Demonization of Indigenous Cultures through Language
Anika Radadiya

With the arrival of the Spanish in the 15^th and 16^th century, there was a language barrier that made communication between the colonizers and the indigenous people difficult. While the easy and obvious solution may be to find a way to learn each other’s language, the Spaniards used this to their ability to continue the colonization process. This essay deals with the representation of indigenous cultures during the colonization of Spain in Latin America and the representation of natives as savages and demons. Using the work of De Bry, it can be seen how the Indians were depicted as barbaric human beings who were cannibalistic and cruel to their enemies, as well as their own tribal members, even though this was a false anti-indigenous message. Another method of colonization was the promotion of indigenous languages and their replacement by Spanish as the main language. While this process occurred, there is still an influence of indigenous languages on modern day Spanish.

Throughout the process of colonization, there is always the prevalent conversation of language communication. How did they communicate with one another? Was Spanish always the main language? In order to fully answer these questions, it is important to analyze the indigenous languages of Latin America. During the period of colonization, the Spaniards introduced the idea of an imperial language. They manifested the idea that Spanish was the only proper language, however they used the method of religion to accomplish this goal. With the Jesuits introducing religion to the indigenous people, many groups believed their ideology. The Spaniards used this to their advantage by demonizing the languages of the indigenous people. They created a mindset that the use of this language was demonic and only used by the evil people, hence resulting in their indigenous languages as a sin. This was done by creating a fear in the Jesuits to further the mindset that Europeans were better than the Latin Americans: “Un primer impulso movería pues a «demonizar» los idiomas indígenas, tal como se hacía con otros aspectos de su cultura, en una reacción que indica el temor de los misioneros ante lo desconocido, hacia todo lo que estaba fuera del orden cultural europeo.” (“A first impulse would therefore move to 'demonize' indigenous languages, as was done with other aspects of their culture, in a reaction that indicates the missionaries' fear of the unknown, towards everything that was outside the European cultural order.”) (Vivar 149). Through this use of cultural manipulation, Europeans were taught to believe of these indigenous people as barbaric and demon-like, hence the beginning of the spread of anti-indigenous propaganda.

One of the ways that the Europeans were able to spread this false information was the introduction of the printing press. The ability to print out Bibles and other religious texts, allowed the Spaniards to spread their message relatively quickly and through a universal language. In the beginning, the colonizers would need to communicate through a somewhat universal verbal language. An example of this is the Tupinambá or Tupí language used on the Brazilian coast. This language was used by the colonizers with groups of indigenous people as slaves (Durston). Once they were able to identify key words and phrases, they could print off religious teachings that demonized their culture in their own language. While this was the way they spread this information in Latin America, there was also anti-indigenous propaganda being spread in Europe.

The beginning of these depictions was brought out by drawings. Thomas De Bry created woodcuts, carving into wood for stamping, based off of voyages to other continents from America. Although he never traveled himself, he used the documentation of others to create woodcuts in his Collected travels in the East Indies and West Indies (1590–1634). The first woodcut is depicted in Figure 1. This wood engraving shows the arrival of the Spanish in the land of the natives. The big picture is that the Spaniards are bringing jewelry and other precious items to the land. On the left-hand side, there are men digging a religious cross into the sand. This is a symbol of them bringing religion to the continent and beginning the spread of Catholicism. On the bottom right-hand side, there are indigenous people that do not have much, if any, clothes on emphasizing their barbaric manner. It is not known for certain if they looked like this or not, but this was an emphasized view on behalf of DeBry. These men are drawn in such a manner as if they are worshipping the colonizers. A visual, like this woodcut, would spread the belief that the indigenous people are not aware of what clothes are. It also seems like the Spaniards are kind and respectful because they are giving the indigenous people their precious belongings.

