Cultural Differences Between Native Americans and the American Colonists

The different views could be read as this: “They [the native Americans] are inconstant in every thing, but what fear constrains them to keep. Crafty, timorous, quick of apprehension and very ingenuous. Some are of disposition of fearful, some bold most cautelous [wily], all Savage”.

The Native American believe the early settlers to be harmless and capable of easily manipulated. As was the case when the English’s settlers established a Jamestown settlement in the Chesapeake Bay. The Native Americans saw the European’s explorers as “physically weak, sexually

The Native Americans produced their own way of life due to their prior knowledge, heritage, traditions, and overall way of completing certain activities. Although they presented their own way of life, the white people did not agree with their ways due to feeling like the superior race. The Indians presented a behavior that

Native American Culture was changed forever when it collided with the Europeans. The Native American’s lives changed once they discovered the Old World. The Europeans would trade crops, animals, and diseases with the Native Americans.

The Native Americans who occupied America before any white settlers ever reached the shores “covered the land as the waves of a wind-ruffled sea cover its shell paved floor” (1). These Native people were one with nature and the Great Spirit was all around them. They were accustom to their way of life and lived peacefully. All they wish was to live on their land and continue the traditions of their people. When the white settler came upon their land the values of the Native people were challenged, for the white settlers had nothing in common and believe that it was their duty to assimilate the Native Americans to the white way of life.

The interactions between American colonists and Native Americans began well before the American Revolution was even a whisper on the lips of Patriots. From the moment Europeans set foot on this continent, they would be interacting with Native Americans. At times proving disastrous, relations between Native Americans and Europeans were a constant delicate balance between trade and alliance, betrayal and massacre, and a clash of two cultures so different it can be challenging to see how outright

Colonists were disdainful of the native americans, who inhabited large territories. The first interactions between the Natives and the English led men like William Simonds to state, “we found only scattered people, ignorant of knowledge of gold, silver, or any commodities” (46). The Indians were people who the colonists deemed, “idle workers” (48), people who were incapable of maintaining the abundant lands. As a result, many colonists including Sir William Herbert warned: “Colonies degenerate assuredly when the colonists imitate and embrace the habits, customs, and practices of the natives.” (46). The colonists believed that they were deserving of the land because they had the capabilities of exploiting it to its’ fullest potential. They despised the ‘primitive’ ways of the Natives, believing that they had full rights to all Native land. From the first encounters on, the

Although European settlers introduced the natives to new technologies, they also unintentionally exposed them to pathogens they did not have immunity against. These foreign diseases decimated large portions of the Native American population. In addition to these diseases and technologies, English Settlers also brought a new culture. Naturally, the individualistic culture of the English Settlers and the collectivist culture of the Native Americans differed drastically and were bound to clash.

Native Americans held great admiration for nature and their gods. People often dispute back and forth on whether or not we are similar or different compared to our Natives. Based on “The World on the Turtle’s Back,” “The Coyote and the Buffalo,” and Brother Bear, I can conclude that we obviously, for the most part, differ from ancient native cultures; people today do not hold nature to a great value and our religion is thoroughly different.

After the New World was discovered by the Europeans, the poor British settlers set out to start new lives and earn steady income in the lands. Although Native American were already living their separate lives upon the same lands, the British settlers soon called the colonies home. As the two, vastly different cultures converged, misunderstandings soon followed which erupted into an ongoing clash of cultures. The interactions between the Native Americans and the early British settlers bred hostility because of the misunderstanding of cultural differences between the two parties.

As I understand and analyze the historical events which transpired through time, the native Americans did not have a good relationship with the Europeans. One can see that the latter were not very sensitive with the culture of the native Americans while, on the other note, these Europeans came from a then more modernized country as the native Americans saw them as a group of people with enough weapons or guns that is useful to them. Also, Indians were able to provide food for these foreigners.

Despite the vast diversity of people living together on one continent, there was little conflict and inter-tribal wars were uncommon. These natives, though we now refer to them as “Native Americans,” were there, living peacefully, far before America was even an idea. They lived simply. They knew well how to live off the land and without them settlers would have died off. When the Europeans arrived, the Native Americans welcomed them with open arms and shared with them their resources, though this did not go both ways. The “indians” thought the Europeans were quite the wonder, with their pale skin, style of dress, and weird customs. They noticed at first glance that the white man were completely oblivious to the ways, spirits, and rhythms of nature. To them, everything was alive and had a name and a spirit, but these visitors treated everything: the animals, the lands - eventually even the people as possessions, things to be owned. The settlers, the explorers, they came to conquer, plunder, pillage, and kill. The generosity and goodwill of the natives was exploited, and over time they were kidnapped, taken as slaves, and many were brutally

Thesis: Both the Spanish and the Native American’s commitment to tradition shaped the early encounters between the two cultures. The Native American’s drastically different values and rituals led the Spanish to believe that the tribes had immoral views and caused the colonists to attempt to assimilate the native people into Catholicism and a life of servitude.

One of the things that the Europeans brought with them into the New World was their culture. They came to the New World and took over the Indian culture. As a Naragansett Chief pleas with his people, “Brothers, we must be one as the English are, or we shall all be destroyed.” (Miantonomo) The Indians feared that if they would not become as one with the Europeans, their culture could be destroyed and they could be destroyed themselves. “But, brothers, since these Englishmen have seized our country,

Native Americans showed respect to all, family, tribe members, and even outsiders. They had created their own government's, own religions and even schools. They had traditions, rituals and rights, every tribe was different in their own way. Every tribe's social system was different and every member had access to everything the tribe had available, occasionally trading goods for some things. Contrary to what many believe, early Native Americans were civilized.