Lesson 2.2

Lesson 2

Lesson 2—World Views and Relationships

What relationships emerged from the contact between Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples?

Get Focused

Many of the histories and experiences of the Indigenous peoples of the Americas recount how first contact with Western Europeans led to relationships that deepened the cultural interaction between these two groups. In this lesson you will examine the motives for establishing a relationship and the perspectives held by each group about the relationship. Use the Explore selections to gather background as you inquire into these two questions:

• What were the motives that led to the establishment of a relationship?

• World Views – What perspectives did each group have about the relationship?

Assignment

Please complete your Petition for Expedition Forum  Assignment now.

Explore 2

Explore 1

What were the motives that led to the establishment of a relationship?

Often traditional history accounts begin with stories between Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples after the European conquest of the New World. Take a step back and find out what motives led to the establishment of relationships (ranging from cultural, economic, mutual, and hostile in nature) between Aboriginal peoples and Europeans in North America.

Motives

CURIOSITY

European Motives
The stories about the travels of Marco Polo created interest and curiosity in finding out more about the world.

Explorers, such as Bartholomew Diaz and Christopher Columbus, were driven by dreams of gold, glory, and spreading the word of God.

ECONOMIC

Read the following about the economic activities that drove explorers such Columbus to seek faster and more efficient trade routes.

European Motives
Portugal and Spain (and later Holland, France, and England) were motivated by profit. Goods such as cotton, silk, precious stones, spices, and slaves from India, China, and Persia had created a market demand that was difficult to maintain with current trade routes and supplies. Travel through central Asia was risky and costly. New sources and cost-efficient routes became the priority of the Portuguese monarchy in the fifteenth century.

Aboriginal Motives
Many First Nations groups along the coasts of North America sought some form of trade with newcomers to the continent.

Despite the lack of formal trade relations until much later, the Inuit found value in salvaging iron, wood, and European goods from stranded or lost ships during early contact.

The Mi’kmaq encouraged Jacques Cartier to come ashore in 1534. They celebrated this first contact with a Mi’kmaq ceremony and communicated the intent to trade with a few words adapted from earlier trade with Basque or Portuguese traders.

The Ouendat nation had many well-established trade networks with other First Nations groups and easily adapted the French as trade partners into their trade system. They insisted that the French trade in the Ouendat language with Ouendat protocol. In Ouendat society the European goods were a sign of prestige and status.

The Haudenosaunee entered into an alliance with the Dutch in 1609 to trade furs for firearms.

The Cree welcomed Henry Hudson in 1611 with the intent of exchanging European goods for furs.

POLITICAL

European Motives
The monarchs of Portugal and Spain viewed exploration as a means of extending the influence of their kingdoms by establishing their presence in new territories.

Henry the Navigator had many motives for financing Portuguese ventures westward. He was curious about the land beyond Portugal. Trade was vital to the power of Portugal. The conversion of new peoples to Christianity would decrease the spread of Islam.

Explore 2 Con't

RELIGIOUS

Read "Ideas and Opinions" on page 119 of your textbook, Perspectives on Globalization, about underlying values of Haudenosaunee culture and the view of Pope Alexander VI, 1492 CE.

European Motives

A critical motivator in the early days of exploration was Christian conversion. It motivated the Christian monarchs not only to seek out an ally against Islam but also to find vast populations to convert to the Christian faith. Many Europeans saw exploration and discovery as a logical extension of the Crusades of Christianity against Islam.

SOCIAL

European Motives
In connection with the desire to create new converts in Christianity, Europeans were motivated to expand European knowledge and values in the new lands.

Aboriginal Motives

In Mi’kmaq world view it was accepted that the arrival of Europeans led to the sharing of the land with the newcomers.

Read "How Did Cultural Contact Affect the Beothuk?" on pages 122 to 124 of your textbook, Perspectives on Globalization.

Read "How Did Cultural Contact Affect Potlatch Societies?" on pages 125 and 126 of your textbook, Perspectives on Globalization.

Lesson Summary and Going Beyond

Lesson Summary

You have now completed an inquiry into the relationships that formed between Indigenous peoples of the Americas and the Western Europeans who travelled to their lands. The motives were diverse for each group. World views may have been a guiding factor. The relationship may have been entered into because of religious or cultural beliefs. The potential for economic wealth and power may have driven the relationship. It may have been perceived as advantageous. It may have been viewed as an imposition on the people.

In the next lesson you will look at the ideas, values, and beliefs that form the foundation of historical globalization and the legacies it left for the Indigenous peoples who became the partners (often perceived as unequal partners) of Western Europeans.

Going Beyond

What tools do world historians use in the study of history? Go online to the Annenberg Video on Demand and explore their Bridging World History series. View the video clip in Unit 1 on Maps, Time, and World History to find out what tools historians