Christopher Columbus was a hero to some and a villain to others. He was a brave explorer,but he also enslaved, murdered and stole from native people across the Americas. He firstmet the Arawak natives in the Bahamas in 1492. They generously traded everything theyowned. Columbus saw this as a weakness. He wrote in his journal, “They brought us parrotsand balls of cotton and spears and many other things. They do not bear arms, and do notknow them. They would make fine servants.”
Eleven years later, Christopher Columbus was still taking advantage of the Arawak’shospitality.
On his fourth and final voyage in 1503 Columbus found himself in dire straits. Shipwormshad destroyed two of his ships. He was forced to abandon them and send the rest of his shipsto an island we now know as Jamaica.
The Arawaks were initially keen to help Columbus. They offered him and his sailors food andshelter. However, after six months, tensions grew. The ships had still not been repaired. Someof Columbus’s crew had mutinied and started to run amok on the island robbing andmurdering some of the natives. The Arawaks also grew tired of trading fresh food forColumbus’s trinkets. They decided to burn their bridges with the visitors and cut off theirfood supply.
Faced with starvation, the crafty Columbus studied his almanac. He learned that on theevening of Thursday, Feb. 29th, 1504, a total lunar eclipse would occur. He met with the Arawak chief three days before the eclipse and said his Christian god wasangry with the natives for no longer supplying his men with food. He said in three nights timehis god would make the moon red with anger.
Just as Columbus said, the moon rose and slowly turned blood red as it passed into theshadow of the earth. Columbus’s son Ferdinand said the Arawaks were terrified.
He wrote how they howled in fear and came running to the ships. They screamed and beggedColumbus to ask his god for mercy.
They promised they would cooperate with Columbus if he would turn the moon back tonormal. Columbus said he would talk privately with his god.
Columbus spent 50 minutes in his cabin calculating the end of the eclipse. He reappeared andannounced his god had forgiven the Arawaks. Almost in the same instance the moon slowlybegan to reappear in all its glory.
To show their gratitude the Arawaks kept Columbus and his men well fed until they returnedto Spain on November 7th.
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