Points of Entry:
Pacific Northwest
From "Frontier" to "Heartland" website:
Lakota Winter Counts:
Thoughts/Questions for blog discussion:
List and analyze 2 quotes from the reading. What are some of the arguments? How are they related to the larger themes of the week discussed in class?
"Because putting these barbarians into play against each other is the sole and only way to establish any security in the colony...'the more who are killed on both sides the greater will be our safety." (P.393).
ReplyDeleteThe rhetoric continues about the barbarian "indian." Thus, herein lays the implications of conquest-colonization: strategic lies. These justifications for superiority again enabled wars between natives, and in this case, a war sponsered by the Europeans in order to protect their own livelihoods. Having said this, a question arises: Is it more barbaric to call a fellow human, barbaric in order to pursue a self-interest? Is this not intellectual barbarism?
"Cook's voyage evolved into commerce. The easy transition demonstrated the cozy relationship between capitalism and science in British though and practice." (474)
Science, in particular shipbuilding and geographical knowledge, encouraged trade routes, and thus, increased the gradual building of a capitalism world. A world where the ones who have knowledge should sell that knowledge for profit. This is interesting to note, as this epidemic of money for brains emerges into Postbellum American history, in particular the Manhattan Project. Thus, heroic science, backed by expensive investments creates an economy and body politic consumed in war profiteering. Therefore, this cozy relationship of science, and capitalism goes on today, maybe it is the reason why some college students (myself excluded) go to school?
"As owners of the lodges and the crops, the women sustained the community. More mobile, men were also more peripheral to the village." (400)
ReplyDelete"The horse-centered way of life was a mixed blessing for women...better hunting meant more food for everyone. But women also reaped relatively lower status as their tribes elevated male hunters and warriors." (409)
These two quotes from Taylor explain the cultural transition from a matriarchal to a patriarchal society among the Native Americans. As Europeans pushed the natives further into the central regions of America, towards the Great Plains, the Native Americans had to adapt to the new climate and resources available in the region. Livelihood was now dependent on the hunting-gathering mode of life, centered around the American Bison. No longer depended upon for daily food, the role of women declined as men were elevated as warriors and hunters in the Great Plains. I find it interesting how this transition to a patriarchal society happened so quickly and fluidly among the native people.
"Environmentally, the horse-centered way of life was highly unstable...The diminished herds intensified the violent competition between native peoples." (409)
Although historians portray the greedy Americans as the end of the buffalo, greedy natives also added to the over-hunting of the bison. Not only did the Great Plains lifestyle quickly diminish the buffalo herds, but it also led to much warfare between tribes concerning areas. Additionally, the lifestyle was unpredictable when the natives underwent periods of starvation. Although the reintroduction of the horse to the Native Americans was beneficial, in the long run the European push of natives inland caused environmental and cultural destruction.
"The greater rewards of successful manhood came at a high price, for Great Plains warriors led shorter lives of increased violence. Because so many males died in thier youth or prime, women outnumbered men, which encouraged polygamy by the most successful warriors" (Pg 409)
ReplyDeleteAs we discussed in class, the indians in the Great Plains or "west" were looked at warriors or savage people. Taylor discribes the indians in the "west" as warriors of their land. The indians traded with the French, for weapons, and the indians possessed horses due to raids against the Spanish in New Mexico. Indains living nomadically and in villages had the common goal of surviving and keeping their "race" alive. I agree with Stephanie, the benefits of trade with the natives and French ended up back firing for the Native Americans because they were looked at as being savages. Their noble look was diminished. The land was unstable for their new life.
"Reform did not come easily or quickly...Because the Apache were more immediately threatening, the Spanish cultivated the Comanche and Navajo with presents of arms, ammunition, clothing, hats, mirrors, knives, sugar, body paint, and cigars. In return the Camanche and Navajo attacked the Apache."
(Pg 414)
This quote to me represents the savage characteristics of the Native Americans. The Comanche and Navajo people wanted to obtain the advantage over the Apache by accepting presents from the Spanish. The Spanish gave these presents to rescue New Mexico. Just to stay alive and to prosper longer the Navajo turned on their own ancestors, the Apache. This act has been seen throughout the world. Humans will do pretty much anything to stay alive.
