Majoros

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Majoreros occasionally, as well as the indigenous people of Lanzarote , called Majos , were the indigenous people of the island of Fuerteventura . The first human presence in the Canary Islands is for the 10th century BC. Proven. In the first century BC Until the third century AD there were close relations with Rome or with the areas of North Africa under Roman influence. These connections broke off completely in the course of the 4th century AD. Since that time the majoreros lived without contact with the other islands. In the next 1000 years or so they developed their own culture. After the subjugation of the indigenous people to the rule of the Crown of Castile in the 15th century, the majoreros were wiped out as an independent ethnic group through various measures by the new rulers .

First settlement of the island of Fuerteventura

Few researchers today dispute the origin of the prehistoric cultures of the archipelago from the Berbers or North Africans. The controversy has shifted to the time and reasons for the colonization of the islands. The "hipótesis mediterránea" (Mediterranean hypothesis) has been developed as a model for explaining the settlement of the Canary Islands since 1980 . It is based on the theory that the first protagonists of the colonization of the Canary Islands were Phoenician-Punic seafarers who brought groups of settlers from the "Círculo del Estrecho" to the islands. “Círculo del Estrecho” is the name given to the extensive geopolitical zone that extends over the extreme south of the Iberian Peninsula and the western part of the North African coast at the transition from the Atlantic Ocean to the Mediterranean. The settlement was not a one-off activity, but a continuous process that in the end extended to all islands. The origin of the settlers was probably not uniform. This is supported by the differences in the composition of the population found in ethnological and genetic comparisons of archaeological finds. The earliest evidence of the presence of settlements on the island of Fuerteventura, proven by radiocarbon methods, dates back to the 3rd century AD.

The remains of a purple workshop were found on the island of Lobos , about two kilometers north of Fuerteventura . This points to close economic ties between the Canary Islands and Roman or Roman-dominated areas of Africa during the 1st century BC. BC and the 1st century AD. The inclusion of the Canary Islands in the Mediterranean economic area ended in the 3rd century AD. Since the islanders had no nautical knowledge and no tools to build seagoing ships, the islands had no contact with Europe. Contact between the islands was also no longer possible. In the period up to around the 14th century, the Canary Islands were forgotten in Europe. On the individual islands, independent cultures developed on the basis of common ground, differing in language, artistic forms of expression, religion and social order.

Appearance

The few human remains found so far on the island of Fuerteventura do not allow any general, scientifically proven statements about the appearance and size of the majoreros. In the descriptions of visitors to the islands in the 14th and 15th centuries, they are described as strikingly large. This means that they were probably larger than the reporting French and Castilians. As with the indigenous people of the other islands, it can be assumed that the indigenous people of Fuerteventura also had lighter hair in individual cases. While the natives were mostly described as mostly naked in the first reports, the amount of clothing made of fur and leather increases with the time after the first contact with the Europeans.

language

The language of the majoreros differed so significantly from the languages ​​on the other islands that the native inhabitants of one island who were used as interpreters were not understood on another island. By the end of the 16th century at the latest, this language was no longer spoken. Individual words were preserved on Fuerteventura through place names and designations for endemic plants.

society

Division of the island of Fuerteventura into two domains and the Jandía peninsula

At the beginning of the 15th century, the island of Fuerteventura is said to have been separated into a northern and a southern area of ​​rulership ruled by independent rulers. The border probably ran from the Barranco de la Torre on the east side of the island to the Barranco de la Peña on the west side. The remains of a wall reported by Juan de Abreu Galindo in the 17th century have not yet been found. The significance of the archaeologically proven wall of Jandía , which separated the Jandía peninsula from the rest of the island, has not been fully clarified.

religion

About the religious ideas of the majoreros are in the chronicles of the 14th-16th centuries. Century few details can be found. Hardly any conclusions can be drawn from archaeological finds, which apparently represent astronomical markings. The significance of the Podomorfos (rock carvings in the form of feet) from Tindaya is not clear. A first report on two women who are said to have been important for the religious practice of the majoreros comes from the year 1588 by Leonardo Torriani . As priestesses, they made contact with the ancestors and the gods. They made prophecies and directed the ceremonies and rites. But they are also said to have administered the common funds of the indigenous people. They had a great reputation with the majoreros and used this to settle disputes.

