One of the differences between the Native Americans and the Europeans was from the general perspective about life. For example, the Native Americans were present-oriented while Europeans were future-oriented (Carpenter, 2012). On this note, the Native Americans were concerned about their land and what belonged to them. To this end, the invasion by the Europeans was seen as an attempt to exploit and deny them what was rightfully theirs. On the other hand, the Europeans were mostly concerned about how they would establish their lives in the colonies, create, and develop their new land including the accumulation of wealth.
The Native Americans were not time-conscious. On their part, Europeans were time conscious. It is critical to note that in the olden days, most tribes did not have a word for time because it was relative (Carpenter, 2012). For example, residents would know that the time of picking berries had arrived when the sun was consistently up. However, unlike the Native Americans, the Europeans were using watches and clocks to tell the time. In this regard, they ensured that a certain amount of time would be set aside for specific tasks.
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Table of Comparison between Native Americans and Europeans
|
Native Americans |
Europeans |
| Present-oriented | Future-oriented |
| Less time conscious | Time conscious |
| Giving | Saving |
| Cooperation | Competition |
| Traditional religious practices | Mostly Christianity. |
Additionally, the Native Americans believed in giving. According to them, they knew that for one to be respected in the society, it was advisable to give. As such, any individual who hoarded would be watched with distrust (Carpenter, 2012). Therefore, it was better to give than to receive. On the other hand, the Europeans believed in saving. For them, a respected person was the one who saved. For example, they considered education as an investment into the future, thus encouraging their society to save.
On the issue of religion, the Native Americans practiced traditional religious beliefs such as Buddhism. On their part, Europeans were overwhelmingly Christians and among other objectives, wished to convert Native Americans to Christians. Finally, unlike the Europeans, the Native Americans were more concerned on cooperating amongst themselves as opposed to competing (Carpenter, 2012). Indeed, cooperation was considered as essential and healthy. Therefore, members of the society would be discouraged to stand out, since that would be a way of showing off. For the Europeans, though they cooperated, the competition was encouraged since it was seen as a way of trying to achieve the best out of life.
References
Carpenter, D. B. (2012). Early Encounters: Native Americans and Europeans in New England.
From the Papers of W. Sears Nickerson . East Lansing: Michigan State University Press.
