Disease, disease introduced,
they died, because they were not immune,
to such unknown illnesses.
They decreased in great numbers as small pox
and chicken pox wiped out their population drastically.
They went along with the bandwagon and allow the
newcomers into the villages.
“the gods sent them.”
The production of their crops altered.
The newcomers brought cattle, horses, sheep, goats which trampled their field.
They also lose their land and sovereignty.
The women exploited by the newcomers as their means of pleasure.
Infanticide came: mothers killing their tiny one,
Seeing that their child would make it to the after life.
Unfortunately families were broken due to the absence of a male figure,
moved from place to place by the Spaniards looking for gold.
They did not see their family.
They had to conform to the newcomers way of life,
religious practise change due to the force conversion to Christianity.
~.~
Poem by my Little Sister
She wanted me to share her poem on my blog. She said it is about the Spaniards interaction with the New World, how the life of the people they met [Kalingos and Tainos] changed because of the new customs introduced by the Spaniards in the islands. I read this poem as a Ballad for people [who discovered the island of the West indies], affected by the disease, religion and lifestyle of the Old World.
Yelhispressing 