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American Studies 100 Wednesday, March 3, 1999 Announcements: Final Paper Topics handed out and discussed in Recitation Lecture notes:
Background
- Natives Americans are "Hollywoodized" and typical Native we see in the movies are actually combination of different tribes Cultural Contact and a "New World" for Native Americans
- Different definition of frontier than Jefferson's, etc. ~ Seen as progressive movement of the land by farmers ~ Advance of civilization against a wilderness - Population of Native Americans ~ 1492 guesses of 100 million ~ Late 1800's around 3 million ~ Conservative estimate would be around 1 million in 1492 and 250,000 in the late 1800's
- "Virgin Soil" Epidemic ~ Natives infected with small pox died at a rate of 90% ~ First time bacteria was introduced to the Natives ~ Natives had no immunities built up for this disease - No experience, so no treatment to give - Sanatation was not important - Ill natives were not seperated from the tribe - Many different diseases were contracted and spread in the same time period causing high death rates - No real records except for when plagues struck ~ The bubonic plague in New England ~ Small pox in the Great Lakes area - The death impacted and changed the Natives Culture and way of life ~ Many groups merged to form one big group (ex: Catawba) ~ Could lose the wisdom and legends of the actual tribe itself
- The Natives began trading with the Europeans to recieve items to use in ceremonies and such, but then they began to trade for things, such as kettles that would change their culture. - Horses changed the way that they hunted - Knives changed the way that they skinned buffalo - Guns changed the way they hunted and fought in battles between the different tribes - Developing addiction to European goods - Material culture undercuts self suffieciency
- Just want the land - Native Americans pushed out of their lands
~ Native Americans needed mobility for their way of life ~ Europeans would settle and stay - Religious tradition vs. "improvements" - Tribal/usufruct vs. freehold ownership ~ ex: Dawes Act ~ Natives "use" the land and Europeans want to own the land ~ Natives believe in communal ownership of the land ~ Europeans believed in individual ownership
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