“The Indians on board said that thence to Cuba was a voyage in their canoes of a day and a half; these being small dug-outs without a sail. Such are their canoes. I departed thence for Cuba, for by the signs the Indians made of its greatness, and of its gold and pearls, I thought that it must be Cipango.”
- August 25th to October 31st, 1451 – May 20th, 1506
- Born in the Republic of Genoa (now Italy)
- Explorer and navigator
- He reached the Americas on his voyage in 1492 and is known as the discoverer of the “New World.”
Quote
“The Indians on board said that thence to Cuba was a voyage in their canoes of a day and a half; these being small dug-outs without a sail. Such are their canoes. I departed thence for Cuba, for by the signs the Indians made of its greatness, and of its gold and pearls, I thought that it must be Cipango.”
Explanation
In this quote, Christopher Columbus recounts a conversation with the indigenous people on board his ship, who inform him that the distance to Cuba could be covered in their canoes in about a day and a half. The mention of their “small dug-outs without a sail” provides insight into the nautical technology of the indigenous people, emphasizing their ingenuity in crafting boats from available materials. These canoes, though rudimentary by European standards, were highly functional for the type of coastal navigation they needed. Columbus’s notation of the “small dug-outs without a sail” highlights a contrast between the relatively simple, but effective, indigenous technology and the more advanced European ships with sails and better navigational tools.
Columbus’s decision to sail towards Cuba was influenced by the signs and stories from the indigenous people about the island’s greatness, as well as its supposed wealth in gold and pearls. Based on these accounts, Columbus mistakenly believed that Cuba might be the island of Cipango (modern-day Japan), which he had heard about in European accounts but had never reached. The reference to Cipango demonstrates how Columbus’s perception of the world was shaped by misinformation and fantasy; he was searching for the riches of Asia, but he failed to realize that he had arrived in an entirely new world. This misunderstanding would continue throughout Columbus’s voyages, as he consistently misidentified the lands he encountered.
In modern terms, this quote reflects the theme of misinterpretation and the ways in which explorers often projected their own desires or preconceived notions onto the places they discovered. Columbus’s assumption that Cuba could be Cipango illustrates the cognitive biases and misconceptions that can shape exploration and discovery. His determination to find gold and riches blinded him to the complexity of the new lands he was encountering. Today, this kind of ethnocentric thinking—where the unfamiliar is interpreted through one’s own limited worldview—is still a subject of study in both historical and contemporary contexts. The quote serves as a reminder of the dangers of projecting one’s own expectations onto a new and unfamiliar reality, especially when those expectations are driven by greed or conquest.
