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