Relationships Between Native Americans and European Explorers/Settlers

Relationships Between Native Americans and European Explorers/Settlers The indigenous Native Americans and the European explorers of the 16th and 17th century were two very different and distinct groups of people. The Native Americans were usually peaceful until threatened. Although they did not have much technology, they knew the land well and used their resources very efficiently. On the other hand, the European settlers, though more advanced as a civilization, proved a bit more violent and greedy. When the first arrived on the shores, they were poorly equipped and had to take advantage of the natives for resources. This pattern established the basic relationship between the two groups-one domineering and intent on materialistic gain at any cost, and the other, rather naive to the real impact of sharing their world with a culture based on absolute control. These factors played an important role in the collisions between the indigenous people and the European settlers. The many cultural differences between the Native Americans and the European settlers would be the primary cause of constant clashes, confrontations, and miscommunications. The European settlers had distinct characteristics that set them apart from the indigenous Native Americans. The Europeans were often times thirsty for power and open to new opportunity. In the case of the English, “the English watched with envy as Spain dominated much of the hemisphere that Columbus discovered” (Lord 48). Watching a neighboring country gain so much power was uneasy for the English to do. Instead of watching, the English followed the footsteps of the Spanish explorers of the fifteenth century. In Stephen Vincent Benet’s poem, he illustrates the excitement for the new opportunity across the sea: “Oh, Spread the news, The news of golden Virginia across the sea” (Benet NPG). Also, they did not mind taking advantage of the Indians for their own good. In the short story by William Bradford, “Of Plymouth Plantation”, although the Europeans did not think of the Indians as equal people, they “became profitable to them in acquainting them with many things.” Therefore, they used the Indians for their own good to acquire power. The English and other European explorers were proponents of the new land and its supposed opportunity for land, money, and power. The Europeans were inspired by the opportunity they had, but there stood one major unexpected problem: the Europeans were very ill-prepared when coming to America. They lacked supplies, food, clothing, and hygiene. They were not prepared for the perilous weather and the harsh conditions they would encounter. For example, in “The Birth Of America, Smith talks about how “‘That summer, half the colony died. God (being angry with us) plagued us with such famine and sickness that the living were scarce able to bury the dead” (Lord 52). This perfectly illustrates the conditions that the settlers were not prepared for. In the short story, “Before They Got Thick”, the Lipan Apache talk about what happened to the settlers after they came to visit a year later: “Only a few were left, many had starved to death.” (Bigmouth). Similarly, in “La Relacion”, the Indians brought the Europeans food and necessities as a sign of friendship. Although this was a sign of friendship, the Europeans greatly appreciated the gifts due to the fact that they were ill equipped, starving many times throughout the year. In the following excerpt, Cabeza de Vaca says, “They came to us as they had promised and brought us a large quantity of fish and some roots that they eat and that resemble nuts, some larger and some smaller” (De Vaca). In another description, De Vaca describes that him and his people “looked like the very image of death.” The poor level of their preparedness was something that set them apart from the indigenous people and would later cause conflict. Last, the Europeans were very hard-headed and one-sided people. They believed that all their people were the superior beings of the earth. Often times, the indigenous people were referred by slang like heathens, beasts, and even animals. Although the Indians were so helpful at often times, the Europeans still did not see the Natives as equals. In “Before They Got Thick,” De Vaca says that “all of them began to weep loudly, and so sincerely that they could be heard a long way off, and this lasted more than half an hour, and certainly, to see that those uncivilized and savage men, like brutes, were so sorry for us, caused me and others in our company to feel still more grief and the full realization of misfortune,” (De Vaca). In this particular situation, the Indians were simply sympathizing with the poor Europeans. Instead of accepting the warm sympathy that was intended, the Europeans interpreted those actions as those of heathens. In an account of Christopher Columbus, he recalls the following: “They travelled three days’ journey and found an infinity of small hamlets and people without number, but nothing of importance” (Columbus). Although Columbus does not directly describe the countless Indians that are encountered, he mentions that they are “nothing of importance,” therefore confirming the notion of European superiority. The European settlers and explorers were very distinct people throughout the 16th and 17th centuries, differing greatly from the indigenous Native Americans.

