Page 22 - ATA

A15
LOCAL Tuesday 18 June 2019

The Aruban way of life since 1678 Episode XXIII

Continued from Page 14

The attack supposed to have been made by French filibusters at the beginning of the seven-
teenth century, so at about the same time when the first Dutchmen came here, cannot be
historically proven. Traditions, however, preserve the memory of a fight between the Aruban
Indians and the French privateers on the spot alleged to have been named Rooi Frances in
commemoration of this event. When in the years after 1824 the Rev.Bosch paid his visits to
Aruba the collector Croes showed him a cave in which the bones and skulls of the Indians
were still lying about. Croes told the minister that he had already twice been in the cave,
first about 1800, when the skeletons were still intact. Later he had conducted Father Jacobus
Schinck O.F.M. there. This must consequently have been before 1809, for after this date Father
Schinck paid no more visits to Aruba. He “had the odd fancy to wrench the teeth from the
jaw-bones, and to take them with him in a little bag”. Through this procedure the skeletons
had been moved and fallen asunder. A.J. van Koolwijk as late as 1880 also saw here “half-
decayed bones” of grown-ups and children some 8 or 10 persons in all.q

Pic. 5 wild aruba horses

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Pic. 6. Frenchmans pass and the Spanish lagoon area today facilities are close to the high rise hotels.