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¶ … interactions of the Europeans and the Native Americans during the days of the colonists. In addition the author looks at Natice American lifestyles and traditions that have survived the building of America and still exist today. There was one source used to complete this paper.
Then and Now
Students throughout the nation, study the beginning effects of the Europeans arriving on American soil and the reactions both to and of the Native Americans who had already been here for many years (Cronon, 1984). However, after the land dividing was over, and the native Americans and the Europeans began to live as peacefully as could be expected considering the circumstances, that is where most studies stop. Following the initial period however, there was a transitional period that occurred between the Native Americans and the European colonists that is a vital part of our land's history. William Cronon detailed...
Until then the Native Americans had lived here alone and they had used the land to the best of their ability. Because of their beliefs however, they usually avoided anything that would be permanently damaging or that would permanently alter the land itself. Once the European colonists arrived things began to change as buildings went up, homesteads were claimed and other changes took place. The Europeans were not destructive by nature. It was that they failed to understand the way the ecosystem worked while the Native Americans understood it. The Native Americans had a better grasp on the system of Mother Earth however they became willing participants in many of the land trade deals that hurt the eco system in the long run (Cronon,…
"The shift from Indian to European dominance in New England entailed important changes (Cronon, 1986)." Because of the way the Europeans settled in the animal and plant population were negatively affected. Before the colonists arrived the Native Americans would hunt and work one area, then move on to another area. This gave areas they left a chance to re-grow and repopulate for future use. The colonists moved here and stayed in one place. In time they depleted much of the animal and plant life that had been a natural part of the eco system. This caused them to have to change the way things were done and to grow new food and raise new animals. Instead of letting the natural system take its course as the Native Americans had always done, the colonists took over the course and force fed it. This set the pattern that we still live with today.
The Native Americans took part in the destruction of the eco system as well. They were intrigued with metal and the utensils that were made with metal so they killed more animals than they would normally have killed for the ability to trade. All in all both sides contributed to the change in the system and the changes that caused to the land.
Few Native American traditions pertaining to the land have survived the years. However, the idea of planting in one area, then moving to another and letting the first area regain its health has been adopted by farmers all over the nation. The changes that were forced upon our lands set in motion a system that we are bound by today. But along the way we did adopt some of the Native American elements of respecting the land and the Native Americans adopted some of the European ways of settling in one place.
Native Americans: Separate and Unequal Native American Isolation Native Americans have continued to represent a marginalized ethnic minority in the United States, despite repeated efforts at assimilation. No one argues publicly anymore that Native Americans are inferior to Whites, but the taint of racism seems to remain embedded in public policy decisions concerning this demographic. Accordingly, Native Americans have attempted to insulate themselves from the influence of what can only be described
" Thus, as the British gained ground in America, their need for support from the native peoples grew less important, and the parties' relationship began to erode. The natives had land the British wanted, and began to seriously fight back when their territory was threatened, due in part to the firearms they gained from trading with the British. The relationship continued to erode past the 1700s, and became more contentious as
Although they reacted with sorrow, they also attempted to preserve their culture. For example, some even ground the bones of their ancestors and sewed them into their clothing (Watson 1999). A similar story of Native American's peaceful reactions that were exploited by force is the history of Chief Joseph. This early recruit to Christianity was the chief mediator of peace between whites and his tribe, the Nez Perce, but when
Native American DNA Social and cultural definitions of relatedness are more consistent with the traditional notions of tribal membership; however, the U.S. government has long imposed its needs on tribal traditions (p. 55-61). The Dawes Act of 1887 effectively dispossessed Native Americans of communal land holdings by conferring land allotments to Native American male heads of households. Persons believed to be full-blood Native Americans were given an allotment, but it was
While this right applied to American settlers, who engaged in a variety of religions, from Puritanism to Deism, and spoke freely about them in publications and public forums. Native Americans, on the other hand, were denied their freedom of religion. American settlers saw Native American religions as uncivilized, so they encouraged missionaries to convert the tribes. Missionaries can be both beneficial and harmful to a culture. Some come excited
For the most part, the Revolutionary Era reinforced many of the roles women played in society. Native American women would continue to lose status as the country grew and they continued to be pushed from their native lands. African-American women would neither gain nor lose ground; they were still slaves with all the subjugation associated with their status. White women did not gain any material freedoms, such as owning property