The cultural and biological exchanges between the Europeans and the native people can be categorized as some prosperous and some tragic.
The first positive exchange that occurred prior to the colonization of the New World was in the form of trade. The early explorers who were looking for nautical paths to the Indies found trade opportunities with the natives of the Americas. This trade benefited both sides with the exchange of goods and natural resources. This also sparked the mercantile and shipping industries for the Europeans. The next positive exchange between the two civilizations was that of domesticated animals. The European introduction of animals such as pigs, sheep, and cattle help to establish colonies and farm lands as well as introduce Native Americans to the concept of livestock for their population to utilize. The major domesticated animal of significant importance would have been the horse. A long time symbol of Indian culture, the horse was practically extinct from the western hemisphere. However with the arrival of the Spanish in the South American region the horse was re-introduced to the Americas. In addition the exchange of crops and agricultural practices between the two cultures was a positive outcome for both civilizations. The natives introduced the Europeans to crops that flourish and were able to be kept for longer periods of time after harvesting such as corn. The Europeans introduced new crops such as sugar and bananas. The Europeans learned agricultural management techniques that made the best use of their land without depleting the soil of its vital nutrients.
The Essay on Europeans Vs Native Americans
One huge shift in history happened around the late 1400's when a slightly well known man by the name of Christopher Columbus came across what is now known as North America. Columbus actually thought he had found a new and shorter route to the West Indies. When this was announced, the news spread like wildfire and it was not soon after that, other countries began to send their own explorers. It was ...
The positive exchanges between the Europeans and the natives were far more overshadowed by the negative results that still stain American history to this day.
Of these negative exchanges the most impactful was the introduction of new diseases from the Europeans to the Native Americans. These new diseases were the major contributing factor in the subjugation and annihilation of many native cultures. With no immunities to these new diseases the native population dwindled down and millions died. This allowed for an easier conquest for the Europeans of a land they felt was free for the taking. European exploration of wealth and prosperity lead to brutal conquest and extinction of entire native populations. During the Spanish conquest of the southern Americas many ancient civilizations were destroyed. Thus the Spanish destroyed much evidence of their existence and hindered the ability to learn more of these ancient civilizations such as the Mayans, Incas, and the Aztecs. A strong labor force was needed by the Europeans for colonization and mining. This need for labor made the Europeans overlook human dignity and forced many natives into slave labor or indentured servitude. The native people were not new to the ideology of slavery, in fact many of the native cultures did practice some form of slavery as well. With the problem of finding native laborers the Europeans began looking elsewhere for laborers and thus the commercialization and importation of slaves from Africa became standard practice.
The belief that all exchanges between the two cultures were all good or all bad would be naive. The simple truth is that exchanges between the two would change the face of the New World. Most native cultures were exterminated either by accident or by force. The ability of each culture to share in technology and agriculture tells much of the human spirit. Some exchanges did show the dark side of mankind with the use of indentured and slave labor. These actions would set the course for decades of harsh and brutal treatment of those who were deemed savages or underprivileged. None the less the exchanges that took place between the natives and Europeans would change the New World for good and bad.
The Essay on Native American Storytelling Culture trickster Stories
Native American Storytelling Culture (Trickster stories) The character of Trickster in the Native American Storytelling is very difficult to define or categorize. Even though it appears in myths of many countries of the world, Native American culture has the most pronounced presence of Trickster both as a beloved, feared and revered figure. He is usually portrayed as having some features of both ...
