Cultural Differences Between Europeans And Native Americans

When the settlers of Europe first came to the new world, they were introduced to the Native Americans. The settlers wanted the Natives to follow their culture and its benefits such as education, religion, and the usage of the environment. The Native Americans refused the request, stating they have their own type of culture, believing it to be the most superior; as a result, the Natives’ statement angered the ethnocentric settlers. Consequently, this caused a conflict between the two groups because of their culture differences. Firstly, the main culture difference consists of religion, tradition, and way of living.

As the song goes, "In 1492,in fourteen ninety two, Columbus sailed the ocean blue." Before Christopher Columbus sailed to the New World, the Native Americans knew it as their home. Soon after Columbus reported back to let all of Europe know that he successfully found land, European settlers quickly followed. Every tribe was one of it 's kind, yet their cultures shared the importance of their religious practices, beliefs, and values . The Native Americans were generally very peaceful people, that is, until the Europeans invaded their land and forced them to fight back.

Other common stereotypes that have been used negatively to describe Native Americans are the following ones: All Indigenous people are alcoholics; Native Americans are lazy or all Native Americans live in reservations; just a few to mention. Native Americans have also been seen as “nomads”. The reason of this perception is, some of the Euro-Americans believed that Indians wandered aimlessly as hunters and gatherers. The consequence of this perception, was that Europeans occupied the space with the excuse of Indians did not used the lands for any productive purpose. But what people does not know is the following “All Indians, even the Labrador hunters, the tribes of the Buffalo-covered plains, and the Eskimos, lived in villages.

Native Americans had been a part of the New World way before the settlers ever made their way to America. One of the larger groups of Native Americans discussed during this time frame was The Iroquois. The Native Americans learned new things from the colonist. They learned new ways of doing things along with the settlers advanced technology that they brought with them. However, all was not always good between the groups.

Contacts between the Native Americans and the Europeans brought changes to the American Indian societies through three ways. First, since the Spaniards established their settlements by taking over American Indians land, they lived with the Native Americans that survived during the war. As a result, this caused a formation of many different mixed societies. For instance, when the Taino women began to marry Spanish men, they produced a mixed society called the mestizos. After a generation, the Tainos were evolved into another group, and they were no longer distinct as a people or group.

Most people would define wealth as the accumulation of some sort of precious possessions or just plain money. However, like most terms, wealth can be observed as a completely different or foreign concept in another cultural/social group. At this time, two cultural groups, the American Indians and the American English settlers, began to interact more frequently for various purposes such as the purchasing of land. Nevertheless, the concept of wealth and property had been so dissimilar between the two societies that misunderstandings were not unfamiliar to them and frequent disagreements occurred. Fueled by differing understandings and perceptions of wealth and property, a clash between the American Indians and the American English colonists… During the early colonization of America, the accumulation of property was often the definition of one’s wealth and power for the English colonists.

The cultural differences and control over resources between Native Americans and Americans led to a long journey of Native Americans relocating west due to their land being illegally confiscated from them. The overgrowing population of Americans was the cause of the unjust and inhumane treatment of Native Americans in order for them rapidly expand their culture. Still, Native Americans continued to protect their common title of their land and preserve their existence until thousands of them were forced to move west because Americans didn’t follow through with their agreements, taking away their nation and their spirits. “Both congress and the states were eager to make the lands of western tribes available to American citizens, but none had

Joandra Silva HIST-1302.V05 and V06 Native American resistance All the way through history, different forms existed used by colonizers to deteriorate the cultural individualities of Native Americans in order to integrate them into society. Up to 1924 the Indian Citizenship Act gave them the same privilege, economic prominence and educational opportunities than others in the Unites States. Even with this, Native Americans shaped different routes of plans to express their uniqueness proving the unsuccessful standard of assimilation. Natives sustained changes due to the arrival of the Europeans.

Tradition is the customs or beliefs that has been pass on to generation to generation. Native American have their own tradition such as when they trade, it meant a welcome gift or a way to gain relationship. However, the European trade and their material goods had a negative impact on their lives because they slowly lost their identity. While Native Americans was adapting to the Europeans’ homes, they did not noticed that they are started to becoming them. For example, in chapter 3, All Stuff of Life, Calloway stated that; “Archaeologists excavating eighteenth-century sites in the eastern united states often find it difficult to determine whether a settlement was Indian or European on the basis of the material unearthed.”

While still in the United States, Native American tribes are considered sovereign countries. Tribes have their own system that tends to the needs on the reservation. This includes their own government structures, passing laws and ensuring they are enforced. When Native Americans were forced onto reservations, agreements were made between tribal leaders and government officials to ensure that Native Americans would be able to govern their own people, enabling each tribe to protect their distinctive cultural practices and identities. Yet with this distinct divide, many Native Americans do not get the same treatments and benefits that many others get in the dominant society.