Raiders and Natives - by Arne Bialuschewski (Paperback)

About the Book

"Raiders and Natives illuminates the relationships among-and conflicts between-European buccaneers and various Indigenous peoples in Central America during the seventeenth century. Like many of the Natives they encountered on their frequent inland excursions, most of these buccaneers-chiefly those flying under English, French, and Dutch flags-also viewed the Spanish and their colonial regime as an enemy. While this sort of geopolitical situation led to martial alliances, it also resulted in a variety of cross-cultural exchange that altered sociopolitical organization, material culture, subsistence economies, and military strategies for all involved. Building on what one reviewer has called "immense archival research," Bialuschewski's study untangles the wide variety of forms this cross-cultural exchange took. Although a "mutually beneficial long-term alliance" emerged between buccaneers and Natives on the Miskito Coast in Nicaragua-and succeeded in holding off Spanish colonization until the nineteenth-century-elsewhere cultural exchange took the form of abduction, enslavement, and sexual assault. By placing these encounters at the center of Raiders and Natives, Bialuschewski changes our understanding of the early modern Atlantic World and the cross-cultural relations that shaped it"--

Book Synopsis

Throughout the seventeenth century Dutch, French, and English freebooters launched numerous assaults on Spanish targets all over Central America. Many people have heard of Henry Morgan and François L'Olonnais, who led a series of successful raids, but few know that the famous buccaneers often operated in regions inhabited and controlled by Native Americans rather than Spaniards.

Arne Bialuschewski explores the cross-cultural relations that emerged when greedy marauders encountered local populations in various parts of the Spanish empire. Natives, as it turned out, played a crucial role in the outcome of many of those raids. Depending on their own needs and assessment of the situation, indigenous people sometimes chose to support the colonial authorities and sometimes aided the intruders instead. Freebooters used native guides, relied on expertise and supplies obtained from local communities, and captured and enslaved many natives they encountered on their way. This book tells the fascinating story of how indigenous groups or individuals participated in the often-romanticized history of buccaneering.

Building on extensive archival research, Bialuschewski untangles the wide variety of forms that cross-cultural relations took. By placing these encounters at the center of Raiders and Natives, the author changes our understanding of the early modern Atlantic World and the role that native populations played in the international conflicts of the seventeenth century.

Review Quotes

Raiders and Natives is a significant and much needed addition to the historiography of maritime predation and Atlantic empires. Bialuschewski's extensive research into Spanish colonial records alongside his careful examination of various transatlantic collections offers substantial insights beyond the current historiography while firmly situating Indigenous participation and experiences within this history.--David Wilson "New West Indian Guide"

There would have been no age of buccaneers were it not for the many hundreds if not thousands of Indigenous people who lent them a hand. Arne Bialuschewski has produced a deeply researched and thought-provoking monument to this forgotten fact.--Kris Lane "Hispanic American Historical Review"

There is no previous study that tackles this topic to this extent, neither in terms of depth of research and length of study, nor geographical scope. The larger topic of piracy is plagued by romanticizing mythology, making Raiders and Natives an important book for its potentially corrective impact on a broad audience.--Matthew Restall "author of When Montezuma Met Cortés: The True Story of the Meeting That Changed History"

About the Author

ARNE BIALUSCHEWSKI teaches in the history department at Trent University in Canada. He is the author of Piratenleben and coauthor of Piracy in the Early Modern Era.