History is filled with goof-ups, coincidences and sometimes events of sheer dumb luck that went on to shape cultures, traditions and much more. Case in point being the Indian misnomer that the explorer Christopher Columbus gave to the native people of the Americas. Thinking he had made it all the way to the eastern shores of Asia, Columbus mistakenly called the indigenous inhabitants of the little Caribbean island where he first set foot on, Indians. Columbus was gravely mistaken, as explorers and cartographers soon discovered, yet his error continues to this day when the term ‘Indian’ is casually used to refer to indigenous people across the Americas.
India, which at the time was taken for granted as all of southern and eastern Asia, was a rather general expression in the minds of Europeans. How commodities were shipped from the East had something to do with this blurry mental geography. Europeans tended to believe that all of these Asian commodities originated in India since the wealth of China, Japan, and other Southeast Asian islands were first transported to ports on the southern edge of the Indian subcontinent before being sent elsewhere. It was essentially a gateway to all the coveted spices, silk and more!
Columbus set sail with a passport from his sponsors, Ferdinand and Isabella of Spain, declaring that he represented them on his voyage toward the regions of India. The trouble he caused once he landed in what he thought was India is a story best saved for another day. On his return to Europe, he was still convinced that he had found India. Soon enough it had become pretty clear that Columbus had missed India by a long shot. However, despite the debunking of Columbus’s ‘India’ myth, Europeans continued to refer to the indigenous people of the Americas as Indians.
この記事は Motoring World の April 2024 版に掲載されています。
7 日間の Magzter GOLD 無料トライアルを開始して、何千もの厳選されたプレミアム ストーリー、9,000 以上の雑誌や新聞にアクセスしてください。
すでに購読者です ? サインイン
この記事は Motoring World の April 2024 版に掲載されています。
7 日間の Magzter GOLD 無料トライアルを開始して、何千もの厳選されたプレミアム ストーリー、9,000 以上の雑誌や新聞にアクセスしてください。
すでに購読者です? サインイン
DESTINI REWRITTEN
With a pretty major design overhaul, has the Hero Destini 125 found a new footing altogether?
OLDIE'S GOLD?
History makes yet another comeback with the BSA Gold Star 650. Is it what you were hoping for?
THE HIGH OF THE TIGER
Triumph's big cat is in its most ferocious avatar yet
LAUGHTER HOURS
This! This is the greatest single of all time!
BULL'S EYE?
Audi's new flagship SUV — or a budget Lamborghini Urus?
DARK HORSE
The Alcazar is now available in a new avatar, and the multi-faceted SUV deserves more attention than it got in the past
CURVV-BALL!
Tata's new mass-market SUV coupe may have more than a few tricks up its sleeve
GIVEN A RAISE
The EQS SUV looks like an EQS sedan on stilts but it offers a lot more than that
FOR MUCK'S SAKE!
No scooters, commuters or old bikes... this year's Pune Off-road Expedition was serious work
ALL THE WAY UP!
Exploring the vast landscape of Ladakh with Renault India's lineup - why would we say no?!