Conflict of European Culture with Local culture - Essay Example

Native Culture in Conflict with European Culture Just about everywhere they go in any time period theychoose to go there, representatives of the European culture, whether they are actually from a European nation or simply from a developed one such as America, come into serious conflict with the native cultures they find upon arriving. This conflict, though not the fault of the natives, nevertheless ends up having negative effects upon the native population, often including a lower standard of living, theft of social status and generations of oppression. Despite the European belief that this was due to superior intelligence, the truth remains that it was deception, not intelligence, which gained them superiority. These conflicts do not occur in religions alone, but in lifestyles, social constructs, art forms and foundational ideologies. Often, language barriers only contribute further to the misunderstandings that have occurred between the Europeans and the natives as Europeans become blind to any societal differences that may exist, tending to lump all groups together under one enemy heading. All of these factors contributed to the clash that occurred between European settlers and American Indian tribes throughout the colonizing years. Many of the Indian nations lived nomadic lifestyles upon the arrival of the white man on the North American continent. While they didn’t wander aimlessly about the plains, they did move from place to place within a generally defined area as the plants and animals ripened or moved. “Men continued to hunt, but the economic burden had shifted to women. Aside from their role as companion and mother, their foraging and gathering made them the principal providers. And as the woman’s economic role became more central, her status and sociopolitical power increased” (Thomas et al, 2001: 39). This reliance on women and women’s knowledge led to several changes in the lifestyles and ideologies of the Indians that were not reflected in the primarily stationary, male-dominated world of the Europeans. To begin with, the Indians had a greater respect and appreciation for their women and expected women to take an active role in the welfare of the camp. Even as late as the 1800s, when many tribes had already been forced onto reservations or into more stationary roles, women retained much of this respect. Discussing how the women’s suffrage movement, it was reported how activist Matilda Joslyn Gage took inspiration from the tribes just to the south of her home. “Gage saw how women were treated with respect, how they passed on clan names to children and preserved ceremonies and traditions, and how they gardened and worked in comfortable clothing as compared to the restrictive corsets women felt compelled to wear in the cities. And, most importantly, Native American women helped choose their leaders” (O’Keefe, 2005). Although the roles described here fit in close harmony with the roles of the women living in European homes, the attitudes underlying them were significantly different, as is evidenced in the concept that women took an active role in selecting future tribe leaders, the comfort of their dress and the equal importance of their clan names rather than being subsumed under the names of their husbands. By contrast, women in European society had very strictly defined roles as one of the possessions of her husband. Although women in colonial America often worked right next to their husbands in rural settings, the epitome of the European culture, and the period in which it held the most sway on American soil, was during the Victorian age when industrialized areas made it possible for men to go to work and women to return to the home. However, even in these early periods, the colonists retained their ideas regarding the ‘proper’ place for a woman. “Women were considered to be the ‘weaker vessels’, not as strong physically or mentally as men and less emotionally stable. Legally they could not vote, hold public office nor participate in legal matters on their own behalf, and opportunities for them outside the home were frequently limited. Women were expected to defer to their husbands and be obedient to them without question” (Sage, 2006). The rules imposed here indicate the lack of a similar respect to that of the Native Americans for fully half of the population, presenting a culture incomprehensible to the Indians who could not conceive of such ostracism or extreme control. In addition to their changed social attitudes regarding gender roles, the nomadic lifestyle necessitated an alternative form of shelter for the Indian as compared to the European settler. Having evolved through thousands of years as hunter/gatherer societies, the Native Americans held a view of the land as a gift that did not belong to any one person, but rather to all of the people to share. They typically lived in tipis or other forms of housing that could be easily set up and easily dismantled. “[The tipi] was easily portable, and two women could set it up or take it down within an hour. On ceremonial occasions, the tipi camp was arranged in a great circle, with the ceremonial ‘medicine lodge’ in the center” (Finney, n.d.). Whether the homes were portable as in the tipi, temporary as in the wickiups of the Great Basin area or more permanent as they were for the Anasazi, most of the homes were communally inhabited with several familiar sharing a single unit. These living arrangements were completely foreign to the arrangements established for centuries within the European civilization. Colonists coming over from the European nations were more accustomed to the large manor houses of the lords as they supervised the surrounding countryside they also claimed as theirs, but which the lesser population worked. In each case, however, single families lived in individual shelters. It was this tradition that was brought across the sea and established within the first colonies. “English colonies closely mirrored housing fashions of England although they were 50 years behind” (“Colonial House Styles”, 2006). For many Indians, living in log cabins or other types of permanent dwellings was completely foreign to them. For others, who had already been accustomed to living in permanent structures, the concept of a chimney for the fireplace represented a great shift in architecture as the concept of a single family home often took many by surprise. Finally, through their close relationship with the land, Native American peoples had developed a complex ideological stance that involved intricate relationships with animal spirits and the spirits of the ancestors. Mother Earth was there to provide them with support and the Great Spirit father was there to be sure everything remained in its proper place as well as to send spirit guides to his people. Like their lifestyles, the religious traditions of these tribes were frequently only generally defined and understood, but nevertheless had their own ceremonies and religious leaders, often termed shamans. “While each tribe’s unique environment impacted their belief systems in a different way, […] there is little evidence of a separation between the natural and the supernatural in any of the religions discussed. It can be said that Native American cultures were characterized by an intimate relationship with nature. This relationship was explained in terms of the supernatural and was experienced at the subjective level” (Ruvolo, n.d.). While not all Europeans coming to the new world practiced Christian traditions, most had at least some experience with the basic tenants involved and were able to form a connection based on these ideas. “It served as common ground on which white settlers could stand together in the struggle for survival in the wilderness of the New World. Whatever differences there were between denominations were insignificant when compared to the differences between the white European Christianity and their counterparts on the continent, the resident Native Americans” (Ruvolo, n.d.). It was on these grounds especially where the Native Americans, who felt their beliefs on a fundamental core level, could not agree with the new people that had come from over the sea, with their concepts of evil and sin, concepts that had generally not entered the spirituality of the natives thus far. Because the natives had not conceived of sin or evil, the colonists felt it necessary to educate them on these points. Whether one was discussing physical means of making a living, social conditions regarding appropriate gender roles or spiritual matters of the mind, the native civilization was destined to clash almost entirely with the systems brought over by the European colonists. This pattern could be traced through most of the colonized world as Europeans entered, bringing their own thoughts and ideas, including the concept of themselves as the superior race. With this concept in mind, any traditions, beliefs or solutions found or developed by the indigenous people of a region were patently ignored as the invading population struggled to enforce their ideals upon these ‘savage’ peoples. Works Cited “Colonial House Styles and Examples.” Old Houses.com. (2006). Copley Internet Systems. December 3, 2006 < http://www.oldhouses.com/styleguide/colonial-houses.htm> Finney, Dee. “Native American Housing.” Great Dreams. (n.d.). December 3, 2006 O’Keefe, Tim. “Roles of Native American Women Highlighted at Symposium.” Colgate University. (September 23, 2005). December 3, 2006 Ruvolo, David. “A Summary of Native American Religions.” The American Religious Experience. (n.d.). December 3, 2006 < http://are.as.wvu.edu/ruvolo.htm> Sage, Henry J. “Women in Colonial America.” Sage History. (2006). December 3, 2006 < http://www.sagehistory.net/colonial/topics/women.htm> Thomas, David Hurst. The Native Americans: An Illustrated History. New York: JB Press, 2001. Read More