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The Animals of Hispaniola

The Animals of Hispaniola

Basil Ringrose
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This excerpt from History of the Buccaneers of America by Alexandre Olivier Exqumelin describes the animals of the island of Hispaniola. Today the Caribbean island of Hispaniola is divided between the countries Haiti and Dominican Republic. Historically, it was occupied by successive waves of indigenous migrants. The descendants of the last wave of pre-Columbian settlers were the Taino, who cultivated cassava and lived in chiefdoms ruled by caciques. Hispaniola was the first island settled by Christopher Columbus on behalf of Spain in the 1490s. The early Spanish colonists brought domestic animals from the Old World, including cattle, horses, pigs, and dogs. Some of these animals went feral, and multiplied on the island.

Before European colonization, Hispaniola had a wide variety of native birds, amphibians, reptiles, and insects, but there were few indigenous mammals. Aside from some species of bats, the only mammals indigenous to Hispaniola were some rodents and solenodon. The solenodon, which is only found on some Caribbean islands, is a relative of moles, hedgehogs, and shrews. These small animals resemble mice. Among the rodents indigenous to Hispaniola is the hutia, a big rodent that was once found on a number of different Caribbean islands. The largest of the island’s native reptiles is the American crocodile , which Exqumelin seems to wrongfully refer to as “caymans”.

Indigenous people may have introduced other mammals to the island before Europeans arrived. Among the animals that may have been introduced to the Caribbean islands in pre-Columbian times are the agouti, the peccary, and the racoon. The animals introduced by Europeans, however, had a more disruptive effect on the local environment and the indigenous people, trampling and eating Taino crops. On the other hand, the feral animals were useful for early settlers.

French buccaneers, in particular, hunted the feral pigs and cattle on the western side of Hispaniola, selling their hides and meat to passing ships. The name “buccaneer” comes from the practice of smoking meat on wooden frame, a technique adopted from indigenous people. In addition to hunting feral pigs and cattle, the buccaneers also attacked passing ships, so that the name “buccaneer” became synonymous with “pirate”. Maroons, escaped African slaves who lived in the mountains in the sixteenth century, domesticated feral horses and used them to launch raids on colonists’ plantations and settlements.

Relatively little is known about the background of the author of this text. Exqumelin may have been of French, Dutch, or Flemish ethnicity. He lived in Holland at one point in time, but also worked for the French West India Company. He was a buccaneer himself, and lived for a period of time on pirate-stronghold Caribbean island of Tortuga, near to modern-day Haiti. He was a confidante of the famous pirate Henry Morgan. His History of the Buccaneers of America has become one of the most important sources on the history of seventeenth-century piracy in the Caribbean. It was originally published in Dutch, but was translated into several languages during that century, including Spanish, English, German, and French. This excerpt comes from a 1699 translation by the English buccaneer and geographer Basil Ringrose .
Pages
13
Format
Kindle Edition

The Animals of Hispaniola

Basil Ringrose
0/5 ( ratings)
Read Download
This excerpt from History of the Buccaneers of America by Alexandre Olivier Exqumelin describes the animals of the island of Hispaniola. Today the Caribbean island of Hispaniola is divided between the countries Haiti and Dominican Republic. Historically, it was occupied by successive waves of indigenous migrants. The descendants of the last wave of pre-Columbian settlers were the Taino, who cultivated cassava and lived in chiefdoms ruled by caciques. Hispaniola was the first island settled by Christopher Columbus on behalf of Spain in the 1490s. The early Spanish colonists brought domestic animals from the Old World, including cattle, horses, pigs, and dogs. Some of these animals went feral, and multiplied on the island.

Before European colonization, Hispaniola had a wide variety of native birds, amphibians, reptiles, and insects, but there were few indigenous mammals. Aside from some species of bats, the only mammals indigenous to Hispaniola were some rodents and solenodon. The solenodon, which is only found on some Caribbean islands, is a relative of moles, hedgehogs, and shrews. These small animals resemble mice. Among the rodents indigenous to Hispaniola is the hutia, a big rodent that was once found on a number of different Caribbean islands. The largest of the island’s native reptiles is the American crocodile , which Exqumelin seems to wrongfully refer to as “caymans”.

Indigenous people may have introduced other mammals to the island before Europeans arrived. Among the animals that may have been introduced to the Caribbean islands in pre-Columbian times are the agouti, the peccary, and the racoon. The animals introduced by Europeans, however, had a more disruptive effect on the local environment and the indigenous people, trampling and eating Taino crops. On the other hand, the feral animals were useful for early settlers.

French buccaneers, in particular, hunted the feral pigs and cattle on the western side of Hispaniola, selling their hides and meat to passing ships. The name “buccaneer” comes from the practice of smoking meat on wooden frame, a technique adopted from indigenous people. In addition to hunting feral pigs and cattle, the buccaneers also attacked passing ships, so that the name “buccaneer” became synonymous with “pirate”. Maroons, escaped African slaves who lived in the mountains in the sixteenth century, domesticated feral horses and used them to launch raids on colonists’ plantations and settlements.

Relatively little is known about the background of the author of this text. Exqumelin may have been of French, Dutch, or Flemish ethnicity. He lived in Holland at one point in time, but also worked for the French West India Company. He was a buccaneer himself, and lived for a period of time on pirate-stronghold Caribbean island of Tortuga, near to modern-day Haiti. He was a confidante of the famous pirate Henry Morgan. His History of the Buccaneers of America has become one of the most important sources on the history of seventeenth-century piracy in the Caribbean. It was originally published in Dutch, but was translated into several languages during that century, including Spanish, English, German, and French. This excerpt comes from a 1699 translation by the English buccaneer and geographer Basil Ringrose .
Pages
13
Format
Kindle Edition

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