Author Description

Wild Majesty presents an anthology of writings about the Amerindian inhabitants of the Caribbean, from such diverse sources as the first reports of Columbus, French missionary tracts, the diaries of English colonial administrators, and modern ethnographers, travel writers, and film makers. This written and visual material has been carefully selected to illustrate the development of non-Amerindian knowledge of and attitudes toward the society and culture of the so-called "Island Caribs", who once dominated the whole of the Lesser Antilles and continue to act today as a potent symbol of resistance to, and independence from, the modern nation-state. The volume breaks new ground in the anthropological use of literary and historical sources, as well as providing new translations of better-known texts, and original translations of rare printed works and previously unpublished documents from the European archives. This fascinating collection is essential for students of history, cultural studies, and anthropology, and all general readers interested in Columbia, the Caribbean, or exploration.