Dwellings

The number of natural caves is fewer on Fuerteventura than on other islands. Those known to have been used as dwellings are not very large. Except for a small dry stone wall at the entrance, hardly any changes were made. There were also free-standing dry stone buildings erected in groups together. They had a circular or elliptical floor plan with a diameter of 1.5 to 2 m and a height of 60 cm to 1.5 m. The roofs consisted of several layers of stone that formed a cantilever dome.

Economy and nutrition

The basis of the economy was keeping goats and sheep. Not only were the milk, meat, and fat used, but also the skins, bones, horns, and tendons. The presence of different types of grinders and mortars indicate the processing of plant-based foods.

livestock farming

According to the assumptions in “ Le Canarien ” there were around 60,000 goats and sheep on the island at the time of the conquest. Some of the animals lived near the majoreros' homes. They gave the milk for direct daily use. Another part was herded on pastures. They provided the milk for making cheese and a large part of the meat, hides, etc. In addition, there was almost wildlife in areas with very little vegetation. These animals were usually caught and tagged or slaughtered once a year. Various indications confirm the presence of black wild boars that lived freely in the mountains of Jandía as well as others that were kept in stables.

agriculture

The pursuit of agriculture together with intensive animal husbandry appears incompatible as it requires a system of constant supervision. It is believed that the population knew agriculture, but renounced it because of extensive livestock farming. In the Chronicle of Le Canarien it is stated that the population ate only meat and milk. Part of the diet consisted of the fruits of the Canary Island date palm .

hunt

Except for a few birds or lizards, there was no game to be hunted on the island. However, it cannot be ruled out that there have been monk seals on the beaches of Fuerteventura at times .

fish and seafood

Remains found in many places show that the majoreros also collected mussels, crabs and other marine animals and practiced beach fishing, albeit modest.

Artifacts

Ceramics

The majoreos' ceramics show an extraordinary variety in terms of dimensions, shapes and decorative motifs. The first group of vessels had a capacity that z. T. was over 25 liters. These vessels were used to store food. They could be closed with a flat stone. A large part of these vessels was decorated in such a way that horizontal bands with fine incisions were only in the upper area, which could be seen when the vessel was half buried. The size of the vessels in the second group, which were intended for daily use, varied between 1 and 3 liters. They show the greatest variety of decorations. Few small vessels were found that only held a few milliliters up to a maximum of 0.1 liters.

stone

Since there are no usable metal ore deposits in the Canary Islands, the cutting tools of the majoreros were primarily made of flint . Some stone mills suggest that the indigenous people also ground grains or dried roots.

Petroglyphs

Petroglyphs have been found in various places on Fuerteventura . Although there is no reliable method of determining their age , it is now believed that they were created by the majoreros. In general, it is relatively difficult in Fuerteventura to separate the panels of the indigenous people from those of more recent dates, in all likelihood from the time immediately after the conquest.

The island of Fuerteventura is the focus of the places of discovery of Podomorfos in the Canary Islands, both in terms of the number of places of discovery and the number of respective representations. The site with the largest number of Podomorfos is in the Montaña de Tindaya in the area of ​​the city of La Oliva . There are more than 217 outlines of feet on 52 panels.

By 2014, eight rock art stations with rock inscriptions were found on the island of Fuerteventura . With them, the presence of two fonts, which are otherwise only found on Lanzarote, is of particular importance.

Destruction of culture

The culture that majoreros had created in the more than a thousand years of seclusion was first changed in the 14th century by the attacks of the Europeans, who took the indigenous people as slaves. The population withdrew from the areas near the beach. On his first visit to the island in 1402, Gadifer de La Salle and his people explored the island of Fuerteventura unsuccessfully for eight days without meeting residents or finding food. Only later could the French establish contact with the majoreros and, without major military conflicts, for which the number of Europeans was far too small, subjugate them and convert them to the Christian faith. The information in the two versions of the chronicle “Le Canarien” differs somewhat when describing the baptism of the “kings” of Fuerteventura. What is certain, however, is that in January 1405 at the latest, the main people on the island were baptized.

