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Introduction
English and Dutch settlers arrived on the East Coast in the early seventeenth century. In contrast to the Spaniards, they moved there to live with their labor, thus appearing harmless (Loewen 120). Many indigenous peoples welcomed them at first and even helped them, especially as trade with Europeans brought them firearms, iron implements, and other goods. Later, the mutual exchange of knowledge and goods turned into the exploitation of the indigenous peoples. Thus, the relationship between Native Americans and white settlers, as well as the perception of it, were more complex than often portrayed and should be explored.
The Interaction between Nations
After white people landed on the shores where the Native Americans lived, they tried to build their own lives there. The first Indian tribe to stand in the way of the civilization carried by the Puritan colonists was the Pequots of the association of the Wampanoag. This made the Pequots vulnerable to attack by the neighboring Narragansett tribe (Loewen 120). Therefore, their chief decided not to conflict with the inhabitants and, counting on their help, established peaceful relations with them, selling land to the foreigners and teaching them to cultivate it in the Indian way. Thus, their relationship was syncretic, with Native Americans sharing knowledge with white people and helping them adapt to new living conditions. They counted on Europeans to help them in times of war because they had better weapons. In the fall of 1621, the colonists raised a decent gathering, in honor of which they offered prayers to God (Loewen 139). The leader and the nine hundred tribesmen were invited to the festivities. A strong friendship between the Indians and the British settlers seemed to have been established.
The conflict between the Wampanoags and the Narragansetts escalated into an active phase. The Puritanical colonists intervened to aid their allies and repulsed the Narragansetts with firearms. This further consolidated the power of the chief, who gradually became more and more dependent on the support of white people. The rapprochement between the Wampanoag and the Europeans was facilitated by the strong trade relations established between them, which often degenerated into recourses siphoning and unfair exchanges (Loewen 142). Accordingly, at first, Native Americans and Europeans attempted to establish positive relations to benefit each other. However, later problems arose with the exploitation of Natives and the unfair exchange of goods (Loewen 129). At the same time, Europeans began to provoke conflicts between Native tribes to exterminate them and occupy their land.
It is important to note that white policy was aimed at discrediting Native Americans and creating negative images. As time passed, movies and books began to demonstrate the awfulness of Native Americans and made no mention of mutual cooperation (Loewen 143). Moreover, in the village of Pequots, it was the Europeans who demonstrated incredible violence in the war. And in historical retrospect, they portrayed this war as a struggle between two tribes of savages (Loewen 143). In this way, the myth was created that Native Americans were savage and uncivilized.
Conclusion
Therefore, Europeans and Native Americans first tried to coexist based on syncretic principles. However, later Europeans began to impose their rules and turn Native tribes’ lands into harvest places. They also provoked conflicts between the different tribes and stepped in on the side of one of them to demonstrate support. Although, in reality, in this way, they were trying to gain control of the people and the territory.
Work Cited
Loewen, James. Lies Across America: What Our Historic Sites Get Wrong. The New Press, 2019.
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