Hello Everyone,

If you thought it was bad in the village, just wait until you hear what happened ON the ships. There were around 200 more people that caught disease. The news gets even worse than 200 people getting disease on ships, Doli was one of the people that caught the disease!!! I miss her so much already, she was the one and only person I have ever trusted with everything, from secrets, to food, to just hanging out. I wish someone would explain to me why 200 more people had to die. I wish we would arrive at Spain and Portugal and be with a new family. Maybe it will even be someone I can trust again, even though it will be really hard to trust anyone else ever again.

We are already slaving on the boats, having to mop the ship decks and cook. I guess you could call it ‘training.’ I haven’t seen my Mom, Hesutu, or Charisa since I’ve been on the ships and I’m starting to get very worried. Are they okay, will they be okay? I hope so much that they will be. I’ve never been to Spain or Portugal and it’s kind of cool that I get to travel there, but why does it have to be for such a cruel reason?

I have to go and mop decks and fix Christopher Columbus his meal. Good-Bye.

Jaci

Hello Everyone,

We are on Christopher Columbus’ ships now. I am on the ship Pinta. The ship that Christopher is traveling on. I wish I was not on this ship, so I wouldn’t have to see his face! Why would he do this to us? I thought we were his friends, someone he trusts and likes. I guess I was wrong, wrong about every nice thing I have ever said about the Europeans. I was wrong about meeting new people; I should have felt the way Doli felt when they first arrived. I shouldn’t have trusted them and we should have kicked them off of our village. THIS IS ALL HIS FAULT!!!!! I hate him so, so much!

The lives of the Natives have been changed forever. We will have to be slaves for the lazy Europeans who are to stuck up to do their own work! I wish I was back on Moga, gardening, cooking, and playing tip the boat with Doli. I wish we would’ve never stumbled upon that beach that day and saw those ships. I wish I could go back and change everything or magically get tons of gold to please the Europeans. I wish that there was some way out of this mess. I guess I am being kind of negative, but it’s so hard to change your life so drastically so fast. Maybe I will get to slave for a nice European family who likes me and gives me a good pay, hopefully. I guess I will see when I get there, but right now I’m feeling kind of seasick. I’ve got to go.

Jaci  

Hello Everyone,

Something horrible has hit Moga and Kiloma, the village 10 minutes away from us. Christopher has decided to punish the Native people for what his men have done. It’s not our fault that there is no gold here. We live on the natural resources here; can he not find anything of reasonable value to take back to Spain, rather than slaves? Christopher is taking around 1 500 natives back with him. There was a HUGE war and most of the people in Moga and Kiloma were murdered. They had their lives taken away from them, due to what? Nothing. That is the answer nothing.

The war was the worst thing I’ve ever seen in my life. There was blood flying everywhere and dozens of people lying on the ground lifeless. The Europeans had such powerful weapons that could take away a life in one fire. Why would anyone want to invent something massively destructive like that? I came out of my hut at the end of the massive battle, bodies everywhere. Tears ran down my cheeks as I saw the few people who co-operated with Christopher to save our village. How can we ever find the hope or courage to build our village again? This is no longer the place with beauty, peace, and harmony. It is only a bad memory now.

Tonight, after everything is cleaned up, someone in the village is going around to do a population count; I can’t see it being over 200. I’m so scared for all the people that got taken and the families that have suffered. I am one with them. My Mom is gone, Hesutu is gone, and Charisa is gone. How can I ever go through life without them? This is the most horrid thing ever to happen to me or to Moga and Kiloma. I hope that the Europeans never show their faces here again!

A speechless,

Jaci

  Promises are a sacred thing, when you say to someone that you promise never to harm them and that you promise that you will help them when they are in need, you have to keep that promise. When you don’t keep a promise it says a lot about who you are, and now I know a little but more about whom Christopher Columbus really is.   

  We are boarding the ships as I speak, everyone is in groups according to their age and we are being forced onto the ships. It’s not right, how someone can do this to innocent people? All of them, every single one is cold hearted and doesn’t care what happen to our people. But I do, I want to do something but I cant, not alone. It’s not fair. 

   I can hear people yelling “I will not go!” and “This isn’t right”, and they are right this isn’t right, this should not be happening at all. What about my mother and father? What will happen to them? What will happen next? 

Doli.

January 14, 1492

I have figured out a punishment for these men. They should know better than to not listen to me.

I am forcing 1 500 men, women and children from the village of Moga and Kiloma to come aboard our ships with me and bring them to Spain. What kind of land is this? THERE IS NO GOLD! Why did I even come here? I have to please the King and the Queen and all the people who supported this voyage. They were expecting gold? So this is what I am going to do.

I still want to impress Spain. So I still have to bring something back. They will work as Slaves in Europe. Mostly Spain and Portugal, as slaves. Most likely for the rest of their lives.

There all already aboard the ships and we are now heading back to Europe, so there’s no going back now.