“The Cloaths we wear, we cannot make ourselves, they are made [for] us. We use their Ammunition with which we kill deer. We cannot make our guns. Every necessary thing we need in Life we must have from the White People.” (395)
ReplyDeleteHere, Taylor is arguing that the constant exchange of European goods for Native goods (usually furs) has changed the Natives way of life. Gun trade allowed the Natives to hunt more efficiently and quickly, in turn leading many animals in the face of extinction. European goods had become just as much a part of Native life as it had European. Consequently, Taylor goes on to explain that any hindrance in trade would be an act of hostility or war.
“Today the predominant image of the American Indian is a warrior and buffalo hunter, wearing an eagle-feather bonnet and riding across the Great Plains.”
Taylor further discusses the image of the Native American to modern day people as mentioned in class. He explains that although horses first evolved in the North America, they were first domesticated by Asians and Europeans. Previously extinct from North America, they were re-introduced by the European colonists. This changed the way of life for Natives altogether. The introduction of domesticated horses allowed the Natives to hunt more efficiently, which led to near extinction of buffalo, and increasingly continuous and predominant trade with Europeans, building their reliance towards them.
“A horse could haul loads four times larger that could a dog, enabling the Indians to acquire and transport more possessions over longer distances.” (406)
ReplyDeleteIndians acquired horses from the New Mexicans. I found this very interesting because as we discussed in class, Indians were always perceived to have horses as though this was part of their nature. Taylor points out that at one point they did but they became extinct and then gained them again through trade. This helped the Indians grow because by the quote you can clearly see there is a greater advantage wit a horse that a dog, which was previously being used.
“On the Great Plains, the eighteenth century was a period of violent flux as native people competed to exploit the buffalo and to steal horses and women.” (411)
The Comanche and Apache Indians were portrayed as savages in this part which is why it caught my attention. Taylor is showing that not all Indians were peace makers as we perceived them to be and shows the savage characteristics of the Native Americans. In fact they often competed in exploiting the buffalo and stealing the horses and guns. Not only does it display disrespect from their people but also with others. The Comanche and Navajo people wanted to gain the advantage over the Apache by accepting presents from the Spanish to keep them alive and have power.
"Prior to 1740, no ministers challenged the slave system and few even bothered to convert the enslaved Africans, deferring to the opposition of slave owners. Worried that the slaves considered Christianity a step toward freedom, masters feared that baptism would encourage resentment and resistance. Revivalists, however, longed to convert everyone, regardless of his or her race or lowly status in this world." (357-358)
ReplyDeleteThe New Lights, as the new breed of evangelists were called, wanted to convert everybody but that is not to say that they vehemently opposed the institution of slavery. Indeed, as Taylor pointed out, Whitefield and Edwards both owned slaves.
Interestingly enough, the people who founded Whittier College, the Quakers, were among (if not the first) religious group to speak out against slavery. Unfortunately they were pretty much silenced from church leadership by slaveholder interests.
"Environmentally, the horse-centered way of life was highly unstable. Near their local encampments the Indians concentrated horses in numbers greater than the local grass could bear.... The growing number of herds also exceeded the reproductive capacity of the buffalo herds. That pressure was compounded by newly arrived French traders, who offered guns and other manufactures in return for buffalo hides. As natives increased their hunt to serve commerce as well as subsistence, the buffalo died in unprecedented numbers." (409)
This quote goes back to the discussion on Wednesday about the introduction of horses to the natives. Unknown to them at the time, the Indian and the horse combo has become something of a stereotype when we think about the Mid-West. Again, we also see this narrative of the Natives hunting buffalo, although they were known as planters first. They resorted to exclusively hunting buffalo for food and fur, ultimately leading to the near extinction of the buffalo.
"Environmentally, the horse-centered way of life was highly unstable...As natives increased their hunt to serve commerce as well as subsistence, the buffalo died in unprecedented numbers." (Taylor 409).
ReplyDeleteTaylor here explains to us that white Europeans were not the sole reason for buffalo and other larger game dying out. This quote explains to us that it was also the natives, especially after they began to ride horses. Horses made hunting easier, so the natives began killing more than they needed, leading to the buffalo's numbers diminishing.
