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HISTORY
Deep Look: Tortuga Island and the Birth of St. Domingue ResourcesHaiti National Holidays - Main Events Past ArticlesDeep Look Series Other Articles Jean-Jacques Dessalines: 1758-1806 - Hero or tyrant? Part 1 Song Fiere Haiti by E. Tardieu
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Deep Look: The Buccaneers The
Coming of the Buccaneers. 1630-1641 The Spaniards had abandoned north and western part of the island by the end of the first quarter of the seventeenth century. Although thousands of Spaniards still lived in and around Santo Domingo in the sought, those parts of the island were nearly deserted. In those areas, there were ruined plantations.. These regions were quickly invaded by dense tropical forests and thickets sunk back to their primeval desolation. The only closely settled regions in the island lay in the plains of the south east behind the city of Santo Domingo. There were a few scattered cattle ranches stretching back to the northern woods and these afforded a link with the illicit Dutch traders who frequented various harbors on the coast. Corsairs often visited those ports for the purpose of watering, victualling and refitting their ships. Many stragglers from their crews remained behind and were joined by refugees from wrecked vessels by fugitive black slaves, cimarones or maroons who had escaped the Spanish settlements. Men who had been marooned as a punishment also joined them; these men were thrust ashore from the ships to fend for themselves on the desolate coast among the maroons. The buccaneers are so called from the word boucan, which is a sort of wooden grid iron made of several sticks placed upon four forks upon which the buccaneers broiled their hogs. They fed themselves without eating any bread. At first, they were an unorganized horde from all countries made expert and active by the necessity of their exercise which was to go in chase of cattle to obtain their hides and from their incessant chase by the Spaniards. Since they would never tolerate any chiefs they passed for undisciplined men. Most of them took refuge in the islands and were reduced to this condition to avoid the punishments due for the crimes, which they had committed in Europe. Most of them were homeless and possessed only the products of their hunts. They slept precariously under sheds covered with leaves to keep off the rain and to store the skin of the beasts they had killed. There they waited for some vessels to pass and exchange with wine, brandy, and line arms with them. Their attire consisted of a pair of drawers and a shirt at the most, shod with the skin of a hog's leg fastened on the top and behind the foot with strips of the same skin. It was girded around the middle of their body with a sack serving them to sleep in as a defense against the innumerable insects, which bit and sucked the blood of uncovered body parts. In the decade between 1620 and 1630 the buccaneers mostly frequented the harbors on Espanola's coast. The Dutch settled near Cape San Nicolas where there were salt-pans; the French were at La Gonave to the west of the island and the English at Samana in the east. All three nations particularly visited the harbor of Tortuga, an island close to the north coast of Espanola. A year before 1630 the hunters had established something of a rough place of settlement on Tortuga where there grew up a systematic victualling trade between them and the rovers. Early in 1631 the Spaniards from Santo Domingo raided this new nest of robbers and drove them out leaving a small garrison of twenty-five soldiers to prevent their return. The island was the scene of disorder and excess of every kind and in 1633 the Audiencia of Santo Domingo resolved that the desperadoes must be cleared out once more and a ruthless lesson taught to any who were tempted to follow their pernicious example. But it was not until 1635 when the dissension between the English and French in Tortuga became so acute as to lead to constant fights that the Spaniards took advantage of the situation to descend upon the settlement in force. It fell into their hands with hardly a show of resistance for the English governor fled at once on board a ship that happened to be in the harbor and left the colonists to their fate. A few of them managed to make their escape in the Espanola forests but nearly 600 men women and children fell into the Spaniards hands and they met small mercy. The women were carried off into what was little better than perpetual slavery while most of the men were massacred. Buccaneers and the birth of piracy The
Caribbean islands were one of the most important yet also one of the
weakest Spanish possessions. Stretching from the Florida Keys to the
Venezuelan coast, these islands extend for two thousands miles east
and west across the Caribbean. In the Greater Antilles, slaves carved
plantations out of the forests and looked after cattle and hogs brought
from Europe. These colonies prospered until the 1520's when many settlers
left for the gold rich territories of Mexico and Peru. The populations
of the islands tumbled. Most of the smaller islands, or "Lesser Antilles"
were deserted or never settled in the first place. Foreigners, Englishmen,
Frenchmen, Dutchmen needed no invitation to take what the Spaniards
couldn't or wouldn't use. Beginning in the early 1600's small groups
of adventurers settled on St. Christopher (St. Kitts) Nevis, Barbados,
Antigua, and Montserrat. These islands seemed like Paradise to men
used to the gray, weeping skies of northern Europe. Their offshore
waters teemed with bass, tuna and red snapper. A regular trade developed
between these trespassers and Europe. Ships brought new men and supplies
returning with cargoes of sugar, rum and indigo a valuable blue dye.
