Trinkets (f)or Treasure? The role of European material culture in intercultural contacts in Hispaniola during early colonial times

One of the most defining moments in history is Europe’s discovery of the ‘New World’ in 1492. It is generally known how Columbus succeeded in crossing the Atlantic Ocean, while trying to reach Asia via a westward route. It meant a sudden and unexpected encounter between two radically different cultures. According to popular belief, the Spaniards offered beads and mirrors to ‘ignorant’ Indians and took home all the gold they could find. The Taíno were passive bystanders in the process of Spanish imperialism and colonialism. This thesis aims to eliminate these misconceptions through a critical reassessment of the role of European material culture in intercultural contacts in Hispaniola during the first decades of the colonial period. The discussion centres on the Taíno attitude towards these new objects, while emphasising their active participation and creative responses to the impacts of Spanish domination. An understanding of the dynamics, interactions and exchanges of the colonial...Show moreOne of the most defining moments in history is Europe’s discovery of the ‘New World’ in 1492. It is generally known how Columbus succeeded in crossing the Atlantic Ocean, while trying to reach Asia via a westward route. It meant a sudden and unexpected encounter between two radically different cultures. According to popular belief, the Spaniards offered beads and mirrors to ‘ignorant’ Indians and took home all the gold they could find. The Taíno were passive bystanders in the process of Spanish imperialism and colonialism. This thesis aims to eliminate these misconceptions through a critical reassessment of the role of European material culture in intercultural contacts in Hispaniola during the first decades of the colonial period. The discussion centres on the Taíno attitude towards these new objects, while emphasising their active participation and creative responses to the impacts of Spanish domination. An understanding of the dynamics, interactions and exchanges of the colonial encounter cannot be achieved without knowing the cultural-historical backgrounds of both parties. Their descriptions constitute Part I of the thesis. In Part II it is investigated which objects the Taíno received from the Spaniards and what they gave in return. The main questions to be answered are why the Taíno accepted the seeming trinkets of the Europeans and how and to what extent these were integrated into native society. Archaeology offers an indispensable dataset that, however, hitherto has not reached its full potential, not least because of the many difficulties involved in the archaeology of postcontact Taíno settlements. This thesis provides a current state of affairs by listing a representative number of site descriptions that have not been published in a similar way before.Show less

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Trinkets (f)or Treasure? The role of European material culture in intercultural contacts in Hispaniola during early colonial times