“On the Great Plains, the eighteenth century was a period of violent flux as native people competed to exploit the buffalo and to steal horses..." (Taylor 411).
This passage reassures the one I posted above. Taylor continues to reaffirm the fact that Europeans were not the only brutal ones during the early time of America. He tells us that the natives were just as bad, if not worse, in exploiting buffalo for profit.
“Long finding security in their monopoly over firearms and horses, the Spanish reacted with horror as the Indians on the southern Great Plains obtained both” (Taylor 397).
ReplyDelete-Taylor is explaining how the Natives were trading with the French so that they can receive guns, as well as horses, so that they can uses them for hunting and protection. Taylor later on describes how the trade with the Indians was the key to expand the empire of North America. The settlers would trade the various array of goods they had with the Natives so that they could be on good terms with the Natives and eventually be able to obtain land from the Natives. The French and the Spanish both had different approaches in their effort at Indian trade, whereas the Spanish were more forceful and tried to convert the Natives, while the French solely focused on the trade. This quote ties in with the picture we were looking at in class where there were Natives on horses catching Buffalo because of the influence of trade the Native culture is beginning to change into a more European-style of being. This quote also ties in with the theme of westward expansion and how trade caused the settlers to travel further and further west so that they could achieve trade and find more land to cultivate.
“Through the medium of the mission, the Spanish officials and priests meant to rescue the Indians from their cultural childhood by remaking them into especially pious Hispanics” (Taylor 461).
-Taylor is describing the reasoning of the Spanish settlers to covert the Indians and to establish missionaries all along the coast of California. Taylor is saying that the main objective of the Spanish settlers was to help the Natives and to get them to follow the Spanish way of life under the crown, which included, being Catholic, speaking Castilian, obeying the Spanish king, and follow the Hispanic farming methods. The settlers were trying to save the Natives from being what they called, “people without reason”. This quote ties in with the theme of how missions were a crucial and influential part of the westward expansion and the frontier. The several missions along the Pacific coast assisted with the removal of the Natives and increasing the availability of land for the settlers.
“Long finding security in their monopoly over firearms and horses, the Spanish reacted with horror as the Indians on the southern Great Plains obtained both” (Taylor 397).
ReplyDelete-Taylor is explaining how the Natives were trading with the French so that they can receive guns, as well as horses, so that they can uses them for hunting and protection. Taylor later on describes how the trade with the Indians was the key to expand the empire of North America. The settlers would trade the various array of goods they had with the Natives so that they could be on good terms with the Natives and eventually be able to obtain land from the Natives. The French and the Spanish both had different approaches in their effort at Indian trade, whereas the Spanish were more forceful and tried to convert the Natives, while the French solely focused on the trade. This quote ties in with the picture we were looking at in class where there were Natives on horses catching Buffalo because of the influence of trade the Native culture is beginning to change into a more European-style of being. This quote also ties in with the theme of westward expansion and how trade caused the settlers to travel further and further west so that they could achieve trade and find more land to cultivate.
“Through the medium of the mission, the Spanish officials and priests meant to rescue the Indians from their cultural childhood by remaking them into especially pious Hispanics” (Taylor 461).
-Taylor is describing the reasoning of the Spanish settlers to covert the Indians and to establish missionaries all along the coast of California. Taylor is saying that the main objective of the Spanish settlers was to help the Natives and to get them to follow the Spanish way of life under the crown, which included, being Catholic, speaking Castilian, obeying the Spanish king, and follow the Hispanic farming methods. The settlers were trying to save the Natives from being what they called, “people without reason”. This quote ties in with the theme of how missions were a crucial and influential part of the westward expansion and the frontier. The several missions along the Pacific coast assisted with the removal of the Natives and increasing the availability of land for the settlers.
