Responses of Indigenous Religions to European Colonialism - Essay Example

Responses of Indigenous Religions to European Colonialism Introduction Indigenous religion asserts the identity of a community and its social and cultural ethics. It is formed by a specific community and practicing the religion is often a prerequisite of belonging to the community. However, indigenous relation does not preclude adoption of elements from other religions and nor does it prevent spreading of the religious norms to other religious groups. The popularity of such religions exists even in the twenty first century like in America indigenous religions are still practiced although they are strongly influenced by foreign religions like Christianity. Robert M. Baum in his essay has explored the responses of indigenous religions to European Colonialism. Indigenous religions often feel their identity is at stake when they fail to connect with their traditions and culture. This happens more because of their inability to resist diseases brought by foreign invaders. There are also cases where the indigenous people are forced to abandon their cultural heritage as their children are sent to schools where they are compelled to embrace foreign culture (Walle, 2008, p.4). During the fifteenth century Europe was a poor country with undeveloped technological skills, and the global powers were in the hands of the Middle Eastern countries and Asia. There were many factors that induced the Europeans to expand beyond their boundaries like new social developments, religion and avarice. Among the many lands invaded by the Europeans, in America they were most successful. The main reason was that Native Americans did not have resistance powers to the European diseases which forced them to surrender to Europeans’ military power (Nanda & Warms, 2013, p.331). With expansion of Europe in the eighteenth century, many indigenous religions lost their identity to integrate into Christianity (Baum, 2012, p.65). Indigenous responses to European Colonialism in America In America, the result of European imperialism erupted into disastrous results. The major reason was the diseases carried by the Europeans inside the country to which the indigenous people were severely vulnerable. It was estimated that the total population of America which stood at 80 million was drastically reduced by three-quarters in the hundred years following Columbus’ arrival. The outcome was even more severe in Central Mexico where the population was reduced by 95 percent in the sixteenth century. By 1890, almost 90 percent of the American land was seized from the Native Americans and captured by foreign invades mostly of European origin. Moreover, the animals which were an important source of sustenance for the Americans also faced annihilation by way of fur trade and animal sport hunting (Baum, 2012, p.70). In the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, it was the Iroquois Confederacy that dominated the Eastern Woodlands Area from Quebec in the East to the Midwestern US. Many indigenous communities like “the Cayuga, Mohawk, Oneida, Onondaga, Seneca and Tuscarora” (Baum, 2012, p.70) combined their military power and were successful in keeping away the foreign invaders like the French, Dutch and the British. These communities earned their living from extended fur trade. However, their strength had come down when the New France fell in 1763 and much of North America came under the exclusive control of the British. When America was liberated from British rule in 1783, the Indians in the country became vulnerable after losing British protection. The fur trade lost its profitability by 1800, and the formerly powerful Iroquois were forced to remain in small reserves where they were finally defeated by “disease, alcoholism and despair” (Baum, 2012, p.70). One such example was Handsome Lake (belonging to Seneca community) who witnessed the decline of America and fur trade. Once he lost consciousness and was believed to be dead. He later revived to claim that he met three angels who taught him to redefine his life and spread the values of Iroquois religion. Inspired by the angels, the followers of Iroquois worshipped Tarachaiwagon who supposedly had sent the three angels. After two months, a fourth angel took Handsome Lake on a trip to Heaven and Hell where he learnt to distinguish between good in the form of white men like George Washington and Jesus, and evil in the form of prisons, handcuffs and hangman’s noose all of which symbolized Euro-American penal system (Baum, 2012, p.70). Through these angels’ messages he learnt the norms of moral behavior. In Hell he saw people subjected to torture as they had indulged in alcoholism and other European sins, while in Heaven he witnessed profusion, bright spring and joyous people. In his dream, Jesus instructed him to enact the role of the Creator and accordingly preach to his people. Thus the influence of European Christianity was clear in many indigenous religions of America although they refused to acknowledge themselves as Christians. With the proliferation of European invaders in the traditional Indian territories, the Native prophets induced the freedom hungry people to resist the foreigners. Thus the American-Indians formed economic and military fortifications against the Europeans (Porterfield, 2006, p.71). In a book known as Gaiwiio, Handsome Lake preached the differences between good and evil. He discouraged his people from indulgence in four evil elements like “whiskey, witchcraft, love magic and abortion or anti-fertility medicines” (Baum, 2012, p.71). He also urged his people to redesign their lives and establish an effective relationship with Tarachaiwagon. He managed to convert the perspectives of the Iroquois from “complimentary dualism to conflict dualism” (Baum, 2012, p.71) strongly influenced by Christianity. Along with his half-brother, Chief Cornplanter, Handsome Lake managed to garner a large number of followers. Although some of his practices were rejected by the Iroquois like alcoholism and witchcraft since they were considered as evil, his promotion of farming made life convenient in the new nation-states of Canada and the US (Baum, 2012, p.71). Almost a hundred years after the Iroquois were banished from their land, a similar fate occurred with the Lakota of the Northern Plains. The US Congress passed a Treaty with the promise to provide the Lakota with a huge territory of fertile land and streams. Six years after this treaty was approved, in 1874 the Lakota permitted gold diggers to make their fortune in the sacred territory of the Black Hills. It was in the Battle of Big Horn in 1876 General George Armstrong Custer experienced the worst defeat in the history of the American Indians. A group of Sioux was forced to take shelter in the territory which is modern day Saskatchewan outside the borders of America. After experiencing food crisis for four years, they were compelled to return to the US to surrender. However, the original promise made by the Congress was never fulfilled. The children were forced to abandon their own language and culture, and adapt to Euro-American Christianity. In the 1880s, the US Congress established laws that prohibited traditional healing process of the Lakota which included Sun Dance to seek the blessings of sun god, and a ritual known as Keeping of the Soul which allowed them to maintain a bonding with their deceased ancestors (Baum, 2012, p.71). Conclusion The European imperialism in America and Africa differed because of the degree of resistance powers from the natives of each country. In Africa, the goal of the Europeans was not to establish settlements like they did in America or Australia. While in America they focused on removing the indigenous people to capture their lands, in Africa they had different strategy. They integrated the Native Africans in their military regiments to maintain their empires. Another point of difference was the issue of vulnerability to disease. In America, the natives were exposed to European diseases and without any resistance power a major chunk of the population succumbed to the diseases. On the other hand, in Africa the European invaders were exposed without resistance power to endemic diseases like malaria, yellow fever and dysentery (Baum, 2012, p.66). References Baum, R. M. (2012) “Indigenous Traditions.” 28-79, In A Concise Introduction to World Religions, 2nd ed., eds. Oxtoby, Willard G. & Alan F. Segal. Oxford Univ. Press Nanda, S & Warms, R. (2013), Cultural Anthropology, Cengage Learning Porterfield, A. (2006). The Protestant Experience in America, Greenwood Publishing Group Walle, A. H.(2008), Recovery the Native Way, Information Age Publishing Read More