Bay of Arrows

Golfo de Las Flechas or Bay of Arrows refers to a bay on the northeastern side of the island of Hispaniola in the present day Dominican Republic where there was a small skirmish between Christopher Columbus’ crew and the Cigüayos that lived there during Columbus' first voyage. It lies around 69 degrees west and 19 degrees north. The Bay of Arrows underwent a name change after being discovered by Christopher Columbus in January 1493. There is a current debate surrounding its location where some argue it is the present-day Samaná Bay while others claim it is the present-day Bay of Rincón.

On his first voyage, Christopher Columbus had mostly amicable encounters with the Taínos, one of the indigenous people of the Caribbean islands. He sailed along the islands' coast, entering into capes and harbors to look at the scenery, hoping to find cities and large groups of population to trade with. Ultimately, what he expected was to reach the outer limits of the Chinese empire. Because he never found what he was looking for, he rarely went onto the land, but rather stayed on board his ship Santa María. He saw several fires and canoes that showed Indians lived nearby, but they would all run and hide whenever Columbus’ ship came close. He continued traveling south along the coast, naming the different harbors and capes and trying to find Indians that would trade with him. On a few occasions Columbus did send men to explore the land. He even ventured onto the shore a couple times himself to see what the villages looked like. On these few occasions, Columbus did meet with some of the natives and, after their fear of the Spaniards subsided, they traded with the sailors. Columbus also inquired about the surrounding area and islands. Columbus described in his log the land as being exceedingly beautiful with lush forests and deep waters. He painted a picture of the natives as both a strong and meek people. They all walked around naked without any shame and ranged from dark tan to white in color. Columbus described each group he met as being the handsomest he has found.

The Bay of Arrows is the inlet in the Samaná Peninsula where in his first voyage to the Americas the admiral had the last of these encounters with the natives, which differently from the previous ones, turned sour. According to Columbus's log, he anchored next to an islet in a bay near Isla Española on January 13, 1493, and immediately sent men to shore to meet with the natives, who happened to be the Cigüayos. Columbus's men went ashore and after some trading convinced one of the men to accompany them back to the ship to talk to Columbus. Upon meeting the Cigüayo, Columbus came to the conclusion the man was one of the Caribs. According to what Columbus had been able to decipher from conversations with other indigenous people, the Taínos greatly feared the Caribs because of their warlike and cannibalistic practices. Columbus and the Cigüayo talked about the surrounding region, and the native told him about the all-female island of Matinino as well as many surrounding islands known for their sources of gold. Columbus also offered him with food and gifts, including cloth and glass beads. Columbus then had seven of his men return to the island to bring back the native leader and trade more with the island's inhabitants. Upon arrival, it was noticed that "upwards of fifty savages armed with bows and arrows, war-clubs, and javelins" were waiting in the tree line . There was no immediate skirmish however, and trading began smoothly between the islanders and the Europeans. Columbus's men were interested in trading for bows and arrows to bring back to Spain as artifacts of the New World, and possibly to disarm them in case a clash would occur. The atmosphere was obviously tense. The Spaniards were tired and anxious to go home, but more importantly, worried about indigenous people with arrows. The Cigüayos were also apprehensive of these visitors, and on the defensive.

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