Introduction
The purpose of the research is to demonstrate the relationship between the Europeans and Native Americans, mainly how they learnt from one another. The Europeans influenced the aboriginal’s culture, technology, and warfare. The new weapons and means of transportation enhanced the efficiency of hunting and movement of goods. The Europeans learnt how to grow certain crops, to identify medicinal plants and a number of words that are used in English communication today.
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, more efficient means of transportation, and the ability to make the finished product at ease. The trade and the interactions helped the aboriginals to obtain the technology from the Europeans. As hunters and gatherers, the aboriginals 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 hunting activities 1 . The new technology promoted hunting and helped to increase the amount of fur. There was a high demand for fur in Europe explaining why it was essential to facilitate the hunting activities.
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Technology did not just help in enhancing the economic activities of the aboriginal, but it also assisted in promoting protection. 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. Through trade and interactions with the Europeans, the aboriginals obtained guns and an other assortment of weapons that enhanced their ability to protect themselves from the aggressors 2 . In fact, during the first and second world war, some aboriginals volunteered to fight for the United States. They played an instrumental role, especially in providing a new secret code of communication that was difficult for the enemy to know. Therefore, the new technology helped native America to have a different approach to have a different strategy on warfare.
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. The Europeans also learnt how to grow most of these crops 4 . In exchange the aboriginals also learnt new methods of farming from the Europeans, especially using more efficient equipment.
The Europeans are blamed for the spread of many infections during the interactions with the aboriginals. A significant number of the infected Europeans died because they did not have effective medicine. The aboriginal, on the other hand, had more knowledge on traditional medicine, especially the use of medicinal plants 5 . There were experts who were regarded as the medicine men. They knew different herbs and their effectiveness in the treatment of different ailments. The knowledge and experience in traditional medicine helped the Europeans to improve their health and survival 6 . The Europeans, especially the colonisers, were able to reduce the mortality rates. The interacts with the locals supported the Europeans to know the medicinal plants, how to prepare medicine, and to prescribe.
Cultural Exchange
When different races interact, there is a tendency for them to affect each other, especially in terms of 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.
On their part, the aboriginals played an imperative role in contributing to the growth of the English language. Most of the words used in the English language today actually originated from the aboriginals. Some 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.
Other fundamental issues were the environmental conservation. The aboriginals played an imperative role in fostering the protection of nature, something that the Europeans took a keen interest in learning. Aboriginals hunted what they thought was useful to them. They did not kill animals that they did not need. They valued the environment since it was their source of livelihood. The Europeans learnt the environmental conservation tips from the aboriginals and how to live in harmony with nature.
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 . To facilitate movement of goods, the Europeans provided new locomotives. The discovery of wheels in the more industrialised counties, particularly in European help to make simple vehicles. The vehicles helped the aboriginals to move their goods from one place to another at ease 10 . The trade improved tremendously between the aboriginals and the Europeans as a result of new developments. Better and more superior boats also facilitated the movement of goods in water. The aboriginal’s leant new ways of making more efficient boats to promote trade and movement of people.
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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).
