the author, Professor Jose Barreiro has recreated the 15th and 16th century world of thought and attitude to give the reader a view of the impact of this clash of cultures. The source of his book are the chronicles were written by Guaikan, a Taino who was later adopted by Christopher Columbus (aka Don Christopherens) and renamed Diego Columbus.

As a boy who is fascinated by the Spanish when they arrived on his island of Guanahani, Guaikan stows away on the flagship to learn more about them. Along with other enslaved indigenous people, Guaikan journeys to Spain and is warned by his uncle, Cibanakan not to be fooled by the Spanish. In Spain, the young Taino experiences the arrogance of the 'grandess' (nobility), meets King Ferdinand and Queen Isabela, has an affair, and is adopted by Columbus. Having been exposed and subjected to Spanish cruelty and avarice, Diego (Guiakan) is sickened by what he sees in Spain and returns home wiser. As a young man, he befriends Dominican friar Bartolome de Las Casas, the Spanish champion of Indian rights. He also is privy to the fall of Fort Natividad at the hands of Cacique Caonabo and the Spanish fury over the deaths of dozens of soldiers & the loss of the fort and their pursuit & capture of the brave Taino leader. Eventually, Diego becomes as an interpreter for Columbus and a valued cultural bridge to the native peoples. In time, Diego befriends Enriquillo, a fellow Taino Indian who was lauded by Bartolome de Las Casas for his resistance in favor of the indigenous people. He also gains the frienship, respect and support of two Spanish captains, Ridrigo Gallego, a childhood friend and Pedro Margarite who advicates for fair treatment of the Indians, and Father Buil, spiritual counselor to the Indian converts. Diego intercedes on behalf of the freedom fighters, using his contacts to manipulate Las Casas into supporting Enriquillo and ensures that peace is negotiated. Diego is lauded for being instrumental in bringing about a peaceful end to the Enriquillo War of 1519 to 1533. As a mature man, Diego develops a callous view of the Castilla (the Spanish) after witnessing the cruelty of Spanish men like Colon (Columbus) Hojeda, Oviedo, Pero Lopez de Mesa, Captain Barrionuevo, and others. The Spanish lust for gold and enslavement of the indigenous peoples scarred Diego's heart but he remained hopeful. He saw hope in the rebellion of Spanish as men like Friar Pane, Mayor Francisco Roldan, Bartolome Columbus (brother of Christopher), and others who challenged the Spanish leadership in its abuses. Eventually, Diego sees them them for the evil and injustice they have shown toward the Taino, Kwaib (Carib), and Ciguayo peoples of the islands. This harsh revelation is the heartfelt message of this book/ It resounds with a sobering truth.

The author presents Diego's memoirs that record the man's experiences of posterity while also expressing his heartbreak over the destruction of his Taino culture and persecution of Taino leaders such as Guarionex and Guacanagari. His account at first upsets Las Casas because of its relentless negative view of the Spaniards, who made Diego a free man but also took Ceiba, his wife and sons from him to sell them as slaves. Regardless of the loss, Diego always found new joy and hope. One such new start was his marriage to his second wife, Catalina. Coupled with Las Casas becoming a proponent of the human rights of the indigenous peoples and the church applying pressure on the Spanish fair treatment of the Taino, Carib, et al. Still, he viewed life with a sense of truth. One such truth was the fact that he survived in spite of the fact that his culture survived despite the fact that the Taino were reduced thriving Taino culture to an enslaved people with pockets of desperate freedom fighters like Tamayo. Theirs was a culture that was in harmony with nature but always resilient.

Professor Barreiro crafts his novel to be chronicle of his people, the Taino. The Taino people and culture rich native tradition is given a vivid, sympathetic treatment. It is a testament to the destruction and survival of a people. There is irony in Diego’s narrative of an expansive but peaceful civilization that fell to disease, slavery, appropriation, the attack on the 'cohoba' habitual ritual of visions spiritual communication, and the wholesale enslavement and slaughter in the name of the Christian God. I was moved to tears in thinking of all that was lost due to Spanish conquest and hatred of these people. This was a moving and captivating book on the genocide of the islanders of the New World.

[Lisa · Rating 3 out of 5]

The brief description here on Goodreads makes it sound as if the Indians discover the Europeans. This is not an alternative history novel; the Indians do not go on a grand voyage of discovery of Europe, as much as that would make an interesting premise for a novel, but rather, and unfortunately for them, they discover the European's ways when they appear in their island homes. The setup for this novel is detailed in the prologue where the author details how these historical documents have been given to him to be translated. The story is then told by the chronicler Guiakan Diego Colon as if in dated journal entries in which he relates contemporary events, namely the peace of Enriquillo, and his remembrances of the early days of the coming of the Castillans. The narrative of the chronicle's "rediscovery" by scholars, inclusion of real historical figures like Bartolomé de las Casas and real historical events may make the reader question whether this book is fiction or non-fiction, it is that well written. Barriero has imagined the history of the discovery of the new world from an indigenous viewpoint and authentically recreated the clash of cultures that occurred. It is a condemnation of the abuse inflicted on the native peoples by the Europeans, but also a celebration of the lives of the Taino people who live on in modern day islanders today.