Native American View of the European Essay

Native American view of the European The Native American’s culture was extremely different from the culture of the Europeans. Both had different traditions and way of life, everything from the clothing they wore, the food that they ate and the different gods that they worship. All was an influence from how they have adapted to their environment and to the other people around them. The very foundation of both cultures was so distinctive that war and chaos was sure to come. Throughout history war and conflict had been started over things such as skin color, religion and way of living, all because both side had a different culture or beliefs. That the difference in the culture was what started the demise of the Native American. The culture of the Native American was inferior to the Europeans, in that they didn’t have the knowledge in science and the advance in weaponry that gave the European an advantage over them. â€Å"The white men despise and cheat the Indians† (Tecumseh 557). That they kept taking advantage of the Indians kindness and took more and more of the Indians’ lands until they had taken over the whole country. Forcing the Indians onto reservation and limited their movement to that amount of space. This later cause some of the settlers to have fear the Indians as they saw them moving about following the buffalo and other herds of animals they use as their food supply. They view the Indians as a threat and try to keep them under control by forcing them into further west toward the Great Plains where they were not use to the terrain and the surrounding. Everything the Native American did was from what they had known from their way of life. The European had wars with other countries for territory and power. That all over Europe countries were finding and grabbing colonies to find gold and gain more power over the surrounding countries. There was no different with the land that the Native American had. While the Native American only fought wars if they had a conflict that could not be resolve any other way. That the Native American â€Å"cultivates peace at home, and promotes†¦ happiness† (Ganter). The Native American had no knowledge of the world beyond their borders. That seeing the white men causes them to be in awe for they had never seen anyone beside other tribes. Both sides had their own was of  interacting with the other. The first contact they had with each other later affect how their relationship was going to be. The Native America chose to â€Å"shared freely with [the European] whatever the Great Sprit had given† (Tecumseh 556) them. That the â€Å"different complexions and different customs† (Red Jacket 554) meant nothing as they saw other men in need of aid and guidance of how to survive in such a place. The European â€Å"were ready to perish in the wilderness† (Bradford 53) if the Native American have not come to their aid. That the European had accepted the aid and then turn on the generous people that had helped them in a world completely new to them. That later the European became a â€Å"poisonous snake†¦and they sting their benefactor to death† (Tecumseh 556). That the European took advantage over the kind Native American that had greeted them with welcome and had help them in their first year in the wilderness. A major factor in the destruction of the Native Americans was their different belief and way of worship. The European looks down on the Native American polytheist religion. Also the way they worship by dancing and doing their powaws. The Native American were being force to convert to Christianity by the Europeans. The Native Americans question the European way of thinking. The European has escape from their native country to â€Å"enjoy their religion† (Red Jacket 554) and have religious freedom. Then why are you trying to force the Native Americans to covert? Are you not acting like those who have oppressed your back in your native land? The Europeans idea of religion was skewed and imperfect in the eyes of the Native Americans. That there was â€Å"one religion, why do you white people differ so much† (Red Jacket 554). The variation in the religion of the European was odd and inconsistent. There was dispute amount them in which of their beliefs was better, even if the different was over a small detail. That all the Native Americans â€Å"never quarrel about religion† (Red Jacket 554) and have live in perfect harmony. That the great being above have given each of his children a â€Å"different religion according to [their] understanding† (Red Jacket 555). The Native American is happy as they are and tells the Europeans that they have their religious freedom and should be happy with what they have. Not all Native Americans view the European in the same way. That most view them as â€Å"poisonous snake† (Tecumseh 556) that would attack the person closest to them. Tecumseh wanted all the Native Americans to rally together and fight all the Europeans to get back  what is rightful their. He wanted to defeat all the European before they all fall, like their ancestor did. They must take action before it is too late to do anything that will ensure their survival. That the difference in the two cultures may have led to some problems that almost lead to the complete destruction of the Native Americans. There is no way this situation could have been avoided unless the Native Americans refuse to help the Europeans their first few months in the New World. Works Cited Bart. Sir Francis B. Head. Descriptive Essays. London. John Murray. 1857. http://books.google.com/books?id=eVUCAAAAQAAJ&pg=PA353&lpg=PA353&dq=%22the+great+spirit+made+us+all%22+essay&source=web&ots=7Iwnyz0lfS&sig=i80mQboa-UlQwrETqir4MF4zUGI#PPA352,M1 Bradford, William. â€Å"Of Plymouth Plantation.† The American Tradition in Literature. Perkins, George. Boston. McGraw Hill. 2007. 50-64 Edmunds, R. David. â€Å"Tecumseh, The Shawnee Prophet, and American History: A Reassessment.† Western Historical Quarterly 14.3 (July 1983): 261-276 Ganter, Granville. â€Å"Battles of Rhetoric: Oratory and Identity in Cooper’s Last of the Mohicans.† Aug 1997. James Fenimore Cooper Society Website. 9 Oct 2007. http://external.oneonta.edu/cooper/articles/ala/1997ala-ganter.html Red Jacket. â€Å"The Great Spirit Has Made Us All.† The American Tradition in Literature. Perkins, George. Boston. McGraw Hill. 2007. 553-554 Tecumseh. â€Å"The White Men Are Not Friends to the Indians.† The American Tradition in Literature. Perkins, George. Boston. McGraw Hill. 2007. 556-557 Unknown. Tecumseh and the Quest for Indian Leadership. Boston: Little Brown, 1984