Cultural Differences: Similarities Between Native Americans And African Americans

The Irish and Native Americans had similarities and one of them was the awful ways in which they were treated. The English colonizers believed that Irish people were lazy and unable to improve the lands they lived on, which is why they prohibited them from purchasing land (Takaki, 29). Native Americans were similarly not allowed to own lands because the English colonizers believed they didn’t work hard enough (Takaki, 40). Both of these groups were denied lands because of a belief that they were incapable of working. However, the Irish and Native Americans were capable of working, but this was used an excuse for English colonizers to take over as much land as they could. Furthermore, another way they were treated equivalently was in the ways that English colonizers wanted both of these groups to assimilate.

Throughout the stories told in both Mohawk Saint and The Unredeemed Captive, the unintended consequences of attempting to convert the American Indians to Christianity are powerful players in the unfolding events. When these Christian groups arrived in the New World, they came armed with the word of God that they wished to share among a group of people that have never before encountered the concept of Christianity. While eventually these relationships improved and Christians and American Indians began to have closer contact, there were still results from the conversion process that no one could have expected when the progress had started. In both of these stories, the unintended consequences of the encounters between Christian religious and

However, in comparison to the class textbook and likewise to the material discussed in class, this chapter exposed that Christians did not actually treat the Natives as humans as stated in the textbook (Butler, Jon, et al. 24). The Native peoples were treated poorly by the Christians, and in some ways the textbook goes in more depth as to how the Natives were treated negatively by the Spanish, as well as the French and English, whereas the chapter from Native American Religion (1999) does not (Martin 67-89). In addition, the textbook helped me make the connection between Andrew Jackson and the Battle of Horseshoe and the Trail of Tears, which was ironic considering the Cherokee Indians fought alongside Jackson before he became president (Butler, Jon, et al. 301). Furthermore, this chapter is relevant to religious diversity in how the different Native tribes either rejected or embraced, even incorporated, Christian traditions into their original native traditions. For example, the Hopis allowed their sacred dancers to perform ceremonies on Christian holidays (Martin 83).

Pontiac's speech portrays the Native Americans as being unequal to the French in stature and power. Cadillac describes Native Americans he comes in contact with as, “...the most tractable and most peaceable of the savages”(Cadillac 4). A similar message to Cadillac is represented by the capitalization of the “b” on the word brother, which refers to the French. In the Christian faith, the only time a pronoun or common noun is capitalized is when referring to God, so by making “brother” a proper noun the purpose of using the word “brother”, to symbolize the camaraderie between the two parties, as a synonym for “French” loses its meaning. Despite, the acknowledging the mutual friendship the French have with the Native Americans there appears to be better “friend.” This unequal division of brotherhood is also encompassed in Winthrop’s speech: “...some must be rich, some poor, some high and eminent in power and dignity, others mean and in subjection…all these differences for the preservation and good of the whole...”(Winthrop 1). The inclusion of the European definition of brotherhood shows that the translation of Pontiac’s speech is illegitimate.

In Samson Occom’s collective writings, Occom uses his religious convictions to explain a certain liberation that spirituality can provide Native Americans in an age of tension with white colonists. Occom’s specific teachings of the contemporary Calvinist interpretations of Christianity provide an outlet through which Native Americans can both embrace their native cultures and seek redemption through what Occom believes is the only true path to salvation. Additionally, Occom, through his connections with white colonists, attempts to provide a sense of political liberation to Native Americans by giving them the same educational opportunities. Overall, Occom’s religiosity manifests itself in a way that both attempts to free Native Americans, while also often yielding conflict with the white Calvinists with which Occom interacts.

Pontiac’s War was the result of the dissatisfaction of North American Tribes from the Great Lakes region, Ohio Country, and the Illinois Country with British policies following the French and Indian War. Beginning with the siege of Fort Detroit, smaller forts along were overtaken, Fort Michilimackinac overwhelmed and conquered, and Fort Pitt besieged. This event was a continuation of conflict between Indians and Europeans since the establishment of the first European colonies on North America. European involvement in Indian warfare such as the conflict between the Algonquins and Iroquois contributed to the change in style of warfare fought by the Indians as guns were exposed to these native people used to a Neolithic way of life where like

The racial/ ethnic interaction between Anglos, Native Americans, and others shaped the history of Colorado. In the beginnings of Colorado, Native Americans introduced buffalo robes/ pelts to trade, eventually leading to the over-hunting a near extinction of the animals. Later, in the 1920’s-1940’s, Hispanics of Denver, Colorado were strongly discriminated against by the Anglo, prejudiced government. This created a cycle of poverty and gang violence. Another race, African Americans, supported the conservative and liberal mix of politics current in Colorado by first testing the waters in the early 1800’s by migrating and later proudly fighting for their rights in __.