Christopher

Hello Everyone,

There is a little village, about 10 minutes away from Moga. Christopher Columbus, as you all know, has left some of his men on this village with orders and chores. They didn’t do the crucial labour though. Christopher thinks that it is due to the Natives and what they have been telling his men, about fear and he thinks that they steal food. I have a strong sense that slavery is going to come to us. Our village has been so peaceful for so long, I guess it was time for it to be disturbed. If slavery does come here, they will take men, woman, and children. CHILDREN!!!! Children shouldn’t have to work, they don’t know how to cook and they get distracted easily. They will not survive long in the slavery business.

I talked to Doli and both her and I are very scared for this to come. What happens if we get taken, we won’t be free ever again; we won’t get to live the life we wanted. We will die working for other people, not getting a break. The worst thing is, if we do something wrong, we will be whipped or killed. How could people just have the guts to do something like kill a person for a mistake? We are all equal, just different sizes, shapes, colours, and personalities. If we all looked the same and did the same things, how boring would the world be today? I am disappointed in Christopher. We gave him our trust and put our lives in his hands. Now he is going to take our lives and smash them, crush them. I just don’t understand how someone could do that to another person.

Jaci

  Troubles have come to this island; slavery has been brought upon us. It hasn’t occurred yet but my father keeps watch whenever he can, he always knows when something is going to go wrong, which I guess is kind of a good thing because it keeps us safe.   

  My father has also said that Christopher Columbus’s men are only ten minutes away! I’m not really sure what to do with this information because the Europeans are much stronger than us, I just hope that whatever happens and whenever it happens everyone will be ok.  

  I’m very frightened for the village because there is nothing that we can do but be sitting ducks. I’m also very disappointed in Christopher Columbus because he said that he would never harm us Indians, and I don’t like a person that doesn’t keep a promise. 

Doli.

Hello Everyone,

I have just read a post of Christopher Columbus’ and he said that he has been exploring the Caribbean for 4 months now. He left some of his men on an island in the Caribbean Sea. He gave them orders and chores to ensure their survival as a colony. His men refused to do such crucial labour and now he thinks it’s due to the Natives?! It’s his men that refuse to do what they are told and his men that don’t want to ensure their survival as a colony, so how is this the Natives fault? That’s what I want to know. You know, I thought Europeans were better than what they are. I now realize that they think if a mistake happens it’s someone else’s fault! Maybe they need to look around and see that the only people who caused this mess was themselves!

One thing that I really don’t want to happen is slavery. Why would we have to be the slaves? They are more powerful and have advanced weapons that can defeat us. I’m so worried right now I could purge. I really really don’t want Christopher and his men to come here, I have a feeling that something horrible, I mean really horrible is going to happen to Guanahani and Moga. I like the trade and everything, but if what I read is true, then I’m not so sure I can trust the Europeans anymore, I only have a tiny bit of trust left, so if they want to keep our trust they’d better smarten up!

Jaci L

January. 15, 1592

In the past few months I have been exploring the island of San Salvador and making trade with Indians is different villages. I have left some of my men on an island in the Caribbean Sea. I have ordered these men to complete certain chores that will ensure their survival as a colony.

I lost my ship, the Santa Maria, at sea. But we still have the Pinta and the Nina left.

Since I have been in the Caribbean for about 4 months now, I have visited many of the islands and have done trade with them.

Right now I am back at the village where I have left some of my men to be European settlers in the Caribbean. The men have not taken my orders. Some of them said that they refused to do such crucial labour. I don’t know what I’m going to do, but I have a feeling that some of it is the Indians’ fault. They have destroyed my settler’s properties, they steal food and they are teaching my men about fear.

What’s this about?

Christopher Columbus

Hello Everyone,

Today our village is back to normal. No more Europeans are here. Doli is kind of relived, but I think it was nice having outside company. Today Doli and I have to go flower picking for the feast. We are having a feast to celebrate new friendship and the village being safe, also the advancing of the village through trade. Doli and I made silk shell dresses last night for the feast tonight. They are the most gorgeous dresses I have seen in all my life.

I am not really keeping in touch with Christopher and his men that much as they are very busy with different islands and villages. He told me that he is now in Cuba and is also having a great time there. He said there would be more valuable friendships in his life thanks to the people he met in Cuba, as well as us. His men are getting very tired and lazy and don’t want to do any work. Christopher got some natives from Cuba to do his work for him. This worries me because I don’t want anyone to go into slavery. He also said that he and his men would be coming back in about 3 months, for trade. I don’t know how I feel about this if he is already taking advantage of the natives in Cuba; will he eventually take advantage of the natives here? I’m kind of weary of our friendship now.

Anyways I have a ton of work to do today. I have to help my Mom catch snakes today for supper tonight. We usually need to catch about 4-5 snakes to feed Hesutu, Charisa, Mom, and I. It’s going to be a long day because those snakes can really move! I also need to help her pick a few vegetables out of the garden. Tonight we are having corn and squash. Well…I’d better get started with all the jobs I have to do today. I promise to write again soon.

Jaci