Although our attention at the blog has shifted to other topics of concern, we could not resist sharing some brief sources on "Indiens" in colonial Saint-Domingue. In this case, all appear in the late 1690s or early 1700s in Leogane, in baptism and marriage registries. ANOM has digitized registries from various parishes, but these stood out to us in our past "research" on the topic of "Amerindians" in Saint-Domingue. We hope these brief entries contribute to our previous longer article on the subject.
We shall begin with Grégoire Louis, an "Indien" who married a widow, Marie Antoine, in 1696. Both spouses were "Indien" but the origin was only specified for Grégoire Louis. St. Marthe could be a reference to Santa Marta on the Colombian coast in South America. If so, Grégoire Louis may have been an enslaved captive taken during French raids on the Spanish mainland colonies. Unfortunately, this short marriage record does not include information on Grégoire Louis's occupation or possible connections in Leogane parish. One can speculate that he somehow acquired his freedom, and that some "Indien" people sought marriage partners in the same colonial ascriptive racial category.
Our next case, Louis Charles, baptized in 1705, is worth considering. Unfortunately, we are given no record of his origin or background. Despite the small chance he came from India, we shall include Louis Charles as an example of an "Amerindian" in Saint-Domingue. That he was baptized as an adult and specified as "free" tells us that Louis Charles may have been formerly enslaved beginning in his adulthood. Alternatively, he could have never been a slave. Moreover, his godparents included connected people, such as the wife of the governor, Charles Auger. His godfather's occupation as a ship captain might indicate that Louis Charles was a sailor or perhaps some other occupation that brought him into contact with connected individuals. Perhaps he was a free laborer on French ships?
Another Grégoire, but this time a mestif. Baptized in 1701, Grégoire was the child of a "white" and a "free Indian" named Michelle. Identified as a "fils naturel" in this document, we know that his parents were not married. However, his father recognized him as his child, named him after himself, and the race of his godparents was not included. Jeanne Loppez, however, might have been a native of Veracruz, Cartagena, or another Spanish colonial city in the Caribbean region. Perhaps Grégoire's mother also came to the colony from a Spanish possession. While one might think some stigma was attached to mixed-race persons of "Indian" and white origin, perhaps in Saint-Domingue during the early 1700s, "mestizos" escaped much of the discrimination associated with "mulattoes" (the indelible stain of African ancestry). Of course, the reality on the ground is always quite different from what is written on papers, legal codes, and constitutions...
Our last case will be that of another mestive of partial "Indian" origin. Like Grégoire, her father was white, but her mother, Léonarde, was a free Indian. She was their "natural" child, presumably born around 1692 or so. One wonders if her "Indian" mother may have been one of the women taken from French raids on the Yucatan or perhaps what is now Colombia? Or, perhaps, a woman from the Lesser Antilles or North American mainland brought to the island?
Sadly, most of the sources we have attempted to use to trace "Indiens" in Saint-Domingue were not specific with their origins. Unless specifying Carib or, in the case of Asian Indians, a part of the subcontinent, one must find other ways for trying to trace the birthplace of "Amerindians" in the colony. Clearly, they were present. And the vast majority were from other parts of the Americas, ruling out any continuity from the indigenous peoples of Hispaniola (except for the Spanish part of the island). We here are wondering exactly how many Natchez, Fox, Pawnee, Caribs, and other "Indians" reached Saint Domingue?
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