Manifest Destiny, one of the most influential ideologies in American history, was used as the basis to justify almost-continuous conflict from the early- to the late-19th century (Greenberg 3). This conflict included the relentless displacement of Native Americans from their ancestral lands, a war of aggression against Mexico in 1846, and attacks on countries such as Canada, Cuba, and even Central America, by filibusters and military action to gain overseas colonies (Greenberg 10, 25, and 26). While Manifest Destiny first arose as a dominant ideology during the early nineteenth-century, the concept of American exceptionalism, the heart of this ideology, was older than the nation itself. This concept was taken by white Americans as proof that they, and their nation, were unique and marked by God for a special destiny (Greenberg, 5). It would be several decades before the advantages of American settlement would be presented to the world. One advantage being the Louisiana Purchase, which was the expansion westward.

European families always put the males first, whereas African and Native American cultures saw the woman as the symbol of family bond. The children were said to be descended through the mother’s side more than the father. Religion was somewhat similar between the Native American and African cultures where the Europeans strongly disagreed with. Africans believed that there was a center power and Native Americans believed there were several deities, where they both believed that focused on nature and the its forces. They both believed that objects (usually scared to them) held sprites of the dad and spirits that can be evil or good. On the other hand, Europeans believed that there was a single deity with written scriptures which was all run through

Our nation’s history has been deep rooted in the conflict involving Native Americans, ever since the beginning of America and it is one hard to get rid of even as the days go by. The impact of colonialism can be seen in Native American communities even today, and it can only be understood through a cultural perspective once you experience it. Aaron Huey, who is a photographer, went to Pine Ridge reservation and it led him to document the poverty and issues that the Sioux Indians go through as a result of the United States government’s long term actions and policies against them. One must question all sources regarding these topics because there is a lot of biased and misinformation about Native American struggles, and sometimes schools do not thoroughly teach the truth so students can get an insight. There are also different sociological perspectives in this conflict, along with many differing opinions on how to approach the problem and deal with it. This is where ideas clash because people believe their views are right regarding how to handle it.

It may well be asked why Native Americans, who numbered in the millions in the New World, were not subject to enslavement. The fact is that on occasion they were forced to work on plantations, although this seemed to happen most often after a skirmish or a battle between settlers and Indians (Jordan, 1968). However, there were fundamental reasons why Native Americans were treated differently than Africans.

Native American service member in the U.S. were held in high regard for their service, over 21,767 Native Americans joined the military during the war. Unlike African Americans, Native Americans served in the same units as white military member not in segregated units. They served not only with the Code Talkers but in regular divisions of the military on all fronts of the war. Indians were held in high regard for war because of the pre-conceived idea that all Native Americans are warriors. Native Americans were recipients of over 200 military awards, those awards were used as proof in an argument that Native Americans were trying to fit in to American culture.

African and Native American religions both share the polytheistic trait, meaning that both worship multiple god, goddesses, ancestors and other deities. The African and Native American religions share more common traits than they have differences. A common belief is that the High God is the creator whom is not used or appealed to on a regular use. Hopfe states that “The High God is appealed to rarely, perhaps only in an extreme emergency called upon on rare occasions or emergencies, and is seldom mentioned in religious conversation” (Hopfe pg 30). This pretty much goes for both religions when it comes to the High God. Another similar trait would be how these two religions High God is not always the same among the many different diverse groups

In the excerpt taken from Pontiac, Speeches the author makes it known that the Indians were not backing down from the Englishmen because they were before the Englishmen and their ancestors had passed down the land to them. . (Foner, 2011) The

When most western people think about Native American or African religions there is a certain stigma that comes with the topic. This is in part because there is a lot of misinformation in the world about Native American and African religions. When most westerners think of African religions they think of voodoo and black magic. Likewise, the view of Native American religions is still looked at through the lens of the pilgrims who wrote about Native Americans as being savages and less than human. These stereotypes were all formed from a lack of accurate information. African and Native American religions are very similar. It is difficult to find a lot of accurate information on African and Native American indigenous religions because of the lack of written history but there is a lot of oral history that has been passed down from generation to generation. From this information, it is clear that Native American and African religions have many more similarities than they do differences. Three of these similarities will be discussed in this paper. The first topic of discussion is the similarity between African and Native American people when it comes to their perception of the spirit world. Following this topic are the similarities between Native American and African views on the afterlife and finally, the diversity of beliefs within African and Native American religions.