Annotated Bibliography: "Of the Island of Hispanola" by de Las Casa

De Las Casa, Bartolome. "Of the Island of Hispanola." Very Brief Account of the Devastation of the Indies. Trans. Nigel Griffen, 1542. Print.


In this particular section of work from the Very Brief Account of the Devastation of the Indies, De Las Casa talks about how the Spaniards took over the island of Hispanola. He writes about the cruel actions the invading Spaniards used against the Natives, along with the slaughter that occurred. The document is written with De Las Casa's perspective in mind, it makes the Spaniards seem like heartless murderers who enjoy slaughtering Native populations. There isn't much information we can gain about the Spanish perspective on this particular event, the only information we can gain is from De Las Casa's perspective which doesn't allow that much argument. The document could help us learn one perspective on this event, but we need all perspectives to fully understand and analyze why this had happened. Having only one perspective limits our knowledge about the fall of Hispanola and it's Native peoples.

Annotated Bibliography: Columbus' Diary

In his journal entry, Columbus writes about how his crew were getting restless on the ships but quickly brightened up at the signs of land. He also notes his first encounter with the Natives, who were clever and would make good servants. The entry is written in his perspective, he only notes his ideas and impressions on the Natives. There is not much information we can gain on the Natives besides his own opinions about these peoples. His entry can help us learn more about what his first impression on the Natives, and how it effected the way he treated them later on but with this entry, we can only learn from his opinion which limits our knowledge on the whole encounter.

Pre-Columbian Societies: Different Kinds of Culture

Projectile Points

Pueblos

There were many different kinds of culture in Pre-Columbian Societies. For example, there was something called desert culture which was mostly located in the basin of Utah and Nevada, it was a way of life based on the hunting of small game and foraging of plant foods. These native peoples collected several different kinds of plants such as seeds, fiber, and pears from the yucca based on the season. Their strategy required an extensive amount of skill in handcrafts such as the production of fiber baskets, pitch-lined baskets for cooking, traps, and nets, stones for seed and nut grinding, and stone knifes, hammers, and clubs. Eventually this desert culture spread to the Great Plains and the Southwest, here the foraging of plants supplemented hunting practices. Besides desert culture, there was also a culture that was very influential on the way we develop food today, known as the farming culture. The best known farming culture were the Anasazis. These native peoples come from the Southwest, specifically in the area called the Four Corners; where Arizona, New Mexico, Utah, and Colorado meet. The Anasazis were known for their populated, multistory apartment complexes called "pueblos." (Out of Many, 15) These natives grew different varieties of high-yielded maize in terraced fields irrigated by canals moving from mountain basins. In order to have a supplement to their vegetable diet, they started to hunt animals using the bow and arrow. Not only do Pre-Columbian Societies have different cultures, these cultures have helped us develop the way we live today. These peoples have sculptured and shaped the landscape to best compliment their societies which now has given us a upper-hand on how we grow our food today.