CHRISTOPHER
      COLUMBUS:
      A
      HERO
     
    
   
   
    
     
      ORA
      CRIMINAL?
     
     
      By
      James
      Walden
      ‘‘The
      Sheaf’’
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Asa
      child,
      my
      brother
      was
      the
      proud
      owner
      of
      three
     
     
      wooden
      models
      of
      Christopher
      Columbus’
      Santa
     
     
      Maria,
      Nina
      and
      Pinta.
      He
      and
      his
      friends
      would
     
     
      pretend
      they
      were
      sailing
      the
      high
      seas
      in
      search
      of
     
     
      rich
      new
      lands
      not
      yet
      discovered.
      Columbus
      was
     
     
      their
      hero
      and
      they
      argued
      over
      who
      would
      take
      his
     
     
      name
      and
      command
      that
      afternoon’s
      expedition.
     
     
      Disappointing
      for
      them
      and
      many
      others,
      their
      hero
      is
     
     
      now
      being
      raked
      over
      the
      coals.
      A
      poster
      sponsored
     
    

    
     
      by
      a
      local
      coalition
      of
      groups
      trying
      to
      re-educate
      the
     
    

    
     
      public
      about
      Columbus
      and
      the
      type
      of
      society
      he
     
     
      tepresented
      states:
      ‘‘
      WANTED-CHRISTOPHER
     
    

    
     
      COLUMBUS-[for]
      Grand
      Theft,
      Genocide,
      Racism,
     
    

    
     
      Initiating
      the
      Destruction
      of
      a
      Culture,
      Rape,
      Torture,
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Maiming
      of
      Indigenous
      People
      and
      Instigator
      of
      the
     
     
      Big
      Lie.”
     
     
      |
     
    
   
   
    
     
      How
      can
      it
      be
      possible
      that
      a
      man
      revered
      by
      millions
     
     
      f
      U.S.
      school
      children
      during
      each
      October’s
     
     
      Columbus
      Day
      celebrations
      be
      such
      a
      criminal?
     
     
      Moreover,
      how
      can
      a
      man
      who
      is
      reported
      to
      have
     
     
      done
      such
      things
      has
      having
      governments
      in
      Europe,
     
     
      Latin
      America
      and
      North
      America
      organizing
      lavish
     
     
      festivities
      to
      commemorate
      the
      500th
      anniversary
      of
     
     
      his
      1492
      voyage
      of
      discovery?
     
     
      tis
      actually
      quite
      simple.
      Columbus
      remains
      a
      hero
     
     
      many.
      He
      isthe
      man
      who
      is
      admired
      for
      daring
      to
     
     
      il
      off
      into
      the
      unknown
      in
      search
      of
      a
      new
      route
      to
     
     
      ndia.
      He
      is
      also
      the
      man
      his
      admirers
      credit
      with
     
     
      liscovering
      America
      (others
      argue
      that
      he
      was
      not
      the
     
     
      irst
      and
      claim
      he
      was
      and
      is
      a
      part
      of
      the
      ‘‘
      Big
      Lie’’)
     
     
      nd
      thus
      providing
      new
      frontiers
      where
      people
      could
     
     
      se
      free
      to
      pursue
      a
      new
      life
      in
      anew
      land,
      irrespective
     
     
      if
      the
      effects
      on
      the
      original
      inhabitants.
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
     
       
     
     
         
     
     
         
     
     
          
     
     
       
     
     
         
     
     
        
     
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      often
      occurs
      that
      the
      heroes
      of
      an
      individual
      people
     
     
      re
      not
      those
      of
      the
      rest
      of
      the
      world.
      for
      example,
     
     
      ‘ir
      Francis
      Drake
      was
      knighted
      for
      his
      exploits
      under
     
     
      ne
      British
      Crown
      and
      is
      held
      today
      in
      high
      regard
      by
     
     
      ae
      English.
      To
      many
      Latin
      Americans,
      Drake
      was
     
     
      othing
      buta
      pirate
      who
      received
      a
      knighthood
      for
      his
     
     
      deptness
      at
      stealing
      other
      peoples
      property.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      oser
      to
      home,
      Louis
      Riel
      remains
      in
      the
      view
      of
     
     
      any
      Whites
      a
      historic
      enemy
      of
      the
      Canadian
      nation;
     
     
      ne
      who
      should
      never
      be
      remembered
      as
      anything
      but
     
    
   
   
    
     
      a
      criminal
      who
      quite
      deservedly
      was
      executed.
      To
      the
     
     
      Metis,
      however,
      he
      isa
      hero
      and
      a
      martyr.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Modern
      day
      examples
      abound.
      Mr.
      ‘‘Desert
      Storm’’,
     
     
      Noram
      Schwarzkopf
      is
      mimicked
      in
      the
      U.S.
      by
     
     
      children
      at
      play
      ad
      advertising
      executives
      who
      want
      to
     
     
      capitalize
      on
      his
      admired
      tough
      guy
      image.
      But
      to
     
     
      Iraqis
      and
      anumber
      of
      other
      Arab
      states
      he
      is
      a
     
     
      symbol
      of
      American
      power
      and
      domination
      over
      their
     
     
      lives.
      Yassar
      Arafat,
      hero
      to
      Palestinians
      is
      a
      terror-
     
     
      ist
      to
      most
      Israelis.
      Rigoberta
      Manchu,
      heroine
      to
     
     
      Guatemala’s
      Natives,
      is
      deemed
      by
      the
      non-Native
     
     
      rulers
      of
      that
      country
      as
      a
      subversive
      threat
      to
      the
     
     
      nation’s
      stability.
      The
      list
      could
      go
      onand
      on,
      but
     
     
      back
      to
      Columbus.
      For
      the
      Indigenous
      peoples
      of
     
     
      Latin
      America,
      Columbus’
      so
      called
      discoveries
      of
     
     
      their
      ancient
      civilizations
      represents
      the
      precursor
      to
     
     
      their
      loss
      of
      political
      and
      economic
      independence
      and
     
     
      mass
      death.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      According
      to
      Jim
      Handy,
      professor
      of
      Latin
      American
     
     
      history,
      ‘‘Columbus’
      discovery
      of
      America
      initiated
     
     
      the
      greatest
      killing
      in
      the
      history
      of
      the
      world,
      the
     
     
      greatest
      death
      in
      the
      history
      of
      the
      world.
      For
      over
     
     
      one
      hundred
      years,
      Natives
      dies
      at
      rates
      unparalleled
     
     
      at
      any
      other
      time
      in
      history
      or
      any
      other
      place
      in
     
     
      history.’’
     
    
   
   
    
     
      In
      the
      early
      1800’s,
      independence
      from
      Spain
      for
     
     
      much
      of
      Latin
      America
      did
      not
      enhance
      the
      position
     
     
      of
      the
      indigenous
      population.
      the
      descendants
      of
      the
     
     
      original
      conquistdores
      inherited
      and
      maintained
      sys-
     
     
      tems
      of
      control,
      enriching
      their
      small
      elite
      at
      the
     
     
      expense
      of
      the
      masses.
      Where
      indigenous
      populations
     
     
      have
      survived,
      as
      in
      Guatemala,
      the
      oppression
      con-
     
     
      tinues.
     
    

    
     
      Continue
      on
      page
      14
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      PooR
      GEORGE...
      HE
      THOUGHT
     
     
      THE
      SI6N
      WAS
      FoR
      SoME-
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      H.
      CHAPP
      EY,
      E
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      ovember
      14,
      199]
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Page
      11