Wednesday, April 23, 2008

Mary Jemison, Part 2

POV

Accounts of the past are subjected to their time, place, and their authors' perception and motives
Future versions of events are seen through similar lenses
“Captivity and Conversion,” Hilary Wyss
“To be heard in the dominant culture, then, Natives must often negotiate story lines written about them with little regard for their particular experiences.”

Final Words

Narratives and conversion stories memorialized native cultures for Europeans
Stories showed how “progress” removed or replaced Indians
When Mary Jemison's narrative came out, segregation was national policy.
Races were separated; she must be Indian or white
A Narrative of the Life of Mrs. Mary Jemison, 1824, edited by James Seaver

James Seaver

Emphasized “the captive's commitment to Anglo-American culture”
Focused on the cultural and racial differences
Faced and eventually overcome by captives
Captives return to the white settlement
Thrilling, shocking details of frontier hardships
Transformation is feared and struggled against
The problem of "backsliding" or returning to a former way of life haunts the narrative

“A Narrative of the life of Mrs. Mary Jemison, who was taken by the Indians, in the year 1755 [sic],when only about twelve years of age, and has continued to reside amongst them to the present time. Containing an account of the Murder of her Father and his Family; her sufferings; her marriage to two Indians; her troubles with her children; barbarities of the Indians in the French and Revolutionary Wars; the life of her last husband, etc.; and many Historical Facts never before published”

"Strange as it may seem, I loved him!"

Specifically commissioned by some "gentlemen of respectability" to record her narrative not only to preserve certain historical facts but also to "perpetuate the remembrance of the atrocities of the savages in former times"
What about gender roles?
-Women expected to be passive
-Jemison becomes a victim of circumstance
-Biography will teach "pity for the bereaved, benevolence for the destitute, and compassion for the helpless"

Fragility of Conversion

Saw white people a year after capture. Senecas wanted to keep her, hid her away
Some Senecas considered her a witch
Some accused her of having an affair after birthing white babies
Adopted spiritual outlook of the Indians: “connection to the land, to agriculture, and especially to corn reveals important elements of Seneca belief in her life

Thursday, April 10, 2008

Mary Jemison

Mary Jemison lived in the Genesee Valley with the Seneca nation from her capture at 15 until her death at age 90.

Taken during the French and Indian War, Jemison replaced a brother taken in battle (203)
Natives killed and captured out of revenge for previous actions against them
Captured people took on the role of deceased persons: in family life, occupation, and status
Gender and age did not matter, only willingness to participate in the tribe
Expectations for the new citizen matched the tribe's perceptions of deceased persons

Was forced to marry an Indian, though this appears very rare (204)
Axtell suggests Jemison may have married willingly
Natives persuaded the captured to stay by good acts and equal treatment towards them, not compulsion
Rape and other acts were extremely discouraged. Those guilty of rape were judged by the community

Taken when she was 15, and did not fully assimilate for 3-4 years. (208)
“If I had been taken in infancy, I should have been contented in my situation.”
The older the captive, the harder it was to learn culture
The younger the captive, the easier it was learn language and customs, and forget their white background

The Senecas were “diligent in teaching me their language; and to their great satisfaction I soon learned that I could understand it readily, and speak it fluently.” (209)
Captives were quickly placed in families and “trained” for life in the tribe
By spending time with her “sisters,” Jamison learned basic housekeeping and farming skills, and even advise in finding a spouse

Working as an Indian woman “was not severe . . . probably not harder than that of white women” (211)
Almost no oversight by others, including men
Worked with children around them
Summer: planting and harvesting
Hunting: dressing and preserving meat, treating skins for use

“The moral character of the Indians was . . . uncontaminated.” (211)
Loyal to spouses
Honest
Promoted chastity
Both men and women spent time teaching values to their children
A better example of moral living than white settlers? More Christian than the Christians?

Friday, March 7, 2008

Natives & Newcomers, Chapter 4 & 5

Industrial Revolution

Innovation in manufacturing, mining, transportation, communications, commerce, and society
International trade
More goods available to the masses
Political revolutions
Allowed people to make more $, pay less taxes, trade with more people
Better roads = More, safer travel
Population growth
Farmers move to cities
Less Plague, more people

Agricultural Revolution

In Europe, new plants and growing techniques increased production (corn, potatoes, manure)
Commercial Revolution
1626: 8000 beaver skins sold in Fort Orange and New Amsterdam
1650s: 46,000 skins sold in Fort Orange alone
1620s: 10,000 skins sold by Hurons to Quebec
1640s: 30,000 skins
1750s: Cherokee hunters killed 12 deer/year

Why over-hunt? “Many Things which they wanted not before because they never had them . . . become necessary both for their use & ornament.” (107)
Supply & Demand
“The English have no sense; they give us twenty knives like this for one Beaver skin.” (107)
“The Indians ar[e] now so well seen Into our tradinge Commoditiies, that heare is litle to be got by yt.” (108)
Natives first wanted precise metal tools: axes, hatchets, awls, chisels, knives, hoes, kettles
Loose-fitting clothing is often not preserved
Natives created jewelry out of coins, thimbles, pins
Alcohol became a vital trading good

