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The article Native Reactions to the Invasion of America by James Axtell is about multiple perspectives and reactions towards the Europeans’ American invasion. Axtell begins by pointing out the difference in the Colombian observations in 1892 and 1992. The author notes that in 1892, the Native Americans’ presence was unfelt as Columbus’s popularity declined. According to the author, the Native Americans only reacted to the European encounter.
The author maintains that the confrontations between Europeans and Indians were not simple. Each of the European colonies had a different approach to handling the Native Americans. The Native Americans belonged to other tribes, and each tribe dealt with the European invasion in diverse ways. The Europeans took advantage of the disunity among the native tribes to grab their land and exploit them. Most Indians attempted to maintain their tribal status quo by not essentially trying to defeat the Europeans. The author refers to the Native Americans as barbarians that acted enlightened. Axtell points out that Native Americans treated Europeans like gods.
The author explains that the Native Americans designed a similar language to the Europeans to communicate with Indians. However, some Europeans, mainly the Spanish, never wanted to learn a different language. Instead, they kidnaped Indians and took them to Spain to teach them their local language and have translators. Translators were essential for the Europeans because they needed to communicate with the natives while conducting business.
The Indians who learned well and became good translators were willing to help. Therefore, they were well treated because of their essential role. Accordingly, they felt their importance and dedicated themselves to offering their translation services. Still, some were disrespected and poorly treated and consequently taught their native tribes how to purchase products at cheaper costs. The mistreatment of translators further pointed to the Europeans’ exploitation, even for natives that served them.
During the East Coast colonies’ establishment, the Indians knew what good and bad things the Europeans could do. When the British first encountered the Indians, they felt that some Indians were aggressive. As the British landed, they brought with them deadly diseases, for instance, measles and smallpox. These diseases spread very rapidly in several Native American tribes. The author argues that the Indian treatment approaches made these diseases spread faster and more challenging to treat. Before the Europeans showed the Indians how to treat these diseases, many Indians had already lost their lives.
As the population of some tribes began to decline, most of them attempted several ways of reviving their population. For instance, they took prisoners from other tribes and incorporated them into their tribes. Mostly, the prisoners took the jobs of the deceased members of the tribe they got assimilated into and blended accordingly. The tribes that adopted prisoners did not set any significant rules because they needed to expand their generations. As a result, the tribes readily welcomed the prisoners as their people. The final strategy for some native tribes involved relocating to a different tribe regardless of whether they were friendlies or rivals. The author also explains that some tribes opted to move nearer to selected Europeans, especially the French. For instance, the Quebec establishment in 1608 resulted in multiple Native Americans moving to town to trade.
The outcome was that the Indians depended on the European trade. The author explains various ways in which the Indians dealt with European traders. One strategy that the Native Americans used against Europeans was prompting competition among them. The Europeans could trade in two rival towns as Indians inoffensively reaped the profits of reduced commodity prices. The Native Americans wanted the Europeans goods and had to improvise a strategy of acquiring them. Therefore, the Native Americans sold their land to the Europeans to clear their debts and purchase products at the Europeans’ stores. However, when the natives sold their land, in most cases, there arose disputes among the Native Americans regarding who legitimately owned the land. For instance, Cherokees and Creeks often confronted each other concerning the land ownership issue.
The confrontation between Cherokees and Creeks further weakened the unity of the native tribes and made them more vulnerable to exploitation. However, the Delawares sold their land while they secured their homeland for long periods. Eventually, the Indians started joining the Europeans as they learned their customs. Some Indian families sent their children to European schools to learn mathematics to become better traders. Some Native American wives accompanied their partners to the Europeans’ businesses to earn money by selling baskets.
According to Axtell, the Indians committed cultural suicide when they decided to join the Europeans. The Europeans had committed atrocities in native America, and the local tribes were already suffering from their invasion. Therefore, it was illogical for Indians to join them even though they were business-oriented. Axtell gives various reasons to substantiate this claim, such as diseases that ravaged the Indian tribe, which prompted them to move in an attempt to remain in business. As a result, the Indians had to stay with their ancient community or trade with the Europeans. The Indians viewed joining the Europeans as a better option because they would acquire knowledge and power. Language and mathematical knowledge appealed to the Indians because they would empower themselves to trade and generate more profits.
The native tribes that did not relocate from their homeland were unorganized. Each tribe continued practicing its beliefs and lived according to its rules. However, after realizing that it was time for a change, they felt they needed to do something. Unfortunately, it was extremely challenging for these tribes to unite and assist each other. Nonetheless, the stronger and braver tribes attacked the Europeans to defend their land. However, the rising European power eventually took the land of these tribes. Most Indians faced severe challenges after losing their land as they turned homeless.
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