Page 19 - AHATA

Tuesday 18 July 2023 LOCAL
A10

Episode 23

Dutch Aruban after 1650

A free for all, our island in 1701, Aruba’s whole oc-
seas, the Caribbean and cupational force consisted
world oceans has become of Commander Flaccius,
pretty much a pirates play- two horsemen and two sol-
ground for whomever was diers.
in search of adventures.
Every one at sea could be- The material means for de-
come prey, while in the Ca- fense also left much to be
ribbean hunting grounds, desired. At that time there
dogs didn’t eat dog. Espe- was not a single fortifica-
cially after 1651 (Naviga- tions on Aruba. There were
tion Act) and as a result of natives on horseback and
the English wars against the armed with Spanish mus-
Dutch Republic, the island kets, instead of the muskets
had to suffer many attacks the Spaniards on the island
from freebooters, pirates had to fire off, the Dutch
and buccaneers about possessed carbines that
which there is historical evi- no longer needed liftlocks
dence. eliminating elaborate ma-
nipulations with fuses.
In 1651 the English bucca-
neer appears in the road- In August of 1660, a pri-
stead. Some people are vately-owned ship, De Ver-
disembarked, and shortly gulde Paeuw (The Gilded
after they depart with Peacock), “having been
twelve formidable horses boarded by the accom- ally better than that of the there must have been a In the nineteenth century
possessing a value of 300 plices of an English priva- North European farmer of difference between doc- there is a relatively great
guilders each, a large – teer,” as mentioned in a the period. Historiography, trine and practice. number of such persons
scale robbery for our island. document among Hamel- which both from the Dutch on the island, Natives from
The commander, having berg’s collection, “was and from the English side Within the jurisdiction of the other tribes that spoke their
only a few horsemen at spoliated inimically, these has received an anti-Span- Dutch administration the own language
his disposal, could do next people taking out of every- ish bias , a fact capable Indian could not be forced
to nothing to avoid risking thing they inflicting serious of historical explanation, into slavery. He was subject- Meanwhile the instructions
lives of his citizens. injuries upon the crew, and that has hitherto been un- ed to the same laws as the issued by the company in
perpetrating other hostili- just in its critical approach white colonist, especially 1635, which principally re-
According to Exquemelin ties and knaveries”. to Spanish colonialism, if to whom the government lated to Curacao, enjoined
recordings, there were fif- this word could be used at regulations of 1629 applied. that everything should be
teen soldiers here in 1678. Legal position of the Indians all for Spain. Spain knew Here, too, there cannot fail done to free the Indians
This number may be cor- Under the administration in America “esos reinos,” to have been a discrepan- from their “barbaric prac-
rect, since the man evi- of the company, the sta- which politically stood on a cy between doctrine and tices,” and to make them
dently had been on Aruba tus of the Indians differed footing of equality with “es- practice, because the In- civilized subjects. Particu-
himself, and had no reason from that under Spanish tos reinos,” by which were dians were utterly destitute larly, the education of the
to exaggerate. The strength dominion. The native un- understood the kingdoms drudges. In 1635 some of children should be directed
of the garrison, therefore, der Spanish rule enjoyed a of the Iberian Peninsula. But them had been employed towards their conversion to
seems to have been rather certain measure of liberty, it goes without saying that as hunt-servants. In reward Christianity and a decent,
variable. Some time later, this position being actu- these “free” men receive civic way of life. As it was
a set of clothes, shirts, and deemed that “idleness is
shoes, to replace their worn the parent of vice,” the
and thread-bare garments. Indians had to engage in
They also for once got the some occupation, prefer-
full ratio of bread and bran- ably farming, fishing or do
dy. such other labor as they
were fit.q
From a lawsuit dealt with
on Aruba (ca. 1804) it Source; Island Insight column
might be concluded that by Etnia Nativa.
the Indians were allowed to
raise goats freely, but not
donkeys, horses and cows.
This would point to some
discrimination being made
in favor of the whites. On
all three islands so-called
red slaves were also found,
that is Inidans brought by
the cacique from the conti-
nent. Principally these were
girls under age, or boys that
had been taken prisoners.