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The Relation Of Alvar Nunez Cabeza De Vaca

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Religion and Native Americans When the Europeans first came to America in the 1700’s religion was already here. Many native Americans believed in supernatural phenomenon’s in controlling the natural world, and social world. Each tribe had its own stories and religious views. With private prayers or sacrifices of valuable items they tried to please their gods. The world was still new and not many people understood what was happening, so many Indians believed in witchcraft. Even with witchcraft many Indian religious practices resembled catholic and protestant beliefs. In the first text we read in class called “Bartolome de las Casas” that dates back all the way to 1493. Casa was considered Europe’s most eloquent apologist for Native Americans …show more content…

Cabeza was a self-centered explorer that killed many of his own crew due to negligence. His whole ship crew was reduced to eating its own horses. Cabeza described seeing the terror of his American Indians escorts at these “Christian Slavers”. Alcaraz arrested Cabeza and his 600 natives. Cabeza published The Relation of Alvar Nunez Cabeza de Vaca to get a better understanding of his sufferings and brushes from death with the Native Americans. While reading the text Cabeza says “these people love their offspring more than any in the world and treat them very mildly.” (page 45) except medicine-men who were allowed to have multiple wives. I found this interesting because in todays Christian religion, a man loves one women, and back then they still had the same …show more content…

The dead were buried and the medicine-men were cremated. They celebrated with dances and after a year they drank their cremated remains. In todays society Christians view death as a way to be delivered to heaven where they will spend eternity in the presence of god. The Natives viewed death as a time of celebration, and a new beginning as well. For weddings they had different rules, after the wedding neither the brides father nor the mother may enter the son-in-laws house after the marriage. In todays religion that would be considered absurd. When the natives had very little to start out with, they still managed to share what little they had with everybody. In todays religion Christians celebrate the goodness of food and drink as part of god’s beautiful creations. When the natives are mourning the death of a loved one they stay inside for three whole months while the neighboring houses supplies them with food. Just like in the bible The New Testament eagerly encourages hospitality and recommends fasting as a disciplined way of becoming aware of the presence of God in the

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