Most of you are probably aware of the year 1492. The year Columbus
sailed the ocean blue on the Nina, Pinta and Santa Maria. The voyage
when Columbus "discovered" America.
You may not have heard the
story from the Native American point of view. This morning I read
"Encounter" by, Jane Yolen to the class - a piece of historical fiction
that tells the Columbus story from the voice of a young Taino (Native
American) boy. From that point of view, Columbus came to the Americas
and "discovered" a land that had been inhabited for thousands of years.
He claimed that inhabited land for Spain.
After reading the story, third graders were very thoughtful. They said, "You can't discover something that
already belonged to someone else!" This in fact is true. Columbus did
not truly "discover" America. From another point of view however,
Columbus did introduce the New World to Europeans. Certainly a kind of
discovery.
Talk to your child about Columbus. Talk about the
story that you learned originally and how your thoughts may have changed.
Talk about how stories change depending upon the point of view.
Happy Talking!
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