"There are more broils, jealousy, and family quarrels caused by horses than all other troubles combined. The horses frequently caused separation between man and wife, sometimes for life." Taylor (409)
ReplyDeleteIn this quote Taylor is stating that with the introduction of horses to the natives brought a lot of conflict. The horses that proved to be a much better way of hunting and for battle as caused problems for women. The horses would eat the crops that the women had to uphold and the women also had to take care the horses. With more hunting going on because of the advancement of the horses came more hides for the women to tan and more buffalo meat for them to dry. Women were crucial to the natives surviving and keeping the tribe from falling apart because they contributed so much.
"The greater rewards of successful manhood came at a high price, for Great Plains warriors led shorter lives of increased violence. Because so many males died in thier youth or prime, women outnumbered men, which encouraged polygamy by the most successful warriors." Taylor (409)
Here Taylor explains that natives had to work hard for there manhood but sometimes that manhood was short lived. It was short lived for many great plain warriors because of the increase violence between tribes. Eventually men were allowed to have more then one wife so that they could repopulate the tribe with more men so that their tribe could survive.
Taylor states in chapter 16 that Fur trades with the indians supplied the Natives with more arms and goods that they desperately needed to move their tribes in the right direction. However, the French had other motives for keeping the Indians hospitable. One example of this was the Petites who allowed the French to live in peace in return for arms and goods.
ReplyDelete"By providing food, the Petites Nations preserved the vulnerable French settlements during their difficult early years. But, as soon as the French grew secure in great numbers, they abandoned gratitude."
The Europeans were known to be violent with the Indians, yet the French were among the least aggressive and Indian Nations that trusted them during this time were shown their true cruelty. The True nature of the Europeans was bad they usually had a plan to overthrow a group of people in order to gain more land and power.
Another concept discussed was the development of Indian nations through the goods received by the Europeans. Horses and guns dramatically changed the image of the traditional Indian during that time. Indians now could retaliate when attacked or angry and also hunt with much more success.
“Faster and nimbler than the buffalo, the horses enabled mounted men armed with bows to maneuver and attack with deadly rapidity.”
This greatly benefited the lives of the natives who were better fed, clothed and housed. With the newly gained horses Indians could also travel greater distances aiding with trade and continuing the growth of these tribes.
"Like the French and the English, leading Russians longed to believe that they could easily establish an American empire by appearing before the Indians as a kinder and gentler colonizers"(448).
ReplyDeleteIn this section Taylor is discussing the exploitation of the Russians and their belief that the Indians would be accepting. It also goes into detail to describe the reasons why Russians wanted to come into America. As most of Europe headed west Russia wanted to state their dominance in America as well. In class we also discussed that the Spanish stayed in California because they were fearful that Russians would take it.
"The Spanish also worried over even more exaggerated reports that British fur traders had crossed the northern Great Plains and the Rocky Mountains to approach the Pacific"(454).
As the fur trade continued to expand, the demand to be involved in the trade grew. At this point Russia had a fur trade connection with China to send otter pelts. The Spanish were highly concerned with this because they were fearful that Russia would gain control of the entire trade. This was also connected to the Spanish wanting power and control over most aspects of the Americas.
"Like the French and the English, leading Russians longed to believe that they could easily establish an American empire by appearing before the Indians as a kinder and gentler colonizers"(448)
ReplyDeleteThe importance of this is to show that the relationship between native and foriegn colonizers was depended upon the colonizing strategy. The russian strategy of being kinder and gentler is the same to the french in their initial colonization of canada and they were successful in setting up adequate trade awnd was not met with much resistance like the brittish and other colonizers on the alantic sea board
“The Cloaths we wear, we cannot make ourselves, they are made [for] us. We use their Ammunition with which we kill deer. We cannot make our guns. Every necessary thing we need in Life we must have from the White People.” (395)
This shows that the indians have become dependent upon the goods brought by the western expantion that they began to deplete resources more quickly because of the the high amount of competition created by the influence of guns which was the end of the buffalo and a mamajor food shortage for many tribes.
