The Interaction Between Europeans and Native Americans Essay Example for Free

The Interaction Between Europeans and Native Americans Essay The colonization of America by Europeans resulted in the demand for a sea route to India, which was the source of silk and spices, products that had a high commercial value in the Old Continent. While sailing westward, Europeans intersected with the first habitants of New World, the Native Americans. Between the fifteenth and nineteenth centuries, Native Americans saw their populations devastated by the loss of their land and animals, from diseases and war. The first Native American group encountered by Christopher Columbus was enslaved. Europeans also brought with them diseases to which Native Americans had no immunity. The fusion of Native Americans and Europeans during the years of settlement was also marked by the differences between their concepts of religion, gender relation, land possession, and freedom. Religion and beliefs of Native Americans were based on nature. They organized religious ceremonies around hunting and farming. Spiritual power was an important concept among this group of people. For Indians, everything was merely connected by a spiritual power such as the wind, water, animals and trees. In addition, they used to elaborate religious ceremonies which helped to define the leaders of the tribe. Native Americans definitely had an extremely strong spiritual belief. Contrasting to Indians, Europeans were skeptics about this intense spiritual religion. Although settlers admired the strong beliefs of Indians upon nature, they concluded that Indians had to be converted to the true religion, the Christian. Moreover, settlers used to follow a hierarchy system with God above everyone.. For settlers, religion meant to leave the life of sin to embrace the teaching of Christ. In most of the Indian communities, the gender connections were also not similar to the Europeans. The family decided how the women’s lives would be by creating a premarital sexual relation with their husbands. Divorce was also acceptable. Nevertheless, the children always became a member of the mother’s family. Moreover, Indians men could have only one wife and they could never marry their close relatives. In contrast, under the European rules of marriage, there wasn’t a pre decided marriage like in Native American’s life. The power was mostly centered in the hands of the men who were also the property controllers. Women were not considered independent. Indians had a respectful vision of land. Families were allowed to use the land, which didn’t mean that this family would actually own the land. They were aware that land is essential to economic benefit. On the other hand, for Europeans land was not just a place to extract natural resources, but also recompense, perhaps a symbol of the ambition of the voyage overseas. The land was divided according to the hierarchy structure Freedom seemed to be naturally a part of Indian life. Native Americans weren’t interested in living their lives under a government of rules; everyone was treated the same way. They had their own concept of freedom. Perhaps Native Americans concepts of freedom were based on the right of hunting, farming and making ceremonies. Unlike Indians, settlers lived under some rules established by a government. However, Europeans’ based their freedom according to the hierarchy system, liberty came from knowing one’s social place and accomplishing the duties appropriate to one’s rank. Their concepts of freedom meant an enjoyment of different rights and privileges available to a minority. Freedom meant formal, specific privileges such as exemption from taxation, self-government, the right to trade, royal decree or purchase. In conclusion, the intersection between Native Americans and Europeans during the years of settlement was a unique moment in the history of human being remarkable by the unawareness of cultures between two groups of people from distinguished continents. Settlers left their continent in order to enhance their power by exploring new lands. Their destination wasn’t exactly where they were looking for. However, they found a New World habituated by wild people that had uncommon customs. A revolutionary moment in human’s history was getting started.