It was from these islands and these ships that buccaneers were recruited
to man the ships that would terrorize the Atlantic.
It all began innocently enough. Homeward bound English, French and Dutch vessels from North America would put in along the northern coast of Espanola for last minute repairs before braving the Atlantic. The ship's crews found it easy to kill a few animals for fresh meat. They preserved the meat in a method inherited from the Indians. The animal was skinned and the best cuts of meats were slice into long and narrow strips which were laid over a grill and a fire started in a bundle of green wood. The wood's dampness prevented the fire from becoming too hot and drying the meat too quickly. Waste fats, skin and bone were slowly added to the fire, creating clouds of thick smoke. This method created an especially tasty piece of meat, red like corned beef that could keep for weeks. The Indians called the meat bukan. The hunters, most of whom were French, called themselves "boucaniers" or buccaneers in English. The buccaneers numbers grew along with their reputation. They came from many walks of life but all had certain things in common. None was rich, powerful nor of noble birth. Most were from France, but there were some british and dutch nationals among them also. One found in their ranks unemployed laborers and refugees from religious persecution. Many were criminals on the run. No one looked twice at a cow killer with a big T for Thief branded under his left eye close to the nose. Others were wanderers seeking their fortune anywhere in any way. Tortuga became a magnet drawing adventurers from the Caribbean islands and beyond. The buccaneers governed themselves by a strict set of rules called The Custom of the Coast. Although these rules were not set down in law books, the brethren knew them as well as they knew their own names. According to the custom articles were drawn up before a voyage for everyone to sign with his name or mark an X or other design if he couldn't write. These articles were really a constitution spelling everyone's role, responsibilities and rewards. They chose the captain for his sailing skill, fighting ability and luck. His word was law during battle, obeyed instantly and without question. However, when the ship was not in action he was like anyone else on board. He had no silver plates or music for him at mealtimes nor did he give orders. It was better to save his breath since no one would listen to him anyhow. The crew decided through discussion and voting how to run the ship. The captain did as his men wished or was dismissed. Tortuga Island became famous as the birthplace of piracy in the Caribbean. Before long, those fearless adventurers achieved wordlwide fame. They terrorized the New World with their extraordinary feats. Among them we shall note Peter the Great originally of Dieppe, France. One of his greatest feats was to take over the galleon of a Spanish Vice-Admiral although he had only a sloop armed with 4 cannons and a crew of 28 men. Other buccaneers of Tortuga who achieved notoriety include Nau the Olonese, an especially cruel pirate captian, and Mombars from a region of France called Languedoc. The establishment at Tortuga will soon attract the support of the French government. Not that the French Crown supported piracy, however Louis XIV was intent on protecting any of his subjects against the Spanish. As French influence became stronger, mosty of the british pirates would abandon Tortuga as a a base and establish themselves on Jamaica. From there they continued to wreak havoc on the high seas and even became organized enough to seize cities. Most responsible for the pirates change of tactic would be one Morgan from Wales better known as Captain Morgan. Tortuga on the other hand will know quieter times. Over the later part of the 17th century, the french foothoold on that island would be transformed into the colony of Saint Domingue.
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