“Until about 800 A.D the great plains belonged to many small and dispersed bands of hunter-gatherers” (400)
ReplyDeleteWhat later became known as the “Midwest” was originally inhabited by small tribes of Native Americans. These tribes had devolved an in depth system of hunting the plains animals such as the antelope and the buffalo. They also had an advanced system of agriculture. Growing an abundance of crops such as corn, squash, beans and sunflowers. They had in many ways complete civilized societies, an idea that went against the European views. Many tribes had cleared large areas of land for crops near the banks of the Mississippi river. They used the annual rise in water levels as a form of irrigation. As time went on and the struggle for control of the great Mississippi river began, the Native people were pushed further west off their land. The French and Spanish utilized the river for trade, as well as a port to new “unconquered” lands. “Unconquered,” in the eyes of those countries using the land for exploitation, although Natives were currently occupying most of this land. The native strategies for hunting and gathering were embraced by the new conquering cultures such as the French in Louisiana. Once trade networks became prominent with the West, many of the Natives who had originally inhabited the Great Plains were being held as captive and used as collateral in the trade. This example shows the effect that exploration of the frontier and westward expansion had on the economic development of the U.S, as well as the impact for the Native American people.
“Hispanic California could have profited by harvesting the abundant sea otter along the coast for shipment and sale in China” (476)
During the Spanish early settlement of California they lack economic development and a quality export. It would have been profitable for them to utilize the abundance of otter off the coast for a number of reasons. It would have not only provided them with an economic catalyze but as Taylor explains, by depleting the sea otter it would have kept out Russia, the British, and decreases the interest of Colonial American expansion into the west. By the 1780’s Hispanic California had indeed tried to set up a trade system by utilizing the hunting skills of the Native Americans in the area. The powerful Philippine Company, who had a trade monopoly with China at the time, shot down the venture. This opened the door for later exploration and eventually American take over after the gold rush of the mid 1800’s. If the Spanish had been able to establish a solid trading system, Spanish migration would have filled the area and California may still be under Spanish rule instead of a valuable part of the present day U.S.
"There are more broils, jealousy, and family quarrels caused by horses than all other troubles combined. The horses frequently caused separation between man and wife, sometimes for life" (409).
ReplyDeleteThis quote provides a contradiction to what many think of when they hear the term "Native American". Many quickly imagine that horses greatly improved life for the Native Americans, and that the Europeans did them a favor by introducing the horse. This is partly true, because horses allowed them to hunt longer and more efficiently. However, the horse also introduced a lot of problems that many people nowadays do not think of-women had to work harder to take care of the horses, and the increased amount of game brought in meant more work preparing it. The horses even destroyed the crops the women worked so hard to grow.
"On the Great Plains, the eighteenth century was a period of violent flux as native peoples competed to exploit the buffalo and steal horses and women" (Taylor 411).
This quote is similar to the one above in that it provides a perspective not often heard about. Most are taught that while the Europeans thought the Natives were savages, it was really the Europeans that were the savages. This is true, although the Natives were not exactly pacifists. They helped exploit the buffalo just as much, if not more, than the Europeans did.
"Because Indians did the work of the beaver hunt, the company needed only a few French employees, primarily soldiers to defend the post and clerks to handle the furs and the manufactured goods that purchased them."(pg.365)
ReplyDeleteThis is showing the French's dependence on the Indians to keep their economy alive. It is showing how they wanted to maintain that good relationship so that they could establish trade and have fur be a huge part of their income. It's also showing their fear to defend their land from the English and how threatened they felt by them by having soldiers defend the area.
"In designing their alternative to the Spanish mission system and the Carolina slave trade, the French drew upon their experience in the rallying the upper-country Indians against the Iroquois."(pg.383)
This shows the French being different from the other colonists. They had maintained such a good relationship with the Indians that they got them to try to rally against another group of people. They needed the Indians to help protect their colony as well.
"But the warfare that kept the colonies also kept it weak by discouraging new colonists." Pg 397
ReplyDeleteThis quote the reflects how the constant warfare that occurred during the first settling of the colonies made it hard for the people to settle and hard for them to adjust to life in the new world. The constant friction between each colonial country, and the natives made it hard on everyone.
"The Hispanics wishfully believed that god would reward them for extending the faith-rather than favor those impious French traders indifferent to the souls of Indians." Pg 410
This quote shows that even though the Spanish were in the Americas for money their belief in god and their belief that he would provide for them led to their confidence in their controlling of the land. It is often said that the Spanish didn't really care about converting people, but only about money. This quote shows that the perception is not always correct.
