Black R.
Christine Babiak
WOH 2001
Black Robe
Trying to Tame the Wild
As the Frenchman once said, “look at him, dressed like a savage chieftain. We're not colonizing the Indians; they're colonizing us.” Europeans thought of the Indigenous as savage people. Their first impressions of them made many want to tame them and teach them the European way of life so that they could become a part of their society and share what land and possessions they have. The Indigenous thought of the Europeans as the enemy of the world. They do not understand nature and seem like demons that just want to destroy and conquer. The natives were also not a united people. Any group of Indians associating with the French became a threat to other Indian groups, and many Indians would kill a European before helping them. The Algonquin Indians were more tolerant of helping the French priest named Laforgue on his mission while, the Montagnais and Iroquois would be the first to kill and torture him. The Huron’s were accepting of Christianity in the end of the mission. Even though the Algonquin did not trust the French they would become tolerant and help them and keep their word to Champlain, and over time they became more accepting to French culture and ideas of Christianity, but some still thought of the French as demons.
The movie Black Robe portrays both the French and the Indigenous as being sworn to their own beliefs, and ways of life. Neither side had any admiration to learn about each other. The French were more open minded in thinking that the Indigenous could change and learn the religion and ways of the Europeans, while the Indigenous Indians were certain the French could never learn to be as strong and as in touch with nature as the Indians were. The French went on a pursuit to change the Indians, whom had no intent to change and become like the French.
The movie Black Robe portrays a time in history in which Christians were completely convinced that they were right in their
WOH 2001
Black Robe
Trying to Tame the Wild
As the Frenchman once said, “look at him, dressed like a savage chieftain. We're not colonizing the Indians; they're colonizing us.” Europeans thought of the Indigenous as savage people. Their first impressions of them made many want to tame them and teach them the European way of life so that they could become a part of their society and share what land and possessions they have. The Indigenous thought of the Europeans as the enemy of the world. They do not understand nature and seem like demons that just want to destroy and conquer. The natives were also not a united people. Any group of Indians associating with the French became a threat to other Indian groups, and many Indians would kill a European before helping them. The Algonquin Indians were more tolerant of helping the French priest named Laforgue on his mission while, the Montagnais and Iroquois would be the first to kill and torture him. The Huron’s were accepting of Christianity in the end of the mission. Even though the Algonquin did not trust the French they would become tolerant and help them and keep their word to Champlain, and over time they became more accepting to French culture and ideas of Christianity, but some still thought of the French as demons.
The movie Black Robe portrays both the French and the Indigenous as being sworn to their own beliefs, and ways of life. Neither side had any admiration to learn about each other. The French were more open minded in thinking that the Indigenous could change and learn the religion and ways of the Europeans, while the Indigenous Indians were certain the French could never learn to be as strong and as in touch with nature as the Indians were. The French went on a pursuit to change the Indians, whom had no intent to change and become like the French.
The movie Black Robe portrays a time in history in which Christians were completely convinced that they were right in their