Loewen-Chapter-4

Page history last edited by Adamt 10 mos ago

Summary- Chapter 4: Red Eyes

This Chapter is about the Indians, who are the most-lied about subset of our history. In our textbooks, the Indians are always talked about from a white perspective, always thought of as “primitive” or “savage”. Loewen talks of the importance of teaching white children so that they begin to understand the Indian race and have “red eyes”. In most textbooks we are taught that Indians were a peaceful agricultural people, but they weren’t. They were not as peaceful as we are told and they were better hunters than they were agriculturally. Then the word “syncretism” is brought up, which means, according to Loewen on page 95, “…syncretism—blending elements of two different cultures to create something new.” This is a very important word, because it’s not discussed in any of the textbooks. A good example of syncretism is when the Spaniards gave the Indians horses; it changed who the Indians were. Soon, the Europeans began trading the Indians kettles, food, etc. for their meat and fur. The Indians started to look at life more from an European perspective, where they began to hunt mostly so that they would have to make baskets or grow food, they could just have it in a few seconds if they trade for one of the Europeans’ many items."Europeans persuaded Natives to specialize in the fur and slave trades. Native Americans were better hunters and trappers than Europeans, and with the guns the Europeans sold them, they became better still. Other Native skills began to atrophy" (103). The Indians even arranged so that their “government” was more like the Europeans’, by giving the chief more power, power which he had never in the past been able to have. It also became more male-dominated, changing what women in Indian culture had had for a long time. "..because whites "demanded institutions reflective of their own with which to relate," many Native groups strengthened their tribal governments... New confederations and nations developed.. The tribes also became more male- dominated, in imitation of Europeans.. [there was] an escalation of Indian warfare... [the slave trade helped] to deagriculturize Native Americans. To avoid being targets for capture, Indians abandoned their cornfields and their villages" (105-6). Soon there were tribes of Indians just going after other Indians to make them slaves, and then trade them to the whites for guns and such. But soon, as the Indians started needing the Europeans more and more, the Europeans didn’t need the Indians anymore. Which began many wars, that have been minimized greatly in textbooks. The chapter comes to the conclusion that civilization is the real "savage". "Did Europeans "civilize" the Americas? Actually, anthropologists tell us that "hunters and gatherers were relatively peaceful, compared to agriculturalists, and that modern societies were more warlike still. Thus violence increases with civilization" (101-2).

What is meant by the white children developing "red eyes"?

The white children were taught about the Native Americans. Native Americans were told to have red toned skin. When the white children were taught about their customs and life style they were said to be able to see red ways or have eyes for he red, also known as "red eyes". These “red eyes” were known as white people who understood and saw the points of view of the Native Americans and the effects of the European culture on their own Native American culture.

Why did giving the Native Americans horses change who they were??

By giving the Native Americans horses they were allowing them to have something that they did not have before. Horses changed everyday living for the Native Americans. Their later generations were changed by the introduction of horses. Hunting styles, life styles, and the abilities of the Native Americans changed. This changed the way they acted and who they were essentially.

Why did the Native Americans change their form of governing and what resulted from it?

The Native Americans looked up the Europeans who brought with them many new forms of trade and many new items not seen before by the Native Americans. The Native Americans enjoyed the way that the EEurpouropeans lived and decided that they wanted the same power and happiness. They gave more power to each tribe leader and thus lessened what little power their women held. Women held some power within tribes, however after the Europeans arrived the Native Americans saw how the women held power and decided to model their governing after the Europeans and take the power from the women. The influence of the Europeans on the Native American culture created changes that allowed for the Native American culture to never return to the way that it once was.

GLOSSARY

Louisianna Purchase- Americans made the Lousianna purchase to claim the land that belonged to the Native Americans. It was bought from the French to keep Eurocentric ideas alive. lsm.crt.state.la.us/cabildo/cab4.htm

American Democracy- American Democracy was created on Native American ideas. Mainly the idea of everyone being treated as equals.

Fleeding Europeans- Europeans fled to Native American tribes because life was much better. www.ratical.org/many_worlds/6Nations/NAPSnEoDpref.html

Five Civilized Tribes

Civilized Native Americas-It is taught that the Europeans civilized the Native Americans, but really it was the Native Americans helped settle the Europeans by teaching them their ways. www.nativeamericans.com/FiveCivilizedTribes.htm