In dividing up the island's land under the new rule, the aborigines were taken into account. The population consisted of the majoreros in the middle of the 15th century. New settlers came, some of them from Normandy, but the majority from the Iberian Peninsula. The economy was no longer based on the self-sufficiency of the population through animal husbandry. In the beginning, the export of Orseille and some livestock products such as skins, fat, etc., came first. Soon an economy developed based on self-sufficiency with agricultural products, especially grain. After a while, more grain was produced than was consumed on the island. The situation was similar with animal husbandry, the surplus of which was exported to Castile. These economic changes coincided with major changes in the social structure of society. Castilian became common language. Old “pagan” ideas and customs of the Majos were replaced by Christian ones. In the middle of the 15th century, the masters of the islands began to catch slaves on the African mainland and also to bring them to the island of Fuerteventura. When, after conquering the islands of Gran Canaria, La Palma and Tenerife, a large number of the previous inhabitants of Fuerteventura preferred to move to these islands, the gap was replaced by this new population group of the Moors (Moriscos). Their baptized descendants were not expelled from the Canary Islands in 1609 as they were in the peninsula area. As local-born residents (naturales), they formed another element that influenced the culture of the island of Fuerteventura.

literature

  • Eduardo Aznar: Le Canarien: Retrato de dos mundos I. Textos . In: Eduardo Aznar, Dolores Corbella, Berta Pico, Antonio Tejera (eds.): Le Canarien: retrato de dos mundos (=  Fontes Rerum Canarium ). tape XLII . Instituto de Estudios Canarios, La Laguna 2006, ISBN 84-88366-58-2 (Spanish).
  • José Carlos Cabrera Pérez: La prehistoria de Fuerteventura un modelo insular de adaptación . Cabildo Insular de Fuerteventura, Las Palmas de Gran Canaria 1996, ISBN 84-8103-118-6 (Spanish).

