{"id":8240,"date":"2007-10-06T15:15:40","date_gmt":"2007-10-06T20:15:40","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.law.harvard.edu\/ethicalesq\/2007\/10\/06\/columbus-colombo-colon-whats-in-a-"},"modified":"2011-08-05T14:53:41","modified_gmt":"2011-08-05T18:53:41","slug":"columbus-colombo-colon-whats-in-a-name","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/archive.blogs.harvard.edu\/ethicalesq\/2007\/10\/06\/columbus-colombo-colon-whats-in-a-name\/","title":{"rendered":"Columbus, Colombo, Col\u00f3n: what’s in a name?"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Columbus\" <\/font><\/font>I was already thinking that Monday October 8th seems way too early to be “celebrating” Columbus Day<\/a>. <\/font><\/font>But, today’s warm and humid weather, here in Upstate New York, makes the Columbus Day Parade<\/a> held in downtown Albany seem even more premature. It might be a great weekend for pumpkin picking<\/a>, but it’s also a good bet that those pumpkins will be over-ripe and mushy long before Halloween.<\/font><\/font><\/p>\n

While it’s too early to be celebrating the Man (and, perhaps it’s inappropriate to do so at all; see our post two years ago<\/a>), it’s never too soon<\/em> to bring up my traditional Columbus Day Pet Peeve<\/em>: The fact that the history writers of America have gotten away for centuries with anglicizing the name of the ship’s captain who landed in the New World in 1492 (mistaking it for India — which reminds me: why did they keep calling the natives “Indians” after they knew America wasn’t India?). As I noted a year ago at the shlep<\/em> weblog<\/a> (in a posting republished below, in a little, lazy holiday encore ploy): <\/font><\/font><\/p>\n

\n

[W]hether he was actually Italian\/Genoese [and therefore called <\/font>Cristoforo Colombo<\/a><\/em><\/font>], or instead Portuguese (nee Crist\u00f3v\u00e3o Colon<\/em>), Spanish (nee Crist\u00f3bal Col\u00f3n<\/em>), or Catalan (nee Crist\u00f2for Colom<\/em>), one thing is certain: he never called himself <\/em>Christopher Columbus<\/em><\/a>.<\/font><\/p>\n

update<\/em><\/strong> (October 8, 2007):\u00a0 For much more on the mystery\/controversy of the origins of “Christopher Columbus,” see the New York Times<\/em> article\u00a0 Seeking Columbus\u2019s Origins, With a Swab<\/a> (by Amy Harmon, Oct. 8, 2007), which explains that “The Age of Discovery has discovered DNA,” explores many of the ramifications, and provides links to information on many theories of CC’s birthplace and family history.<\/p>\n

\"ColumbusStavans\" <\/font><\/span><\/span>Imagining Columbus<\/em><\/font><\/a> by Ilan Stavans <\/font><\/font><\/font><\/span><\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Columbus Day trip <\/font><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>
\nred and yellow crayons
\nturn into stubs<\/p>\n

Columbus Day rain \u2013<\/span><\/span>
\nfirst cozy evening
\nsince Spring<\/p>\n

…………………………………… dagosan<\/em><\/p>\n

update <\/em><\/strong>(Oct. 8, 2007): Want to discover a New World of Weblawg Treasure? Sail over to the Columbus Day edition of Blawg Review<\/em> [#129]<\/a><\/strong>, ably captained by David Harlow<\/a> of the HealthBlawg<\/a><\/em>. Since the f\/k\/a<\/em> Natives are more into pictures than texts this morning, we especially liked learning that lawyers brought discovery to America<\/a> right after Cristofo Colombo got here.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\"QkeyNs\" \"sKeyNs\" If you came here looking for something new to read, here are a few quickie pointers and reminders:<\/p>\n