77th Event. In 1490 and previous to it, war in Cuba between the kingdom of Cuba or Colba, and Cavilla king of the Cami nation, in the country of Bafan, whose capital was Fava.—Columbus' Narrative.
Columbus heard of this war in 1492. The Cami are the same as the Cama-yegua, the foreign people of Cuba.[83]
Chapter VII.
The Haytian or Taino Language restored, with fragments of the dialects of Cuba, Jamaica, Lucayas, Boriquen, Eyeri, Cairi, Araguas. Grammar, roots, and comparative Vocabularies.
At an early period I endeavored to collect all the scattered fragments of this language, in order to elucidate and support the historical traditions. This labour concluded in 1828, has given very important results, which shall now be explained. At the time of the Spanish discovery and conquest, many Spaniards spoke that language; many slaves were sent to Spain; but philology was not then attended to. Therefore we have no dictionary nor grammar of this language. Meantime the very nation has disappeared, destroyed by Spanish cruelty.
However, nearly all the early travellers and writers on the West Indies have preserved by chance, some words of it. Columbus himself mentions some of them in his original journal. Roman and Dangleria explain many of the quoted words. Others are scattered in Acosta, Gomara, Oviedo, Garcia, Diaz, Las-Casas &c.; which had never been all collected even by Vater nor Edwards. Gili alone undertook to give a long list of Haytian words; but three-fourths [pg 216] of them are geographical or historical names unexplained and unavailable.
I have used, compared and brought together all these loose materials, and thus succeeded in restoring about 234 words of this language, a list ample enough for all historical purposes. This contains besides 50 words of the Eyeri and eastern dialects, with 38 of the Cuban or western dialects, useful to show the variations of dialects. We know that from Bahama to Cuba, Boriquen to Jamaica, a same language was spoken in various slight dialects, but understood by all: Columbus himself says so.