The Native Americans had distinct characteristics and a very different way of life set them apart from the Europeans. First, the Natives were both peaceful and violent, at the same time. Their belief was to be peaceful amongst all brothers. In the Iroquois constitution, it says that “he will live according to constitution of Great Peace and exercise justice in all affairs,” (NPG). In contrast, the Iroquois constitution proves that the Natives do not stand down when they are under attack: “If he sees in the distance any evil approaching or any danger threatening he will at once warn the people of the the confederacy,” (NPG). In a speech by Red Jacket, he talks about how they Indians accepted the whites as brothers and gave them land out of pity. “They asked for a small seat. We took pity on them; granted their response,” says Red Jacket. They acted morally and stepped out of their way to let their suffering brothers have another chance. Contrary to the idea of the Indians acting peacefully, in a third-person account of John Smith, he says that the Indians were “ready to beat his brains out,” under the jurisdiction of the chief, Powhatan. This is the same idea talked about by the Iroquois constitution which states that they will warm the confederacy if they feel threatened. Often times, threats became violent as they did in the case of John Smith. Next, the Native Americans were often times naive to the whites. By being naive at times, the whites could take advantage or even use the Native Americans as slaves. Often times, the Indians didn’t resist but also did not think that the whites could take control over them. In the story “Creation of the Whites”, the whites asked for land and the Indians, without resistance, simply gave it to them: “The whites came back and told the Indians that their land was very strong and fertile. So they asked the Indians to give them a portion of it that they might live on. The Indians agreed,” (NPG). In this particular account, the Yuchi were so intrigued by the whites, they simply gave them land. As we see in retrospect, the Indians ended up being treated unfairly by the whites because they could use their naiveness. Also, in the accounts of John Smith, he gave the Indians an ivory compass dial. Although it was a payout to keep himself alive, the Indians were naive to it. They had never seen stuff like this that was common in Europe. Smith says, “he gave a round ivory double compass dial. Much they marveled at the playing of the fly and needle,” (NPG). And so, it gave the Indians another reason to keep Smith alive. Another great example was an encounter described by Cabeza de Vaca where the Indians wanted to attack the group because they felt threatened. De Vaca says, “we tried to reassure them and ourselves and gave them beads and hawk’s bells, each of them gave me an arrow, which is a sign of friendship,” (De Vaca NPG). Although it was a way to reassure both groups, the Indians fell for it. The reason they fell for it is due to the fact that the explorers stole from them before and would steal from them later. For that particular reason, the Natives were a bit naive to the whites. The Native Americans were peaceful, violent under provocation, but also naive people. The specific characteristics of the Native Americans would lead them to have conflicts and confrontations with the Europeans throughout the centuries. The Europeans and the indigenous Native Americans were faced with conflicts because they were two very different groups of people. First, the Europeans were very envious and therefore wanted power, while the Natives were often times naive. This led to a very direct consequence; the Europeans easily succeeded at taking advantage of the Native Americans. Christopher Columbus wrote in a letter back home that he “found many islands filled with people innumerable, and of them all I have taken possession for their highness, by proclamation made and with the royal standard unfurled, and no opposition was offered to me,” (Columbus NPG). In other words, the Europeans took advantage of the Natives because they thought that they were gods. The naiveness that the Natives possessed would sometimes allow for the Europeans to easily take advantage of the Natives. Other times, when the Indians realized what was happening to them, they would simply rebel. When the Indians were threatened, they often became violent. The Europeans would sometimes try and steal or take things by force due to the fact that they wanted power but also because of the fact that they didn’t have enough supplies. In the story of John Smith, he says, “He went and finding a path, walked along it for about half a league and found some Indians had gone out into the countryside; and he took one of their pots and a little dog and a few mullet and came back to us,” (Smith NPG). The Indians later saw Smith on the way back and felt threatened. Instead of dealing peacefully with him, “three Indian boys were following him with bows and arrows” and then later “a hundred other Indians armed with arrows came.” Although the Indians did not kill the white man, it is obvious that their violent nature would prevail when they felt in danger under the whites. In another excerpt from “The Birthday of America”, it describes both the violent and peaceful side of the Indian people. When the Europeans would make them feel threatened, even just by crossing into their territory for look for food, the two sides would clash. In this particular case, the whites tried to run away, but the fate of one poor soul would be devastating. “The straggler was stripped naked and tied to a stake, around which a fire was set,” (Lord 53). Last, the Indians and the Europeans often misunderstood each other. The whites were very hard-headed and believed that the Natives were inferior to them. Meanwhile, at times, the Native Americans were being understanding and simply wanted the best for their brothers. And so, the whites often understood the Natives as very primitive people while the Natives felt just as bad for the ill-prepared whites. “La Relacion” is an account of the spanish meeting the Natives. In this particular excerpt, the Natives “all began to weep loudly, and so sincerely that they could be heard a long way off” because they felt so badly for the misery that the whites were experiencing (De