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Christopher Columbus & The Indians of God!

It has often been claimed that Christopher Columbus did not refer to the Indigenous people of the Americas as "Indians" because he thought he landed in India, but because he thought that they were "gente in Dios." or "people in God." But is this actually true? and what is the source of this controversial claim?

Your hosts:

Kurly Tlapoyawa is an  archaeologist, ethnohistorian, and filmmaker. His  research covers  Mesoamerica, the American Southwest, and the  historical connections  between the two regions. He is the author of  numerous books and has  presented lectures at the University of New  Mexico, Harvard University,  Yale University, San Diego State  University, and numerous others. He  most recently released his  documentary short film "Guardians of the  Purple Kingdom," and is a  cultural consultant for Nickelodeon Animation  Studios.
@kurlytlapoyawa

Ruben  Arellano Tlakatekatl is a  scholar, activist, and professor of history.  His research explores  Chicana/Chicano indigeneity, Mexican indigenist  nationalism, and  Coahuiltecan identity resurgence. Other areas of  research include Aztlan  (US Southwest), Anawak (Mesoamerica), and  Native North America. He has  presented and published widely on these  topics and has taught courses at  various institutions. He currently  teaches history at Dallas College –  Mountain View Campus. 

Cited in this podcast:

“I Am Not a Leader”: Russell Means’ 1980 Mother Jones Cover Story

Christopher Columbus, The Journal of Christopher Columbus (during His First Voyage, 1492-93) and Documents Relating the Voyages of John Cabot and Gaspar Corte Real, trans. Clements R. Markham, Cambridge Library Collection (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2010).

David Wilton, Word Myths: Debunking Linguistic Urban Legends (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2008).

George Carlin, Brain Droppings (New York: Hyperion, 1997).

Peter Matthiessen, “Native Earth,” Parabola: Myth & Quest for Meaning, Vol. 6, no. 1 (Spring 1981).

Peter Matthiessen, Indian Country (New York: Viking Press, 1984). 

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Book: The Four Disagreements: Letting Go of Magical Thinking (Amazon)