Pre-1492: Prior to European arrival, Arawak-speaking Taíno people inhabited an island they referred to by several names, including Ayiti, or “high land.” Numbering roughly 1 million, they were organized into at least five major settlements.

1492: Christopher Columbus lands on the island called Haïti/Ayiti/Quisqueya/Bohio by the Taíno Arawak, changes the name to Hispaniola and destroys the native population within 50 years.

On January 12, 2010 Haiti was rocked by a massive (MMS 7.0) earthquake. The epicenter of the earthquake was not far from some of the major population centers of Haiti, including the capital, Port-au-Prince and the city of Jacmel. As of January 28, the confirmed death toll is 170,000, though that number is expected to continue to rise.

The current outpouring of support for those who survived the earthquake and now find themselves without shelter, food or clean water is much needed. It is worth bearing in mind, however, that the January earthquake is the latest in a long list of disasters that have marred Haiti’s history, most of them caused by human activity as opposed to natural forces. For those of us in the US it’s also worth paying attention to the bigger picture of suffering in Haiti, as our government—and by extension all of us—have been its primary cause.