The Relationships Between Europeans and Native Americans

Introduction 

The purpose of the research is to demonstrate the impact of the Europeans to the Native Americans life . The Europeans influenced the aboriginal’s culture, technology, and warfare. Europeans had advanced knowledge in diverse fields which would prove significant to the Native people. The new weapons and means of transportation enhanced the efficiency of hunting and movement of goods. The Europeans improved the farming practices of the Natives by promoting efficiency and the size of production. The Native Americans had not learned of critical vaccines and were hence affected by the disease brought by the Europeans. However, the Europeans brought diverse knowledge that improved the lives of the Natives. In the process, the Europeans also learnt how to grow certain crops, to identify medicinal plants and a number of words that are used in English communication today. From the text, it will be visible that European promoted civilization and the gradual introduction of globalization through their contact with the Native Americans. Although the aboriginals had established a sustainable culture, they needed the interaction with the European to step up their lives and interaction with the world. 

European and Native Americans Influence 

Technology 

Both the Native Americans and the Europeans were civilised societies but at different levels. The European technology seems to be superior to that of the aboriginals. They had better weapons, efficient means of transportation, and the ability to make the finished product efficiently. The trade and the interactions helped the aboriginals to obtain the technology from the Europeans. The aboriginals, on the other hand, needed to enhance the efficiency of their economic activities. There was a high demand for fur from the Europeans. New weapons, especially the guns were superior and more accurate, which enhanced the conventional practices of the aboriginals such as farming, hunting and gathering and fishing 1 . The new technology promoted hunting and helped to increase the amount of fur. In essence, the Europeans were able to supply to their high demand for fur in Europe through investing their technology in the Native Americans. Although the Natives had resources, the Europeans had substantial skills which improved the value of the existing resources. 

The technology brought from Europe did not just enhance the economic activities of the aboriginal, but it also assisted in enhancing armor. The aboriginals were peaceful people, but some external forces, especially the colonialists, caused conflicts and warfare. The aboriginals felt that they needed to protect themselves from their aggressors but had inferior weaponry. The aboriginals obtained guns and an other assortment of weapons that enhanced their ability to protect themselves from the aggressors 2 . Much of the weaponry was exchanged during the major King Phillips war which is viewed as one of the bloodiest in America between the Natives and European. Before, the treaty, much of the Native American land had been destroyed by the Europeans. The events led to the Natives learning new skills in war and construction of weaponry. 

Foods and Medicine 

The aboriginals were farmers and made significant contributions to the kinds of foods that are consumed in different parts of the world. They cultivated many crops that were not common among the Europeans. They grew crops such as sweet potatoes, beans, cotton, rubber, corn, and tobacco 3 . The food was necessary for the Europeans, particularly the colonisers . The food acted as the source of energy. In essences, the Europeans also learnt how to grow most of these crops 4 . The Europeans introduced new skills and practices in farming. In exchange the aboriginals also learnt new methods of farming from the Europeans, especially using efficient equipment. The equipment was used for both farming and transport which improved the farming practices of the aboriginals 

The Europeans are blamed for the spread of many infections during the interactions with the aboriginals. A significant number of the infected Native Americans died because they did not have effective medicine. For instance, the aboriginals were very weak on diseases such as smallpox and chicken pox which led to most of their deaths 5 . On the other hand, the Europeans also carried diseases from America on their way back Europe. It is noted that diseases such as Syphilis were carried back to British by Columbus and his clique after their contact with the Native Americans 6 . The interaction between the Europeans and Native Americans influenced the spread of disease for each side. The Europeans were advanced with various vaccines due to their interaction with Asians before the Natives where they also carried many diseases. Thus, diseases such as chicken pox were tough for the Natives but not the Europeans which lead to the decrease of the Natives in number substantially. However, their interactions gradually led to the exchange of ideas and medicine reducing their mortality rate. 

