By seeing the determination of their fathers and mothers as they focused on acting for the benefit of the tribe, children learned that it was essential for them to behave similarly when they would become adults. Depending on their gender, children gradually developed characters that assisted them as warriors or as planter-gatherers.
Children were instructed in regard to religion and ethics by their parents and by the tribe in general. Most of their intellect was fueled by stories that they heard from the elders, and, even though they were entertained by them, they also learnt important cultural values and customs during the process of storytelling. Native Americans were particularly concerned about understanding changes in their lives. As a result, tribes performed various customs whenever one would experience transit from one stage in their life to another. While girls would be considered adults at the time of their first menstruation, boys were considered adults consequent to undergoing a physical or spiritual experience believed to be essential for their transit into adulthood. Both girls and boys were sometimes provided with new names as they became adults and depending on their personality they received names that either glorified or dishonored them. In certain cases, both boys and girls struggled to live up to their names and this made it difficult for them to focus on more important matters. When considering marriage, it solely depended on the interests of individuals, as they were not obliged to marry someone that they did not appreciate.
European pressure rapidly became visible in Native American communities as natives were influenced to take on new standards of living. The fact that they were forcefully converted to Christianity had a severe effect on natives because they were denied...
Men were forced to take on activities that were in disagreement with their gender, the authority of tribal chiefs was undermined by the presence of monks and most communities were gradually convinced to employ a patriarchal concept of guiding themselves. Even though some tribes managed to preserve most of their cultural values, the fact that they were chased away from their lands and that they were introduced to European practices had a generally negative effect on them and on their future.
In spite of the fact that invaders have mainly destroyed native societies, the Native American culture was also positively influenced by the encounter between natives and Europeans. Many native tribes learnt how to organize themselves socially, economically, and politically and made it more difficult for settlers to be able to alter their communities. The Iroquois Confederacy stands as proof regarding native intellect and concerning the fact that locals were actually capable to replicate European customs with the purpose of demanding rights. Even with the fact that some tribes were initially inclined to use violence against invaders, it gradually became obvious that it was best for them to employ diplomatic strategies in trying to experience as little suffering as possible. The French and the English were superior in strength and thus made it particularly difficult for natives to effectively use power against their oppressors. Some tribes thus tried to form alliances in order to take advantage of the divergences between European nations. All things considered, conditions became critical as Europeans started to focus more on profits and less on ethics. Nations that were presumably civilized proved to be fueled by their interest in land and gold.