Vaca NPG). This was simply a peaceful, sympathetic act. Meanwhile, despite the act of the Natives being so humanly and understanding, the whites still didn’t consider them equal to themselves. “And certainly, to see that those uncivilized and savage men, like brutes, were so sorry for us, caused me and the others in our company to feel still more grief and the full realization of our misfortune,” (De Vaca NPG). The whites refer to these men as brutes and savages, a clear indication that the whites thought of themselves as better than the Natives. The last excerpt describing the relationship between the whites and the Natives came from the “Lecture to a Missionary” by Red Jacket. Being peaceful, as they often were, the Natives agreed to give their white brothers some land, out of pity. Red Jacket says, “The told us they had fled from their own country for fear of wicked men, and had come here to enjoy their religion. They asked for a small seat. We took pity on them; granted their request and they sat down amongst us,” (Red Jacket NPG). Out of kindness and pity, the Indians granted their requests. Now, as time passed, they started to realize that maybe they made a mistake. The whites became a bit more greedy as they spread their land. Red Jacket adds, “Brother, our seats were once large and yours were small. You have now become great people and we have scarcely a place left to spread our blankets. You have got out country, but are not satisfied; you want to force your religion,” (Red Jacket NPG). Red Jacket talks about the whites insidiously, as if their race is like a poison slowly killing them. He realizes that the whites would do anything for power. In other words, the whites wanted to have all the control, while the naive and peaceful Indians slowly gave it all away. Red Jacket explained that “wars took place” and that “Indians were hired to fight against Indians, and many of our people were destroyed,” (Red Jacket NPG). Last, due to many misunderstandings, the two sides would fight and reconcile often. While the Indians were usually peaceful people, they would be courteous to the whites as much as they could. But, when the whites would steal from the Indians or threaten them for their food because of their lack of preparation, the Indians would sometimes attack. As John Smith described it, they “sometimes had peace and war twice in a day,” (Smith). The relationship of the two tribes was so different at different times due to the way each group was. The reason that the Native Americans and the Europeans conflicted was due to the differences each side possessed; the Indians were peaceful, naive, yet a bit violent at times while the whites were envious, ill prepared, and they believed in their superiority. The indigenous Native Americans and the European explorers of the 16th and 17th century were two very different and distinct groups of people. The Native Americans were indigenous to the land. Often times, the Natives were peaceful people. They let their white brothers settle along side their groups. Although they were peaceful, they could be very belligerent once being provoked by the whites. And lastly, the Natives were a bit naive, not always knowing about what to do with the whites. Meanwhile, the Europeans that came across the sea were a bit different. The Europeans were evidently envious of all the land and power in America. And so, they crossed the sea to get to that pot of gold. When they came, they had no idea of the hard conditions they would be facing and were not one bit prepared. Last, the Europeans thought of themselves as superior beings. They thought that the indigenous Native Americans were inferior to the white race. From that point on, when the cultures collided, many conflicts proliferated. The two groups never had met before. When they came together, problems, wars, conflicts, misunderstandings, and confrontations all took place. The many cultural differences between the Native Americans and the European settlers would be the primary cause of constant clashes, confrontations, and miscommunications

Works Cited
“Before They Got Thick”. Literature and Integrated Studies. Glenview, Il: ScottForesman, 1997.
Benet, Stephen Vincent. “The Western Star.” New York: Holt, Reinhart & Winston, Inc, 1943. Rpt in American Literature. Ed. Roberlt Carlsen. St. Louis: McGraw Hill Book Company, 1985.
Bradford, William. “Of Plymouth Plantation”. The Language of Literature. Ed. Arthur Appleby. Boston: McDougal Littell, 2006.
Cabeza de Vaca, Alvar Hunez. “La Relacion”. The Language of Literature. Ed. Arthur Appleby. Boston: McDougal Littell, 2006.
Columbus, Christopher. “Letters”. The Health Anthology of American Literature, Volume A. Ed. Paul Lauter. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, 2006.
“Creation of Whites”. The Health Anthology of American Literature, Volume A. Ed. Paul Lauter. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, 2006.
“From the Iroquois Constitution”. The Health Abthology of American Literature, Volume A. Ed. Paul Lauter. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, 2006.
Lord, Lewis. “The Birth of a Nation”. U.S. News & World Report. 29 January 2007.
Red Jacket. “Lecture to a Missionary”. Literature and Integrated Studies. Glenview, Il: ScottForesman, 1997.
Smith, John. “The General History of Virginia”. The American Experience. Boston: Prentice Hall, 2007.

Cited: “Before They Got Thick”. Literature and Integrated Studies. Glenview, Il: ScottForesman, 1997. Benet, Stephen Vincent. “The Western Star.” New York: Holt, Reinhart & Winston, Inc, 1943. Rpt in American Literature. Ed. Roberlt Carlsen. St. Louis: McGraw Hill Book Company, 1985. Bradford, William. “Of Plymouth Plantation”. The Language of Literature. Ed. Arthur Appleby. Boston: McDougal Littell, 2006. Cabeza de Vaca, Alvar Hunez. “La Relacion”. The Language of Literature. Ed. Arthur Appleby. Boston: McDougal Littell, 2006. “Creation of Whites”. The Health Anthology of American Literature, Volume A. Ed. Paul Lauter. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, 2006. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, 2006. Red Jacket. “Lecture to a Missionary”. Literature and Integrated Studies. Glenview, Il: ScottForesman, 1997. Smith, John. “The General History of Virginia”. The American Experience. Boston: Prentice Hall, 2007.