Cultural Exchange 

When different races interact, there is a tendency for them to affect each other, especially regardin g new beliefs, values, and norms. The Europeans had a significant influence on the aboriginal’s culture 7 . The missionaries took advantage of the trade to interact with the aboriginals. While the aboriginals were religious, the Europeans perceived their way of worship to be inferior. As such, they sought to spread Christianity. During the colonial era, some locals were forced to convert to Christianity 8 . This was one of the factors that created a conflict between the locals and colonisers . Aboriginals valued their cultures, especially their traditional way of worship. Religion had an important role in the community, explaining why it was such an important social institution. Religion helped to foster solidarity among the communities. The community also believed that gods would protect them from different calamities including diseases, warfare, floods, among others. The religion also enhanced the feeling of community and interdependence. It promoted harmony and peaceful coexistence among the communities. The aboriginals valued humanity, equality, and justice. In fact, most of the values that define the United States today were learnt from aboriginals. Thus, the introduction of religion by the European substantially influenced the Native Americans. They could relate to some of the teachings based on their past cultural beliefs. It led to a significant influence on religion, Christianity including Catholicism. 

On their part, the aboriginals played an imperative role in contributing to the growth of the English language. Some of the words used in the English language today originated from the aboriginals. Examples of the words included chocolate, cougar, hammock, hurricane, mahogany, moose, opossum, potato, skunk, and squash. Indians were great sculptors and porters. They passed the knowledge to the Europeans and other cultures in the world. There were also expert painters among the aboriginals. They shared their expertise to the Europeans in exchange for other services and goods. Another area of cultural exchange was in the identification of plants used in the manufacture of dyes, soaps, baskets, and shelters. The aboriginals were experts when it came to matters of nature. However, they were impressed with the level of activity introduced by the Europeans. Despite the Europeans learning from the aboriginals, the Natives were eager to interact with the Europeans and learn most of their ways which seemed impressive and advanced. Also, the Europeans would often despise most of the ways adopted by the Natives by calling them barbaric and weird. 

Transportation 

Transportation was necessary because it helped to facilitate the movement of people and goods from one place to another. Movement among the aboriginals was slow, especially on land. In the waters, the movement was facilitated by the canoes, which were made of wood. An effective trade required a means of transport that increased the speed of movement of goods from one place to another. As aforementioned, there was a high demand for certain goods in European, especially fur and cotton. Industries needed to remain functional, which demanded an improvement in the transportation sector 9 . During the period of interaction, there was the exchange of animals which happened both intentionally and by chance. The exchange included cattle, pigs, sheep and horses what is usually referred to as the Columbian Exchange. The exchange led to the introduction of animals that were unknown to the native Americans. For instance, the Europeans and other Spaniards introduced horses that gradually increased in numbers. The Native Americans benefitted from the horses where they trained to ride hem and extended their nomadic distances for hunting. Also, they used the horses for carrying goods and pulling travois and where they were extensively used in the communities for trade and diverse activities such as wars 10 . The trade improved tremendously between the aboriginals and the Europeans as a result of new developments. The aboriginals leant new ways of living upon interaction with the Europeans promoting the ease of trading and expanding their territories. 

Conclusion 

To conclude the discussion, despite picking various traits from the aboriginals, the Europeans dominantly influenced the lives of the aboriginals upon first interaction. First, the Europeans advanced the technology of the aboriginals through the exchange of ideas allowing them to improve in hunting and gathering, fishing, farming, transportation and trading activities. Besides, both cultures engaged in an intense war that promoted the exchange of weapons and improvement in the manner with which the Native Americans protected themselves. A significant influence of the Europeans was the introduction of strange diseases unknown to the natives such as small pox that substantially reduced them in number allowing European domination. In this case, Europeans were able to spread much of their culture including Christianity to the Native Americans. In the process, they learned new skills from the aboriginals including terms that led to the creation of English words. Based on transportation, the Europeans introduced the horse, an animal that changes the life of the Natives once it became common. It was employed in diverse areas of life and improving the efficiency of activities during the period. In essence, it is evident that the Europeans substantially influenced the lives of the Native Americans promoting civilization and the form of living that gradually welcomed globalization. 

Bibliography 

Alexander, Henry. Travels and Adventures in the Years 1760-1776 , ed. M. M. Quaife (Chicago: R. R. Donnelley, 1921), pp. 43-45. 

Bourque, Bruce J. “ Evidence for Prehistoric Exchange on the Maritime Peninsula .” In Prehistoric Exchange Systems in North America, Timothy G. Baugh and Jonathon E. Ericson, eds., pp.23-46. New York: Plenum Press, 1994. 

