https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/1icpmyb/the_native_people_of_the_canarias_traded/
created by PeopleHaterThe12th on 29/01/2025 at 08:57 UTC*
878 upvotes, 3 top-level comments (showing 3)
In particular: Do we know what the natives thought at first? Was the knowledge of Roman traders kept alive by the time the Spanish came? Were there legends related to Romans and ancient times? Also, related to this question, how did the economy of the islands change after the Roman stopped trading with them?
Another question related to the post: Did the Spanish know they had just rediscovered the "lucky islands" or "*insulae fortunatae*" of the Romans and that the natives were, most likely, descendants of Berbers and Romans which evolved their culture independently for a thousand years?
Do we even know what their language sounded like and what their culture was like? Is there any hint about it or is it completely lost to time?
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1 upvotes, 0 direct replies
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Comment by HakanTengri at 29/01/2025 at 16:52 UTC
491 upvotes, 3 direct replies
Canarian historian here. There is no evidence of trade between the indigenous Canarians and Rome, extensive or otherwise. Zero, nothing, nada. There are archaeological remains that point to some sporadic contact, but no permanent settlements (I think recently they found some seasonal encampments attributed to fishermen) and no stable contact. Knowing that, most of the rest of the question is moot.
It is true that they were Imazighen. We have toponymy, onomastics, a few recorded words and phrases and a lot of words still used in Canarian Spanish that prove that, and genetics has confirmed it repeatedly while also dispelling the myth that they left no genetic trace (up to 50% of the population in certain areas has indigenous ancestors, although the percentage in the general population is much lower). It is also true that the islands were populated around the first century and one of the possible explanations is a Roman mass deportation. It is an unproven theory that has some problems, including lack of any corroborating evidence, but it is there. However, if the Romans did ever did that they seemed to have no further interest in the islands and never came back in force.
Lastly, yes, Castiian conquistadors knew about the mythological connection with the Fortunate Islands and used the term on occasion. I think even a pre-conquest title granted by the Pope for an expedition that never happened used it, but I cannot confirm at the moment.
Edit: Canarian historian, not Canadian. Damn autocorrect.
Comment by Bodark43 at 29/01/2025 at 15:18 UTC*
327 upvotes, 1 direct replies
First, do you have a source for your statement about extensive trade? That seems to have been a tricky thing in ancient times. The Canary Current flows north to south, and the trade winds blow from the north, and northeast. So, while it's relatively easy to get a boat there from Europe or Africa, it's very hard to get back without having a fore-and-aft sail rig that can tack better into the wind. Pliny knew about the place, maybe; but it was a tough voyage for the Romans.
Second, the Spanish were only one of various traders/ would-be colonists in a process that started in the mid 14th c., as navigation improved and the islands were found to have useful things to trade. The Guanches were apparently quite warlike, and quick to defend their territory. A few of the smaller islands were conquered and settled in the earlier 15th c. by the French, though apparently periodically contested, but the bigger islands didn't yield until much later. The Spanish were the first to get serious and actually send an invasion force, in 1478, and by the end of the century had conquered even the big islands.
The Canaries were something of a rehearsal for the creation of New Spain. As in the New World, the Spanish were aided by bringing with them infectious diseases. As in the New World, they also imported workers, including enslaved from Africa. And as with Columbus' first contacts the Lucayan in the Bahama islands, the Gaunches in the Canary islands who did not emigrate or join the Spanish army soon were almost wiped out* by displacement, disease, and enslavement. A visiting Italian in 1541 noted that they were almost gone, and a Spanish friar at the end of the century said that there were only a few people of mixed race left, who had some Guanches ancestry.
There seems to be only a few recorded words remaining of the language, and a few recorded sentences. So, like with the Lucayan, what the Guanches knew of their history or indeed thought of anything at all appears now to be an insolvable mystery.