Mabiatué
A Taíno cacique who said he wished to become a Christian, to whom Pané went after leaving Guarionex.
The Images in the Field
Ramón Pané, An Account of the Antiquities of the Indians, written about 1496–1498, from the Italian of Fernando Colombo, Historie (Venice, 1571) · written about 1496–1498 (events of about 1495–1497); printed in Italian, 1571
Ma poi si sdegnò, & lasciò questo suo buon proposito per colpa d'altri de' principali di quella terra, i quali lo riprendeuano, perche ei volea vbidire alla legge Christiana; essendo che i Christiani fossero tristi, & gli tenessero delle sue terre per forza. Però lo consigliauano a non curar piu cosa alcuna de' Christiani; ma che si accordassero, & congiurassero insieme per amazzarli: percioche non poteuano sodisfar loro, & haueano deliberato di non volere in alcuna guisa fare a lor modo. Perche egli si distolse dal suo buon proposito: & noi, vedendo, che si distoglieua, & lasciaua quel, che gli haueuamo insegnato, deliberammo di partirci, & andarcene doue più frutto potessimo fare, insegnando a gl'Indiani, & ammaestrandoli nelle cose della Santa Fede. Et cosi ce ne andammo ad vn'altro Cacique principale, il qual ci mostraua buona volontà, dicendo di volere esser Christiano: il qual Cacique si chiamaua Mauiatuè.
But then he grew angry and gave up this good purpose. It was the fault of other leading men of that land. They scolded him for wanting to obey the Christian law, since the Christians were wicked and had taken his lands by force. So they advised him to care no more for anything to do with the Christians. Instead, they should all agree and plot together to kill them, because they could never satisfy them. They had decided not to do as the Christians wished in any way. So he turned away from his good purpose. When we saw him turning away and abandoning what we had taught him, we decided to leave. We would go where we could bear more fruit, teaching the Indians and instructing them in the Holy Faith. So we went to another leading cacique, named Mauiatuè, who showed us good will and said he wanted to be a Christian.