Callender, John. A Historical Discourse on the Civil and Religious Affairs of the Colony of Rhode-Island and Providence Plantations in New England in America,1739 . Accessed through Early American Imprints online, American Antiquarian Society. 

Gamble, Lynn H. The Chumash World at European Contact: Power, Trade, and Feasting Among Complex Hunter-Gatherers . Berkeley: University of California Press, 2008. 

Francis, Pastorius. Circumstantial Geographical Description of Pennsylvania, 1700, including later letters to Germany; in Narratives of Early Pennsylvania , West New Jersey and Delaware, 1630-1707, ed. Albert Cook Myers (New York: Charles Scribner’s Son, 1912), pp. 384-385. 

Francis Louis Michel, Short Report of the American Journey . . ., 1702, in William J. Hinke, ed., trans., “Report of the Journey of Francis Louis Michel from Berne, Switzerland, to Virginia, October 2, 1701–December 1, 1702,” The Virginia Magazine of History and Biography 24:1-2 (January/April 1916), pp. 129-134. 

Lawson, John. A New Voyage to Carolina, 1709; full text in Documenting the American South , (University of North Carolina–Chapel Hill Library) at docsouth.unc.edu/nc/lawson/lawson.html. 

Lutz, John S. Makúk: A New History of Aboriginal-White Relations . Vancouver: UBC Press, 2008. 

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Statement to Phineas Stevens, Abenaki Conference of 1752 , Montreal, in John R. Brodhead, ed., Documents Related to the History of Colonial New York, 10 vols, 1853-1858; vol. 10, pp. 252-254. 

Wien, Thomas. “Selling beaver Skins in North America and Europe, 1720-1760: The Uses of fur Trade Imperialism.” Journal of the Canadian Historical Association , 1 1990: 293-317. 

Winterhalder, Bruce. “Gifts Given, Gifts Taken: The Behavioral Ecology of Nonmarket, Intragroup Exchange.” Journal of Archaeological Research 5 1997: 121-67 

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1 Gamble, Lynn. The Chumash World at European Contact: Power, Trade, and Feasting Among Complex Hunter-Gatherers . Berkeley: (University of California Press, 2008). 

2 . Statement to Phineas Stevens, Abenaki Conference of 1752 , Montreal, in John R. Brodhead, ed., Documents Related to the History of Colonial New York, 10 vols, 1853-1858; vol. 10, pp. 252-254. 

3 Bourque, Bruce J. “ Evidence for Prehistoric Exchange on the Maritime Peninsula .” In Prehistoric Exchange Systems in North America, Timothy G. Baugh and Jonathon E. Ericson, eds., pp.23-46. New York: (Plenum Press, 1994) 

4 Winterhalder, Bruce. “Gifts Given, Gifts Taken: The Behavioral Ecology of Nonmarket, Intragroup Exchange.” Journal of Archaeological Research 1997 . 121-67 

5 Francis Louis Michel, Short Report of the American Journey . . ., 1702, in William J. Hinke, ed., trans., “Report of the Journey of Francis Louis Michel from Berne, Switzerland, to Virginia, October 2, 1701–December 1, 1702,” The Virginia Magazine of History and Biography 24:1-2 (January/April 1916), pp. 129-134. 

6 Lawson, John. A New Voyage to Carolina , 1709; full text in Documenting the American South, (University of North Carolina–Chapel Hill Library) at docsouth.unc.edu/nc/lawson/lawson.html. 

7 Francis, Pastorius. Circumstantial Geographical Description of Pennsylvania, 1700, including later letters to Germany; in Narratives of Early Pennsylvania, West New Jersey and Delaware, 1630-1707, ed. Albert Cook Myers (New York: Charles Scribner’s Son, 1912), pp. 384-385. 

8 Gamble, Lynn. The Chumash World at European Contact: Power, Trade, and Feasting Among Complex Hunter-Gatherers. Berkeley: (University of California Press, 2008). 

9 Wien, Thomas. “Selling beaver Skins in North America and Europe, 1720-1760: The Uses of fur Trade Imperialism.” Journal of the Canadian Historical Association , 1 (1990): 293-317. 

10 Lutz, John. A New History of Aboriginal-White Relations. Vancouver: (UBC Press, 2008).