Changes

Europe became an Indian Wal-mart. Ben Franklin: “artificial Wants” (120)
Mirrors made men vain
Trade doubled while Indian populations halved
Indian “degeneration”
After raw materials depleted, “natives were left with nothing to sell but their land, their labor, or their military services” (118)
Massive debts; Indian “revitalization”

Chapter 5: Making Do - includes classwork not listed here

Examples of overhunting
Natives purchasing European goods
Mirrors
Clothing
Metal goods
Jewelry
“Artificial wants”

Trading strategies – both sides
Indian debts
Changing traditions
Indian burials
Indian foods
Native “Revitalization” attempts
Why did some Europeans not want to conquer Indian lands?

Friday, February 15, 2008

New York City notes

New Amsterdam

Early settlers only wanted to trade furs, expecting to be fed and housed by the West India Company
The Company turned to Puritan settlers to start farms (“patroonships”) and bring families
Administration was inept or corrupt. Many were fired for losing money or stealing
The Company hired Walloons, English, French, Irish, Swedish, Danish, German, and other workers
Slaves could own land, testify in court, bear arms, and attend church
Some slaves received “half-freedom” to run their own farms later in life
Intercourse with “heathens, blacks, or other persons” was banned
Liquor sales rivaled fur sales in the early city. Most crimes were the result of drunkenness and a majority male population
The female minority was described as “utterly chaste and shamefully promiscuous” and “exceedingly addicted to whoring”
Leaders allowed in settlers from more restrictive Puritan towns in Massachusetts, as well as Quakers

Lenapes

Disease and settlers depleted the Lenape people by 90 percent
Mohawks and Mahicans took advantage of the weak Lenape, demanding wampum for tribute
Pequot War (1637): New England colonies took control of wampum production on Long Island
Dutch and New England forces wiped out almost all Lenapes by 1645 by raiding villages
Meanwhile, the Dutch faced competition from Spain and Portugal, putting pressure on profits

Natives & Newcomers Ch. 3

How much different are Indian/European interactions between the 1500s and 1700s
Problems in studies:
Most documents are from European invaders, not natives
Centuries of bias and ethnocentrism
“We have come to see with virtually new eyes that the Indians discovered Columbus and his world as surely and as importantly as he did them and theirs.” (15)

European concepts of “Others”

Long history of travel and trade (e.g. Marco Polo)
Sketchy sources mixed with superstition and myth
Greek and Roman gods
Biblical narratives
Indians became heathens and sinners
Compared Indians to “savage” Europeans (e.g. The Irish)
Though mostly peaceful, Europeans often used a show of force to prove equality or superiority

Indian concepts of “Others”

Most Indian groups explored little
Envisioned “Others” as equals or gods
Animals, plants also had spiritual characteristics
Humans must interact peacefully with the world around them. Spirits would help or hurt them.
All encounters began with gift-giving
Prophesies suggested men of white would arrive, or that tribes would be destroyed
Awkward
Europeans “drank blood and ate wood”
Indians kept bits of colored cloth, broken materials out of curiosity
Indians argued new land claims and name changes
Humans or animals?

Children were given up to Europeans
-Political marriages
-Children learned languages faster
-The official seal of trade or peace agreements

Americans were also kidnapped out of curiosity:

Freak shows
Pseudo-intellectual exhibits
To impress leaders (and get more money from them)
Fame
Amusement
To charge admission
Women and children easier to catch
Most die
Some returned able to speak pidgin tongues

Tuesday, February 12, 2008

Natives & Newcomers Ch. 2 notes

Communication Breakdown

Whites needed to communicate
For trade
To find gold
To find land routes
To hunt wild animals
To convert natives to Christianity
“We come in peace”

Over 200 Indian languages
Many were similar, but with widely varied dialects
European languages were similarly related
How could Indians/Europeans recognize singular or different languages?
Related ideas using:
--Imitation
--Music
--Symbols
--Gifts/food
--Facial expressions/body language
--Sign language

Thinking they thought that . . .

Early European explorers impressed their own ideas of what they wanted the Indians to say over what they actually said
The Europeans are gods (p. 50)
The Europeans are in Asia
The natives will show them where gold is
The Indians have no religion or laws (p. 51)
The Europeans are free to take all the land they want (p. 52)

First words
“I don't understand”
“Friend”
“Chief”
Jargon: specific words used for specific purposes.
Pidgin: simplified words put together for basic communication.
Simplified words from Indian and European languages were used together for trading and politics

Wednesday, February 6, 2008

Natives and Newcomers, Chapter 1

Fun Facts from Chapter 1

Some Americans thought Europeans were gods because they weren't interested in having sex with their women
Some Europeans compared Americans to the Irish because the Irish were the most uncivilized people they could think of
Americans tried showing respect for Europeans by carrying them on piggyback
Pipe smoking parties lasted about three days
Americans who had never seen swords before often grabbed them by the wrong end
Europeans remixed Indian war dances with fiddles

