celticviking
Monday, February 13th, 2012, 04:04 PM
Were the Indians Noble Savages?
by Dr. Don Boys
The Indians in North America were sleeping peacefully in their hogans, wigwams, and long houses during the early hours of October 12, 1492. They were dreaming as they had for centuries, of flashing salmon, thundering herds of bison, an arrow striking a deer, and the sound of corn rustling in the evening breeze, with no idea of the events that would happen that day when Europeans would step out of a small boat into the pounding surf.
Columbus had arrived. He delivered civilization to this continent–and all that went with it, good and bad. As the Indians began to stir from a sound sleep, Columbus was nearing the island of San Salvador.
The “noble savage” is a product of imaginative writers with humanistic leanings. Many of the Indians were brutal savages, even cannibals! The New Columbia Encyclo-pedia reported on some Northwest tribes such as the Kwakiutl: “They had a highly classified society with chiefs, nobles, commoners, and slaves….This distinctive culture, which included cannibalistic rituals, was not greatly affected by European influences until after the late 18th century….” Yes, some Indians kept slaves and ate them during hard times! Wonder why you weren’t taught that in public schools?
You are supposed to feel guilty for being white, middle class, and Protestant (or Baptist) especially relating to what we have done to the land since taking it from the “noble savage.” However, was the Indian so careful with the environment? The Columbia Encyclopedia tells about the Choctaws: “...They hunted with bow and arrow and blowgun, caught fish by poisoning streams….” Yes, friends and neighbors, the “noble savage” was often a polluter. Sorry about that.
If the white man had not beached his boats on the sands of Jamestown, Plymouth Rock, and Cape Cod, the Indians would still be huddled around their soot-lined tepees warming themselves over a fire made by rubbing dry sticks together. They would still be burying their dead children because of childhood diseases, and maybe the air would be cleaner if the white man had never come, but who would be alive to care?
Read more here
http://www.canadafreepress.com/index.php/article/1711
by Dr. Don Boys
The Indians in North America were sleeping peacefully in their hogans, wigwams, and long houses during the early hours of October 12, 1492. They were dreaming as they had for centuries, of flashing salmon, thundering herds of bison, an arrow striking a deer, and the sound of corn rustling in the evening breeze, with no idea of the events that would happen that day when Europeans would step out of a small boat into the pounding surf.
Columbus had arrived. He delivered civilization to this continent–and all that went with it, good and bad. As the Indians began to stir from a sound sleep, Columbus was nearing the island of San Salvador.
The “noble savage” is a product of imaginative writers with humanistic leanings. Many of the Indians were brutal savages, even cannibals! The New Columbia Encyclo-pedia reported on some Northwest tribes such as the Kwakiutl: “They had a highly classified society with chiefs, nobles, commoners, and slaves….This distinctive culture, which included cannibalistic rituals, was not greatly affected by European influences until after the late 18th century….” Yes, some Indians kept slaves and ate them during hard times! Wonder why you weren’t taught that in public schools?
You are supposed to feel guilty for being white, middle class, and Protestant (or Baptist) especially relating to what we have done to the land since taking it from the “noble savage.” However, was the Indian so careful with the environment? The Columbia Encyclopedia tells about the Choctaws: “...They hunted with bow and arrow and blowgun, caught fish by poisoning streams….” Yes, friends and neighbors, the “noble savage” was often a polluter. Sorry about that.
If the white man had not beached his boats on the sands of Jamestown, Plymouth Rock, and Cape Cod, the Indians would still be huddled around their soot-lined tepees warming themselves over a fire made by rubbing dry sticks together. They would still be burying their dead children because of childhood diseases, and maybe the air would be cleaner if the white man had never come, but who would be alive to care?
Read more here
http://www.canadafreepress.com/index.php/article/1711