(06-28-2026, 04:59 PM)Byrd Wrote: It makes great speculative history fiction material. But it's fiction, not reality. Native Americans did have slaves, but they were used for grunt work, and by European standards they were very poor. After the arrival of Columbus, the Native Americans were the ones being enslaved rather than the ones who were buying slaves.
Consider viewing this video on DeSoto:
De Soto Invades the Mound Builders (1540)
While catastrophes, wars, and epidemics do wreck societies, can it be the southeastern natives had been more organized before DeSoto because the Ottomans or their Barbary vassals had brought them administrative slaves? They did say one of the chiefs was unusually tall, like some northern Europeans and royalty. They need not have looked just like Europeans because they could be the offspring of a native and a Barbary captive. Can it be one of the Spanish goals was to determine whether the Ottomans had been looking for alliances or manpower by getting the natives addicted to old world slaves?
Can it be that if they found such slaves, either in charge or having to advise the ones in charge, the Spanish would have blocked any further trafficking from the Barbary states?
Just to be crystal clear, I am not referring to slaves who brought in the corn or tanned the leather but to slaves who provided administration such as they are said to have used in the Ottoman Empire.
Once again I want to remind about Chief Selocta Chinnabbee, whose first name is identical to the Slavic word for nobility, and the resemblance of Sequoyah to TV financier Kevin O'Leary, while conceding that their bloodlines could have joined the Muscogee and Cherokee long after Columbus or DeSoto.
It is also not completely impossible that the natives themselves had discovered the Americas, perhaps even preserved verbal traditions of Leif Errickson or other contacts, and conducted slave raids themselves.
From a Bing Copilot search:
Ocean-Going Craft of Eastern American Natives Before Columbus
Yes — Native peoples of Eastern North America had well-developed oceangoing and riverine craft long before Columbus arrived in 1492. These vessels were essential for travel, trade, fishing, and warfare, and were adapted to the region’s coastal, estuarine, and riverine environments.
Types of vessels
- Dugout canoes: Many Eastern Woodland peoples, including the Taino (Caribbean) and related coastal groups, used dugouts — boats hollowed from a single tree trunk — for both river and coastal travel
Lightweight cedar canoes: By the 1500s, Northeastern Native groups built canoes with cedar frames covered in birch or elm bark, making them strong yet maneuverable in shallow waters
- Bark canoes: In some regions, bark-covered frames were used for open-sea travel, especially in areas with abundant birch trees.
- Kayaks and umiaks: In the Arctic and subarctic parts of Eastern America, the Inuit and other groups used kayaks (hollowed-out body floats) and umiaks (open boats from walrus skins stretched over driftwood) for whale hunting and coastal travel
Capacity and use
- Canoes could carry 40–60 people plus supplies, making them suitable for long-distance travel
They were used for fishing, hunting, trade, and intertribal travel, and some were decorated for ceremonial or war use
- Coastal and riverine canoes were often painted and adorned with feathers or other symbols, reflecting cultural and spiritual significance
- Evidence and continuity
- Columbus himself noted the navigational skills of Native peoples, indicating they were experienced in open-sea travel
The English word canoe comes from the Taino kenu, meaning “boat carved out of a tree,” showing the deep cultural roots of these vessels.
- Modern canoe designs have changed little from their original Native American forms, underscoring their effectiveness and adaptability
- Conclusion
- Eastern American natives had functional, well-designed ocean- and river-going craft long before European contact. These vessels were not only practical but also culturally significant, enabling sustained interaction with the maritime environment and contributing to the rich maritime traditions of Native peoples.
