It was more than bowing down. They were divided and conquered. Columbus initial thought upon seeing these Africans and all that gold was he could enslave them within weeks as written in his journals not knowing the Africans would’ve gave them as much gold as they wanted. But Africans were extremely welcoming people not seeing these white peoples as a threat. Once engrained within the community they( white colonizers) would then go between tribes starting rumors and conflicts until the two tribes wiped each other out and then they would come in and take the resources be it human and otherwise.
Are you referring to Columbus's involvement in Guinea and the African slave trade or are you talking about Columbus's trips to America?