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1584 The Spanish Killed Nearly 8.5 million Natives In The Caribbean In The First Fifty Years Of Columbus Landing In San Salvador

1584

The first written record describing Hatteras Island of any length is that of Arthur Barlowe in 1584.

In 1584 the English were at war with Spain. Spain had colonies all over the Caribbean and had made a fortune in gold, sugar and other resources.

It was theorized by the English military that raids could be made into the Caribbean to steal Spanish ships and deal her a mighty blow in the war. A very successful raid had already been carried out by Captain John Hawkins that stole a ship full of slaves.

The Spanish had killed nearly 8.5 million Natives in the Caribbean in the first fifty years of Columbus landing in San Salvador. They hung the Natives 13 at a time in honor of the apostles and Jesus. They tied children by the ankles and fed them to hunting dogs and burned some alive.

Sugar was worth more than gold at the time and the Caribbean quickly was converted into one giant plantation of Sugar. Of course Africans began to be enslaved by the Spanish and Portuguese to harvest all of this sugar.

The lands of the Natives were ravaged at a phenomenal rate. Spain was a military super power especially by sea and King Philip had his eye on the whole of England.

The English wanted a naval base in the New World for privateers to launch raids against the Spanish. Although the word privateer did not yet exist it is exactly what the English were. The Queen got 10% of Spanish prizes and only the Spanish were to be attacked. This was an opportunity for men to become extremely rich in very little time and helped the over all war for the English.

Thus, in 1584 a recon mission is sent to the New World to find a great privateer base. In addition to this privateer base any profitable resources were to be noted as well as profitable trade with the native population. Captains Philip Amadas and Arthur Barlowe set out in two ships to accomplish these objectives.

They crossed an inlet that would be just north of the modern village of Buxton and landed on the Island of Croatoan on July 4th of 1584. This was the first time the English had ever set foot in the New World, 23 years before Jamestown and 37 years before Plymouth Rock.

The following are excerpts from Barlowe complete with the spelling and grammar of the times:

“This lande lay stretching it selfe to the West, which wee found to bee but an island of twentie miles long. (From modern day Buxton to Hatteras Inlet today is 20 miles). Under the banke or hill whereon we stoode, we behelde the valleys replenished with goodly cedar trees, and having discharged our harquebus-shot, such a flocke of Cranes (for the most part white) arose under us, with such a cry redoubled by many echoes, as if an armie of men had showted all together. This island had many goodly woodes full of deere, conies, hares, and fowle, even in the middest of summer in incredible abundance.”

The first ever meeting between the English and Native Americans was that of one curious man who took his canoe to a point of land opposite where the English were anchored in the sound. The English took him onto the ships, fed him and gave him some gifts. Immediately upon returning to the shore this man fished for the English and left them two piles of fish, one for each ship.

“And after he had spoken of many things not understood by us, we brought him with his owne good liking, aboard the ships, and gave him a shirt, a hat & some other things, and made him taste of our wine, and our meat, which he liked very wel: and after having viewed both barks, he departed, and went to his owne boat againe, which hee had left in a little cove or creeke adjoining: as hee was two bow shots into the water, he fell to fishing and in less then halfe an houre, he had laden his boate as deepe, as it could swim, with which hee came againe to the point of lande, and there he divided his fish into two parts, pointing one part to the ship, and the other to the pinnesse..”

The following morning the English awoke to see about 100 people standing and sitting on the beach. Among them was Granganimeo the chief of the island, whose brother was the paramount chief of the entire kingdom, which stretched well inland. A trade relationship began:

“When we shewed him (Granganimeo) all our packet of merchandize, of all things that he sawe, a bright tinne dish most pleased him, which hee presently tooke up and clapt it before his breast , and after made a hole in the brimme thereof and hung it about his necke, making signes that it would defende him against his enemies arrows.”

“We exchanged our tinne dish for twentie skinnes…They offered us good exchange for our hatchets and axes, and for our knives…he (Granganimeo) himselfe had upon his head a broad plate of golde, or copper for being unpolished we knew not what metal it should be…”

Barlowe and his crew also observed how the Natives made canoes and where shown evidence of another European nation (probably Spanish) that had shipwrecked on the island some 26 years prior.

“They have no edge-tooles to make them (canoes) withal: if they have any they are very fewe, and those it seemes they had twentie yeres since, which, as those two men declared, was out of a wracke which happened upon their coast of some Christian ship…out of whose sides they drew the nayles and spikes, and with these they made their best instruments. The manner of making their boates is thus: they burne downe some great tree…and putting gumme and rosen upon one side thereof, they set fire into it…they cut out the coale with their shells…very fine boates and such as will transport twentie men.”

From Barlowe’s report, we know they entered an inlet and took a left to an island that was 20 miles long and ran from East to West. Later, Barlowe and 7 others left this island and “wee came to an island called Raonoak,…” Only 8 men of the entire company ever went to Roanoke Island in 1584. The rest of the men stayed on Hatteras Island where they had landed.

The famous Manteo and Wanchese along with one other native (who died in England) were brought back to England to be used as interpreters on the return voyage in 1585 and to entice investors to finance the return trip. The deerskins of Hatteras Island caught the eye of wealthy leather merchants who helped finance the return trip in 1585. The military operations against Spain were still the number one objective though and the Outer Banks looked like the perfect spot for a base. Queen Elizabeth was willing to send a decent war ship to accompany any fleet the investors could come up with provided she still got 10% of Spanish plunder.

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