"As Owners of lodges and the crops, the women sustained the community. More mobile, men were also more peripheral to the village."(400)
ReplyDeleteTaylor is trying to show that the in the great plains, the roles of men and women are slowly starting to change. The women are not confined to just "the kitchen and the bedroom." they now have responsibilities that make them important to keep the community running and in order. This helps base the idea that women are a necessity to everyday life the world would not be right with out women being present.
"The collapse of New France was dreadful news to the Indians of the interior."(433)
This was detrimental to Indians, they relied heavily on the military support of the French. The fall of their colony definitely took a lasting effect on the control of where they live and how they were allowed to live. The Indians were not strong enough to fend for themselves .
"Unchecked by an electorate and far from imperial supervision, the Lousiana officials were notoriously corrupt. Appalled at their low salaries and the high cost of living, the officials seized every opportunity to line their own pockets, embezzling crown funds and misappropriating government supplies, ships, and labor," (p.386). Taylor argues that conditions in Louisiana were poor similar to the conditions of the West Indies or the Southern belt. This passage shows that corruption is widespread and shared across many European nationalities. Later, Louisiana actually cost the government around 800,000 livres a year at the mid-century point. Napoleon was clearly all washed up funds-wise, so the Louisiana Purchase with the United States actually makes a lot of sense. Louisiana, while a true indicator of the power of France, was not necessarily worth sustaining year in and year out.
ReplyDelete"Prior to 1740, no ministers challenged the slave system and few even bothered to convert the enslaved Africans, deferring to the opposition of slave owners," (p. 357). This passage really caught my attention because it points out the stranglehold slavery had on British colonial North America. The ministers were afraid of the wrath of the rich plantation owners. This really points out the power of an economy. Whoever is at the top really calls the shots. However, the preachers of the Great Awakening stood to change this. They preached to everyone and WANTED their messages to reach the slaveowners. They wanted the slaves to know that God valued them, and that the church valued them, regardless of social status or race. This kind of thinking was the first real step towards abolition in my opinion.
"Like the priests, the Indians regard the rituals and objects as pregnant with powerful magic. Associating that magic with the Hispanic mastery of steel, firearms, and sailing ships, Indians sought to learn the secrets to employ against their enemies and to maintain newcomers.'' (461)
ReplyDeleteIn this chapter of Taylor, he talks about missions. This was a very interesting part that was deeply relevant to California's history. The missions were the first wave, if you will, of converting natives to the Catholic religion. Then as soon as many were converted Spain was able to sweep in clean up the rest.
"In 1769 the California coast between San Diego and San Francisco had a native population of 72000, which declined to just 18000 by 1821. One Franciscan conceded, "They live well free but as soon as we reduce them to a diet did offer more calories more steadily thought the year, but the far was heavy on beef and maize, which was more monotonous and vitamin-deficient than the diverse foods of hunting and gathering." (465)
I found this so interesting because of the radical change of diet that Franciscans put upon the Natives. By reading this it made it seem as if that the Franciscans had tried to domesticate the Natives, as if they were animals. Due to this they were not able to conform into the new diet, this is why the massive drop in numbers. Even though they were getting enough food it was not of the right type of food to sustain actual life. By trying to force a more fatty diet they ended up killing more of the Natives rather than having them have their own hunter gather diet.
"[The] horse-centered way of life was highly unstable. Near their encampments the Indians concentrated horses in numbers greater than the local grass could bear"(409). The west is always characterized as being taken away, exploited and destroyed by white settlers. But being Mohawk Iroquois myself, and being very familiar with the history, I know that this was also caused by the tribes themselves. This quote is just a small depiction of how the economy that engulfed the tribes allowed them to exploit and thin their own land of life. Horses allowed them to hunt buffalo more efficiently, needing the buffalo products for trade; and the horses thinned the grassy plains to a point to which buffalo couldn't even graze. This combined with the brutal method Plain's tribes used to slaughter mass numbers of buffalo all contributed to the sucking of life from the land.
