Blogging On Assignment #2: The Lost Mariner

The Lost Mariner

Reading Elizabeth Kolbert’s The Lost Mariner altered the way I understood Columbus’s voyages. I grew up hearing a very simplified version of his story, like most people: the “explorer who discovered the New World.” I grew up hearing the “heroic explorer” version, but this article shows a totally different person. It made me realize how much of the history we learn in school is a better version of the story that leaves out the strange and uncomfortable parts.

What surprised me most was how much of Columbus’s life story was reinvented later. The idea that he proved the world was round was actually made up by Washington Irving. I also didn’t know how many groups, Irish and Italian immigrants, used Columbus as a symbol for themselves. Kolbert makes it clear that so much of what we “celebrate” about Columbus didn’t really exist, and the real version of him was actually pretty dishonest and often cruel.

The article also goes into the impact Columbus had on the Taino, the Indigenous people living in the Caribbean. The Taino were the first people he encountered, and they were described as gentle, generous, and peaceful. But within a few years, disease and violence destroyed their communities. Something that stayed with me was how fast everything changed for them. 

I learned that everyday English words come from the Arawak language, which includes the Taino. Three examples are hammock, canoe, and barbecue. Bad Bunny’s ancestors could have encountered Columbus. Since Bad Bunny is Puerto Rican, and Columbus reached Puerto Rico on his second voyage, it’s possible that his ancestors were part of the Taino communities living there at that time.

Right now in Los Angeles, I’m living on Tongva land. USC is also built on Tongva territory. Since I live in Southern California, the closest Indigenous community to my “home” would be the Tongva people. A lot of places in LA still carry Tongva names. Three examples are Topanga, Tujunga, and Cahuenga. Learning about this made me more aware of how much Indigenous history is around us without us even noticing.

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