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Pablo Peña Atoche: Excavaciones Arqueológicas en el sitio de Buenavista (Lanzarote) - Nuevos datos para el estudio de la Colonización protohistórica del archipiélago . In: Gerión . tape 29 , no. 1 , 2011, ISSN  0213-0181 , p. 79 (Spanish, [1] [accessed May 25, 2017]).
  2. ↑ Pablo Atoche Peña: Consideraciones en relación con la colonización protohistórica de las Islas Canarias . In: Anuario de estudios atlánticos . No. 59 , 2013, ISSN  0570-4065 , p. 527 ff . (Spanish, [2] [accessed May 17, 2017]).
  3. ↑ José Carlos Cabrera Pérez: La prehistoria de Fuerteventura un modelo insular de adaptación . Cabildo Insular de Fuerteventura, Las Palmas de Gran Canaria 1996, ISBN 84-8103-118-6 , p. 78 (Spanish).
  4. ^ Ilse Schwidetzky: Population biology of the Canary Islands . In: El museo canario . No. 41 , 1981, ISSN  0211-450X , p. 49 (English, [3] [accessed February 13, 2017]).
  5. ↑ Pablo Peña Atoche: Las Culturas Protohistóricas Canarias en el contexto del desarrollo cultural mediterráneo: propuesta de fasificación . In: Rafael González Antón, Fernando López Pardo, Victoria Peña (eds.): Los fenicios y el Atlántico IV Coloquio del CEFYP . Universidad Complutense, Centro de Estudios Fenicios y Púnicos, 2008, ISBN 978-84-612-8878-6 , pp. 323 (Spanish, [4] [accessed May 25, 2017]).
  6. ↑ Pablo Peña Atoche: Las Culturas Protohistóricas Canarias en el contexto del desarrollo cultural mediterráneo: propuesta de fasificación . In: Rafael González Antón, Fernando López Pardo, Victoria Peña (eds.): Los fenicios y el Atlántico IV Coloquio del CEFYP . Universidad Complutense, Centro de Estudios Fenicios y Púnicos, 2008, ISBN 978-84-612-8878-6 , pp. 329 (Spanish, [5] [accessed May 25, 2017]).
  7. ^ Ilse Schwidetzky: Population biology of the Canary Islands . In: El museo canario . No. 41 , 1981, ISSN  0211-450X , p. 48 (English, [6] [accessed February 13, 2017]).
  8. ↑ Javier Velasco Vázquez: Bioantropología y Arquelogía Funeraria . In: Armando del Toro García (ed.): Patrimonio histórico de Canarias, Lanzarote / Fuerteventura . tape 1 . Dirección General de Patrimonio Histórico, Viceconsejería de Cultura y Deportes, Consejería de Educación, Cultura y Deportes, Gobierno, Las Palmas 1998, ISBN 84-7947-213-8 , p. 249 (Spanish).
  9. ↑ Eduardo Aznar: Le Canarien: Retrato de dos mundos I. Textos . In: Eduardo Aznar, Dolores Corbella, Berta Pico, Antonio Tejera (eds.): Le Canarien: retrato de dos mundos (=  Fontes Rerum Canarium ). tape XLII . Instituto de Estudios Canarios, La Laguna 2006, ISBN 84-88366-58-2 , p. 134 (Spanish).
  10. ↑ Maximiano Trapero: Problemas de bilingüismo histórico en la toponimia de Canarias . In: Alegría Alonso González (ed.): Actas del III Congreso Internacional de Historia de la Lengua Española: Salamanca, 22-27 de noviembre de 1993 . 1996, ISBN 84-7635-182-8 , pp. 1110 (Spanish, [7] [PDF; accessed July 28, 2016]).
  11. ↑ Map after José Carlos Cabrera Pérez: La prehistoria de Fuerteventura un modelo insular de adaptación . Cabildo Insular de Fuerteventura, Las Palmas de Gran Canaria 1996, ISBN 84-8103-118-6 , p. 293 (Spanish).
  12. ↑ Juan de Abreu Galindo: Historia de la conquista de las siete islas de Gran Canaria . Escrita por el reverendo padre frai Juan de Abreu Galindo del Orden del Patriarca San Francisco, hijo de la provincia Andalucía. Ed .: Miguel Miranda. Imprenta, Lithografía y Libreria isleña, Santa Cruz de Tenerife 1848, p. 39 (Spanish, [8] [accessed on January 1, 2019] Original title: Historia de la conquista de las siete islas de Gran Canaria . 1632. Probably Gonzalo Argote de Molina wrote the text around 1590).
  13. ↑ María Antonia Perera Betancort: El Territorio en Fuerteventura. Cabras y paredes. (PDF) Cabildo de Lanzarote, 2008, accessed January 6, 2019 (Spanish).
  14. ^ José Carlos Cabrera Pérez: Religión . In: Armando del Toro García (ed.): Patrimonio histórico de Canarias, Lanzarote / Fuerteventura . tape 1 . Dirección General de Patrimonio Histórico, Viceconsejería de Cultura y Deportes, Consejería de Educación, Cultura y Deportes, Gobierno, Las Palmas 1998, ISBN 84-7947-213-8 , p. 283 (Spanish).
  15. ^ Consejería de Turismo, Cultura y Deportes: Grabados Rupestres de la Montaña de Tindaya. Bienes de Interés Cultural. Gobierno de Canarias, accessed May 26, 2018 (Spanish).
