Anacaona
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- For criticism see Criticism of Anacaona
Anacaona (date of birth unknown – died about 1504, Hispaniola), also called the Golden Flower, was a Taíno chief, sister of Behechio and wife of Caonabo, two of the five highest caciques (chiefs) who possessed the island of Hispaniola when the Spaniards settled there in 1492. She was celebrated as a composer of ballads and narrative poems, called areytos.
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Life
During Bartholomew Columbus's visit to the chiefdom of Xaragua in the southwest of Hispaniola (modern day Haiti) in late 1496, Anacaona and her brother Behechio appeared as equal negotiators. On that occasion, described by Bartolomé de las Casas in Historia de las Indias, Columbus successfully negotiated for tribute that consisted of food and cotton for the struggling Spanish settlers under his command. The visit is described as having taken place in a friendly atmosphere. Several months later, Columbus arrived with a caravel to collect a part of the tribute. Anacaona and Behechio had sailed briefly aboard the caravel, near today's Port-au-Prince in the Gulf of Gonâve.
Anacaona's high status was probably strengthened by elements of matrilineal descent in the Taíno society, as described by Peter Martyr d'Anghiera. Taíno caciques usually passed inheritance to the eldest children of their sisters. When there were no children of their sisters, they chose amongst those of their brothers, and failing these, they fell back upon their own.
Anacaona had one child, named Higuamota, whose date of death and date of birth are both unknown.
Arrest
Anacaona became queen of Xaragua after her brother's death. Her husband Caonabo, suspected of having organised the attack on La Navidad (Spanish settlement on northern Haiti), was captured by Alonso de Ojeda and shipped to Spain, dying in a shipwreck during the journey. The Taínos, being ill-treated by the conquerors, revolted, and made a long war against them. During a feast organized by eight regional chieftains to honor Anacaona, who was friendly to the Spaniards, Spanish Governor Nicolás de Ovando ordered the meeting house set on fire. He arrested Anacaona and her Taíno noblemen, all of whom, being accused of conspiracy, were executed. While others were shot, Anacaona was instead hanged at the age of 29.
Legacy
Anacaona is very much revered in Haiti, with many claiming her to be a significant icon in early Haitian history and consequently a primordial founder of their country. Immortalized in the intertwining histories of both Haiti and the Dominican Republic have resulted in various places in both countries bearing her name. Renowned Haitian American author Edwidge Danticat wrote an award-winning novel in dedication to the befallen chief.
References
- Bartolomé de las Casas: A Short Account of the Destruction of the Indies.
- Peter Martyr d'Anghiera: De Orbe Novo.
- Samuel M. Wilson: Hispaniola - Caribbean Chiefdoms in the Age of Columbus. The University of Alabama Press, 1990. ISBN 0817304622.
- This article incorporates text from the public domain Appleton's Cyclopedia of American Biography.
External links
- The Louverture Project: Anacaona
- Additional work on this article is appreciated.
- Additional work on this article is appreciated.
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