ReplyDelete"The diminished herds intensified the violent competition between Native peoples. Where violence peaked, hunting temporarily eased"(409).
The Indians were always romantisized by their sympathizers in the world colonists, however they too were obviously to blame. The sad thing is, that the competition to trade with settlers grew so extreme, as it did earlier in the Northeast, that tribes again started warring between each other. This however allowed buffalo herds to swell little by little, but then the process would start over as tribes would require more guns and more ammo to aide in their wars. It was all a vicious circle that nearly saw buffalo extinct.
"Underestimating the width of the continent and blissfully ignorant of the Rocky Mountains, the French imagined an interior sea, somewhere just West of Lake Superior,that communicated directly with the Pacific." (417)
ReplyDeleteThis was the beginning of many ideas to move West. The French were worried the British would make it there and control trade with China and vice versa. There began a movement West not just for economic opportunity, but also for power over other colonies. This was before the French gave up their land in the Louisianna Purchase but the movement of ideas towards the West is apparent and a foundation for the later peoples who traveled towards the "American Dream" of a better life.
"As a precaution the Spanish crown ordered the colonization of Caifornia to secure the ungaurded Northwestern door to precious Mexico."(454)
This quote continues the idea of expansion in the name of power. The concern of the colonists is to make sure thye keep their hold on what is "theirs." The native peoples have no say in this expansion and become victim to many colonists who take over in present day California. The move West is important not just in the sense of power and comfort but also in expanding economics with a later gold rush but really trade was moving West. The more natives they found, the more people they could get to become dependent upon their goods. Natives in many cases could not live without the European goods traded to them after this Westward expansion. These first steps to the West were strategic in determining how the West would form and how colonists would make it in this new unexplored wilderness that so many could not make it to.
"A prosperous warrior displayed twenty or more horses, while a poor man possessed one or two (or none)-a discrepancy in private property unprecedented in their societies." (Pg. 409)
ReplyDeleteThis quote describes how the indians lived in their societies or their environment. It shows how the warriors were strong and masculine and that they were looked highly upon by other indians in the tribe. On the other hand, the poor citizens were not idolized by others as they did not possess horses or any form of power.
"The horse-centered way of life proved a mixed blessing for women. Horses liberated them from bearing the heaviest burdens, and better hunting meant more food for everyone. But women also reaped relatively lower status as their tribes elevated male hunters and warriors." (Pg. 409)
This quote from the book describes how the horses impacted the indian women and how they worked in their society. The horses impacted the women in a good way because they did not have to do difficult jobs and the horses made hunting easier which brought in more food for everyone.
"The prevalence of epidemic also promoted a fatalism about early death..." pg. 408
ReplyDeleteWe often talk about how the indians and whites traded, or how whites bought land from the indians. We also talk about how the whites took the indians land and killed most of the the buffalo on the plains, but we normally fail to mention how the whites killed many indians by giving them new diseases.
"The horse centered way of life proved to be a mixed blessing for women" pg. 409
The paragraph later goes on to say that the horses could carry the heavier items, and they also allowed for better hunting which meant more food. BUt like other people have said women now have a relatively lower status, because they now elevate hunters and warriors. Also women now have a new job, taking care of the horse.
"The Cloaths we wear, we cannot make ourselves, they are made for us. We use their Ammunition with which we kill deer. We cannot make our guns. Every necessary thing we need in Life we must have from the White People" 395
ReplyDeleteHere Taylor is explaining the European good that are traded from the Natives. The Natives are the ones that make there own clothes and use every aspect of an animal when it is killed including the meat the skin and even bones. Europeans just shoot to kill and that bothers the Natives.
"A prosperous warrior displayed twenty or more horses, while a poor man possessed one or two (or none)-a discrepancy in private property unprecedented in their societies"
This quote shows how independent and strong the natives are and shows how they lived amongst their societies. Warriors were highly looked upon and were thought of as their tribes strength and protection. Although if you were poor and did not own as many horses you were not looked as highly.
"The Great Plains Indians preferred the French trade for cultural reasons. While the Spanish badgered their trading parteners to accept missionaries, the French came to the Great Plains solely to trade leaving their preists behind (Taylor 398)."