  16. ↑ Leonardo Torriani: Descripción e historia del reino de las Islas Canarias: antes Afortunadas, con el parecer de su fortificaciones . Traducción del Italiano, con Introducción y Notas, por Alejandro Cioranescu. Ed .: Alejandro Cioranescu (=  Clásicos canarios . No. 2 ). Goya Ediciones, Santa Cruz de Tenerife 1959, pp. 75 (Spanish, [9] [accessed January 1, 2019] Italian: Descrittione et historia del regno del isole canarie gia dette de fortunate con il parere delle loro fortificationi . 1588. Translated by Alejandro Cioranescu).
  17. ↑ María Antonia Perera Betancort: El Territorio en Fuerteventura. Cabras y paredes. (PDF) Cabildo de Lanzarote, 2008, p. 33 , accessed on January 6, 2019 (Spanish).
  18. ↑ María Dolores Cámalich Massieu: Hábitat . In: Armando del Toro García (ed.): Patrimonio histórico de Canarias, Lanzarote / Fuerteventura . tape 1 . Dirección General de Patrimonio Histórico, Viceconsejería de Cultura y Deportes, Consejería de Educación, Cultura y Deportes, Gobierno, Las Palmas 1998, ISBN 84-7947-213-8 , p. 251-253 (Spanish).
  19. ^ Pedro González Quintero: Economía . In: Armando del Toro García (ed.): Patrimonio histórico de Canarias, Lanzarote / Fuerteventura . tape 1 . Dirección General de Patrimonio Histórico, Viceconsejería de Cultura y Deportes, Consejería de Educación, Cultura y Deportes, Gobierno, Las Palmas 1998, ISBN 84-7947-213-8 , p. 255-257 (Spanish).
  20. ↑ María Antonia Perera Betancort: El Territorio en Fuerteventura. Cabras y paredes. (PDF) Cabildo de Lanzarote, 2008, p. 5 , accessed on January 6, 2019 (Spanish).
  21. ↑ María Antonia Perera Betancort: El Territorio en Fuerteventura. Cabras y paredes. (PDF) Cabildo de Lanzarote, 2008, p. 32 , accessed on January 6, 2019 (Spanish).
  22. ↑ Eduardo Aznar: Le Canarien: Retrato de dos mundos I. Textos . In: Eduardo Aznar, Dolores Corbella, Berta Pico, Antonio Tejera (eds.): Le Canarien: retrato de dos mundos (=  Fontes Rerum Canarium ). tape XLII . Instituto de Estudios Canarios, La Laguna 2006, ISBN 84-88366-58-2 , p. 133 (Spanish).
  23. ^ Antonio Tejera Gaspar: Los aborígenes en la chrónica Le Canarien . In: Eduardo Aznar, Dolores Corbella, Berta Pico, Antonio Tejera (eds.): Le Canarien: retrato de dos mundos (=  Fontes Rerum Canarium ). tape XLIII . Instituto de Estudios Canarios, La Laguna 2006, ISBN 84-88366-59-0 , p. 145-176 (Spanish).
  24. ↑ María Dolores Cámalich Massieu: Cerámica . In: Armando del Toro García (ed.): Patrimonio histórico de Canarias, Lanzarote / Fuerteventura . tape 1 . Dirección General de Patrimonio Histórico, Viceconsejería de Cultura y Deportes, Consejería de Educación, Cultura y Deportes, Gobierno, Las Palmas 1998, ISBN 84-7947-213-8 , p. 259-261 (Spanish).
  25. ↑ Renata Ana Springer Bunk: The Libyan-Berber inscriptions of the Canary Islands in their rock painting context . Köppe, Cologne 2014, ISBN 978-3-89645-942-8 , pp. 32 .
  26. ^ Consejería de Turismo, Cultura y Deportes: Grabados Rupestres de la Montaña de Tindaya. Bienes de Interés Cultural. Gobierno de Canarias, accessed May 26, 2018 (Spanish).
  27. ^ María Antonia Perera Betancort: Tindaya: reflexiones sobre una montaña agredida . In: Cuadernos del Guincho . No. 1 , 1997, ISSN  2341-4294 , pp. 48–57 (Spanish, [10] [accessed September 5, 2018]).
  28. ↑ Renata Ana Springer Bunk: The Libyan-Berber inscriptions of the Canary Islands in their rock painting context . Köppe, Cologne 2014, ISBN 978-3-89645-942-8 , pp. 16 .
  29. ↑ Eduardo Aznar: Le Canarien: Retrato de dos mundos I. Textos . In: Eduardo Aznar, Dolores Corbella, Berta Pico, Antonio Tejera (eds.): Le Canarien: retrato de dos mundos (=  Fontes Rerum Canarium ). tape XLII . Instituto de Estudios Canarios, La Laguna 2006, ISBN 84-88366-58-2 , p. 15 (Spanish).
  30. ↑ Eduardo Aznar: Le Canarien: Retrato de dos mundos I. Textos . In: Eduardo Aznar, Dolores Corbella, Berta Pico, Antonio Tejera (eds.): Le Canarien: retrato de dos mundos (=  Fontes Rerum Canarium ). tape XLII . Instituto de Estudios Canarios, La Laguna 2006, ISBN 84-88366-58-2 , p. 250 (Spanish).
  31. ↑ Fernando Bruquetas de Castro: El Mundo moderno . Ed .: Armando del Toro García. tape 1 . Dirección General de Patrimonio Histórico, Viceconsejería de Cultura y Deportes, Consejería de Educación, Cultura y Deportes, Gobierno, Las Palmas 1998, ISBN 84-7947-213-8 , p. 235-239 (Spanish).