Another woodcut is the one depicted here in Figure 2. In this woodcut, indigenous people are seen pouring gold into the mouth of the Spanish. They are also seen ripping off the arms and legs of the Spaniards and drowning them or setting them on fire. While this could be something that occurred as a response to the Spaniards invading their land, there is a higher probability that this is an emphasized false propaganda. After many years of research, the opposite was found that the Spaniards fed the natives to dogs and drowned them in the ocean. Near the center back of this woodcut, a native is seen to be eating the hand of a Spaniard. This aspect of cannibalism is seen as a satanic practice, hence demonizing the indigenous people and their culture. In the very front and bottom of the woodcut, there is an indigenous person pouring gold into the mouth of the colonizer. This is an example of a false depiction because the indigenous people never had access to these resources and there were no real records of this happening. Portraying the indigenous people punishing the colonizers in this manner was another demonic practice. It was taught that the devil would punish those for their sins, and this was the Europeans way of showing the “indigenous demons” punishing the innocent colonizers. However, this demonization did not last too long because the indigenous people began to fight back and create their cultural identity.

While Spanish eventually became the overarching language, as we see in modern day Latin American, there were many efforts to build a nation apart from the colonization. During pre-colonization times, there were a great variety of indigenous languages ​​concentrated in a small area of ​​Peru. Although none of them were the same, they eventually spread from north to south and traveled into parts of Chile. After the colonizers arrived, the natives tried their best to adapt their languages ​​so that they could communicate properly. While the natives were forced to adapt to Spanish, they communicated with other tribes in native languages ​​to continue the use of their culture. This is also seen in Guaraní with the writings. In Paraguay, they would write their documents in Spanish when they needed to communicate with the colonizers, but they had documents in both languages. This was seen as an effort against the colonization movement because they were told to only speak in Spanish as a tactic by the Spaniards for colonization. By continuing the use of their indigenous language, the Guaraní preserve their culture and as a matter of fact this is still seen today: “Los textos guaraníes coloniales de naturaleza política y administrativa —en especial cartas y peticiones— solo han atraído la atención últimamente, quizá porque datan de periodos posteriores.” (“Colonial Guarani texts of a political and administrative nature — especially letters and petitions — have only recently attracted attention, perhaps because they date from later periods.”) (Durston 455). Although it is no longer used in official government documentation, it is taught in schools and is spoken by one-tenth of the population. Indigenous languages ​​were the ones that experienced the most growth through writing. In Mexico, the emergence of writing in Zapotec opened up better political, educational, and employment opportunities. The era of colonization created a stronger sense of national identity and nation building rather than tearing it down. As a result of seeing their authority being overtaken and the power abused, these indigenous groups felt the need to avenge their culture by holding a more powerful role in their communities.

The progression of these cultures over the years is admirable. After having their homeland invaded, the indigenous people battled with the thought their language was used by the demon and it was a sin to use it. While this is not true at all, the indigenous people believed the colonizers thinking they were correct. Through the use of anti-indigenous propaganda in Latin America in the form of religious texts and woodcuts in Europe, the Spaniards were able to convince large populations that being indigenous was demonic. Thomas De Bry used this to his advantage and created woodcuts that depicted cannibalism and other barbaric practices to emphasize the European ideology. While all of this occurred, the indigenous people still avenged their culture by teaching it in modern day schools and using it through some small governments.

The question that still remains, however, is: did the indigenous people fully avenge their loss of rights? Although they have not reached a point of independence, they are still fighting for their rights in modern day Latin America. In places like Ecuador and Venezuela, there are sit-ins and protests to regain their loss (Ruge). The indigenous people are still seen as a group that is unable to handle themselves or their culture without the need of a superior. Facing this reality is a hard and unimaginable task that descendants of the native people do every day to continue their fight for their identity. However, their language is not forever demonized. In modern day Spanish, many of the words to describe flora and fauna are that of indigenous languages. Since these plants were native to the land and not similar to those seen in Europe, the Spaniards decided to label it the same way the natives did. Although the indigenous people are still seeing the effects of colonization today, through their strong morals to avenge their ancestors, they are gaining more rights and positions to continue spreading their culture and knowledge.