Posted: March 18th, 2022
Early America Native societies before the contact with the Europeans were populous, complex, and very diverse
Early America Native societies before the contact with the Europeans were populous, complex, and very diverse. The influence of the native societies continues to be felt in the centuries after the actual European contract. There are various characteristics that were shared amongst the Native American cultures.
First, the Native American cultures were creative and innovative cultures.
First, the Native American cultures were creative and innovative cultures. They were involved growing of crops for food, medicines, textiles, and dyes (Lobo, Steve and Traci 67). They also took part in the domestication of animals, development of comprehensive trade patterns, building of cities, and production of magnificent architecture. The ability of the Native American societies to create complex systems of religious values and diverse social and political organizations was remarkable. The political and social groups were based on kinship and tribes that led the various states and confederations. The Native Americans were able to adapt the harsh and dynamic environments and were able to reshape the natural environments in meeting the needs of the people.
After the Europeans came to their world, the Native Americans made effort to preserve their diverse cultures and values while making effort to adopt the rapidly changing societal conditions. However, the Native American societies and cultures had some differences. Some of the aspects that accounted for the differences include having varied lifestyles.
Most of the Native American tribes were domestic in nature, but some were nomads.
https://www.legendsofamerica.com/na-plainsindians/ 40%
Most of the Native American tribes were domestic in nature, but some were nomads. Numerous tribes took part in war but some societies such as Apache were afraid of engaging in war whereas the Hopis were only pacifistic. ln addition, most of the societies were mainly ruled by men while, the lroquois women were involved in the selection of their leaders (Lindo et al. 13175). Native Americans mainly resided in hogans, igloos, and longhouses.
Some groups relied on fishing and hunting, while others dependent on domesticated crops. The chiefs of the Algonkian made effort to reach consensus, while the Natchez society were an absolute monarch (Cohn 27). The symbols of the communities were different. For example, the totem pole was not a universal accepted symbol in the lndian society. lt was only used by the Chinook community to chase away bad spirits and reflect on the family history. The recognition of these differences was important in understanding the core history of the Native America.
The Native Americans had a different view on gender roles and private property from the European colonizers. The Native Americans believed that land could be used for temporary purposes only such as hunting ranges. The land was communally owned and less defined, and no one could claim personal ownership. For example, a family could claim temporary possession for land in farming or hunting range, but they could not claim permanent ownership (Kehoe 45). ln contrast, the Europeans believed that land should be owned individually and it could be passed down in family generations (Carmack, Janine and Gary 78). The land could be fenced to avoid potential trespass. This is a major difference between the Native Americans and most of the European people.
Property and trade among the Native Americans were ceremonial in nature rather than transactional like among the Europeans. The Native Americans believed that giving gifts would lead to higher status in the society. The ceremonial nature of trade also helped to mend ties with other tribes in the society. On the other hand, the Europeans engaged in trade as a business transaction as a way of accumulating wealth to increase their status. The gap between the poor and rich people in European societies was huge while, the Native Americans all belonged to the same social class. ln terms of gender roles, the European men were the head of the household and they engaged in farming and took part war, while women had limited rights and could only take part in household chores (Boyer et al. 12). ln contrast, the Native American men engaged in fished and took part war as the women engaged in farming and greater influence and freedom in the society.
References Boyer, Paul S., et al. The enduring vision:
North American lndians: a comprehensive account. London, UK:
Routledge, 2017. Lindo, John, et al. “A time transect of exomes from a Native American population before and after European contact.” Nature communications 7 (2016):
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http://journals.upress.ufl.edu/bioarchaeology/article/view/164/169 62%
https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/A-time-transect-of-exomes-from-a-Native-American-Lindo-Huerta-S%C3%A1nchez/f9f838b74215905550db5b11c6491f897544cbc9 54%
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Routledge, 2017. Lindo, John, et al. “A time transect of exomes from a Native American population before and after European contact.” Nature communications 7 (2016):
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