Equiano and the Mosquito Indians

         When I first read the passage where Equiano recalls a biography of Christopher Columbus where Columbus frightens native peoples to make them cooperate, I was actually quite surprised. I found it interesting that Equiano was taking motivation from a settler, a colonizer like Columbus, who had done so much harm to the indigenous peoples of the Americas. I found it saddening that he took upon the role that someone with more knowledge/power would in this situation, similar to how the white people had in a way coerced Equiano to adopt their culture/beliefs and religion. On a side note, I also was surprised by the fact that Equiano had the emotion and confidence needed in order to silence the chaos caused by the governor striking a neighboring chief.

        Overall, it feels as though Equiano's view toward the indigenous peoples is mainly in the context of religion, more specifically Christianity. He feels that it will give these people direction in life, and will allow them to live happily. However, he seems to have no strong feelings toward these people and their livelihood with regards to how the white people are treating them. His relationship with the native peoples is based mainly on the topic of religion, and goes to show that he is indifferent to their struggles, which conflicts with his own struggles at the hands of the white people and the slave trade.