ReplyDeleteThis passage refers to how disparaging the Spanish were to their trade partners focusing more on conversion and the spread of Christianity. This passsage also shows how the Spaniards also focused more on the capture of natives for labor instead of relying on African slaves.
"The nomads carfully exploited the entire buffalo, regarding waste with horror as a dangerous affront to the guardian spirits of the Buffalo (Taylor 403)."
This passage then goes on to mention how each part of the buffalo was salvaged to be used as a different thing. While the meat was use for food the dried tongue was used as a comb, the bones were saved for tools etc. This shows how heavily the natives relied on the buffalo for survival.
“In the upper country, the Indians and the French gradually developed an effective alliance based upon mutual accommodations on what the historian Richard White has called ‘the middle ground’.” Pg 377
ReplyDeleteThe French didn’t know a lot about the land so they made peace with the Indians. The Indians gave them knowledge on how to grow food and go about the land. They also told them about the animals and how to lay out the land. The Indians and the French had to join together especially because of other tribes that they might go to war with.
“Although greatly outnumbered, the Hispanics possessed an intimating monopoly of horses and guns, as well as a formal command structure.” Pg 458
This relates to what we were talking about in class because the Hispanics were more developed. They had weaponry and horses and other advancements in technology, which aided in command structure. The Indians lacked sense of leadership so they could be easily influenced and the Spanish were trying to stay superior to the Indians.
To add on to Mario’s first quote of analyzing the American native Indian as a barbarian here in this quote it I believe Taylor says it all in the sense of breaking the stereotype that all native American Indians were savages and were humans not of this world. “This is a delightful country, and were it not for perpetual wars, the natives might be the happiest people on earth”. PG 407 This reading of Taylor to me was very interesting from the stand point of how it broke some stereotypes I had with native Americans. I found it very insightful to understand that some of the stereotypes that were created for Native Americans were heavily influenced by European cultural for example horses, guns and the sense that strong native populations had to and felt the need to colonize the weaker native population just because that was being done to them by Europeans. Also with such heavy influence from the Europeans to the natives, the natives took on such a role of in a sense being Europeans themselves as stated before trying to conquer and colonize weaker populations. But it didn’t just stop there with the natives. It began to be used against the Europeans as a taste of their own medicine and as self defense. As the following quotes explains “Otherwise, this presidio, with its towns and missions will be exposed to total destruction”. PG 412. I believe Taylor put this following quote in the reading to illustrate the severity of how violent the natives had gotten because they had mirrored themselves as the Europeans, and did what they needed to get what they ultimately wanted.
ReplyDelete1. "As Owners of lodges and the crops, the women sustained the community. More mobile, men were also more peripheral to the village" (Taylor page 400).
ReplyDeleteThis quote relates the differences between city and rural villages. The Natives mainly lived in the rural area of land. However, they villages were shaped like their own little cities. As you can also see, women's and men's roles were different. Although women worked with the community, it still shows that they served equally with men in the work force. The not only worked but were allowed to own parts of the village.
2."Environmentally, the horse-centered way of life was highly unstable" (Taylor page 409).
The quote is referring to the fact that horses made a major impact on Native culture. The only problem here is that the British were the ones who introduced horses into the land. Natives were use to hunting on foot, traveling in small packs over vast areas of land, and growing crops for resources. Now that they had the opportunity to use horseback, Natives hunted faster and larger animals, traveled farther, quicker, and they were able to expand their resources and bring in new wealth. SO although the Natives did not like the British, in a way, the helped colonize the Native civilization.
" in short, this is a country which, to the shame of france be it said is with out religiong with out justice without discipline without order and with out police" pg836
ReplyDeleteThis passage shows how corrupt and out of control the New Orleans colony was. The city would fund piracy of ships carrying goods. This corrupt state made this colony the most un useful French colony costing France Money instead of making it money.
"Louisiana failed to develop a profitable export staple" pg 385
Due to the weather which was either very hot with no rain or to much rain it was hard for colonist there to be agriculturally successful, and due to the geography which was very swamp like it was hard for them to find land suitable for this. this shows more than Louisiana Lacked the knowledge and resources to be a successful French colonie