Imagining the “Other”

“Other”
Different from “us”
Similar to other “others”
What to compare “them” to?
Marco Polo and the East
Africa and the Canary Islands
Classical mythology
Biblical literature
Past and modern “barbarians”
“While Europeans found “others” to be different and usually inferior, the “others” the Indians knew tended to be similar or superior.” (19)

Interaction

N. Europeans may have been fishing off the coast of Newfoundland for over 1000 years
Religious beliefs lead to desires for different goods
Pirates worked privately or for government organizations
Both native Americans and Europeans traded objects of lesser value in their society for objects of greater value
The arrival of European fur traders did not create internal trade systems, transportation routes, or trade alliances. They simply turned regional economies into globalized ones

Interdependence

Kidnapping and forced acculturation occurred at the same time as voluntary cultural exchange
Interdependence led to the destruction of distinct “Indian” and “European” identities
If you want to be on good terms with anyone, give them a gift
Water transportation is the most conducive to trade
Demands for goods traded between Indians and Europeans were often created by 3rd parties 1000s of miles away

Most exchanges were completed by experts in trade, facilitating the efficiency and economy of suppliers and customers
All people are inherently greedy, corrupt, curious, and racist
Governments and companies reform themselves to improve their competitive edge

When learning a language, it's best to know the words for:
Greetings
Finding things and locating leaders
Buying/selling
Getting directions
Getting laid and swearing

Sunday, February 3, 2008

Maritime Revolution notes

Polynesians settled west into the Pacific
Little is known; few records
Descendants live in places as far apart as New Guinea, Hawaii, and Easter Island
Malayo-Indonesians settled east into the Indian Ocean
Descendants live in places as far apart as Madagascar and China
Evidence that colonies were planned, not discovered by accident
Why were these groups better at seafaring?
Technology was simple but effective

Zheng He (1371-1435)

Chinese Muslim explorer under the Ming Dynasty
The early Ming Dynasty wanted to “re-establish China's predominance and prestige abroad”
Zheng He travelled to important ports in the Indian Ocean
Explored the coasts of the Middle East and Africa
Brought lavish gifts to foreign rulers
Created demand for Chinese goods
Stimulated interest in the Chinese empire
Atlantic Exploration
Vikings attacked ships and shores throughout northern Europe
Warmer temperatures made navigation easier
Settled Iceland, Greenland, and Newfoundland before 1000 CE
Mansa Muhammed of Mali reportedly died trying to cross the Atlantic in the 1300s
Amerindian voyagers settled the Caribbean Sea (Cuba, Jamaica) by 1000 CE

Why Explore? (Spain)

Iberian rulers (Spain and Portugal)
Money. Trade between port cities and foreign lands
Religion. Competition between Christianity, Islam, and Judaism
Curiosity.
Ferdinand and Isabella, 1492
January 2: Kicked out the last Moorish (Muslim) king of Granada
March 30: Ordered all Jews out of Iberia unless they become Catholic. Many leave for Ottoman Empire
August 3: All Jews officially expelled. Christopher Columbus begins his voyage
October 12: Columbus lands in West Indies

Why Explore? (Portugal)

Wanted to protect strong fishing economy
History of anti-Muslim warfare
The fall of Constantinople in 1453 to the Muslims
In 15th century, Morocco was politically weak
Henry the Navigator wanted to:
Make Africans Christian
Join up with Christian leaders already in Africa
Start an awesome Crusade against the Ottomans
Henry also started an important navigation school, bringing together centuries of technology and knowledge

European Navigation

Ships: caravel, possibly from the Arab qârib or Roman cara bella
Cartography (maps)
Technology: instruments such as the astrolabe
Exploration made profit through the trade of slaves and gold
Eventually Portugal landed on the eastern tip of Brazil

Tuesday, January 29, 2008

Intro Notes

The World Before 1500

3 Major Periods:
Antiquity
Middle Ages
*Modern Times (1500-present)
“All historical periods were shaped by natural environment and human technology”
“The capacity to create and change material and intellectual culture marked the beginning of human history”

Civilization and Identity

Domestication of animals
Beginnings of agriculture
Unrelated peoples settle together in “cradles of civilization” where resources were plentiful
Technological knowledge: how to grow crops, how to build objects
Spiritual study: What is the meaning of life? How should I live my life?
Formation of governments/public works
Trade, war, and multicultural interaction

Atlantic System:
Also known as the Triangular Trade
System of moving goods and people between Europe, Africa, and America
Includes food, slaves, gold

Chartered Companies
Companies got a monopoly in one part of the world, while empires were guaranteed the companies would eliminate foreign competition
Dutch West India Company; Royal African company

Merchantilism:
Colonies exist for the mother country's economic benefit
Capitalism: financial institutions lend money to make profitable investments