Different Cultures: The Early Algonquian Culture

1. The Early Algonquian cultures were all building their own societies amongst the tribes. They were trying to live a life and take care of their own things and own taught the children how to perform tasks, such as how to fix a hole in a rope, how to hunt, and how to live together as people, all speaking different dialect but interacting and sharing the same resources. There were political conflicts and issues that were negotiated and taken care of too. They believed everything they had was a gift from their creator. The weak paid tribute to the strong. There was shellfish to eat, game for food and fur, and water from the river for many crops to grow. The Europeans never settled before because there too many people in the territory already.
It was settled after 1619 due to a widespread disease from european sailors that killed many members of the villages and drastically reduced their population down, leaving room for the Europeans to settle.

2. The Wampanoags view their alliance with the English as a way of survival. They wanted to control the Europeans as a benefit. They felt that they will survive because of their help. The English were alone in this New World and needed to find and make allies and be at peace with the Indians. The Europeans did not want any harm between the indians. The Europeans wanted the Indians to help them navigate around the unfamiliar hardships of their new home. They were both in alliance and had friendship with each other. They both agreed to protect each other.

3.
In the beginning they were getting along, the Indians started by planting corn with the English and growing crops with them. The indians granted them land to use and both agreed to trade with each other. The Europeans invited the Indians to their first thanksgiving too, they were getting along great in the early years and were always by each others side when needed. Winslow visited Massasoit when he was sick and tried giving him medicine. Massasoit recovered after this time. The relationship started to change a bit when the two started to contact each other a lot and both sides became nervous of each other. They Indians started to act like the European, and the European started to act like the Indians. Learning off each other. Tensions rose when the amount of Europeans went from 300 to 20,000 and the animals that they brought were damaging their crops. The Beaver population decreased significantly and effected the trade the Indians had with the Pilgrims. Massasoit had to sell land and became anxious. The English didn’t need the Indians help for commercial reach anymore. The English in a way scammed the Indians for their land by not paying them enough for their land and tensions rose significantly. The English felt the Pequot was an obstacle to their expansion and destroyed the Pequot, burning villages and killing hundreds.

4. The Native American Allies converted to Christianity because they were ensured physical security and the promise of eternal life. As long as they followed
the English way, then they were protected. They viewed it as a way of getting by and as long as they followed the Christian Way they could survive. They wanted more from them than to just believe. Praying Towns were established and moved the Indians from their old way of life to ones that the Europeans accepted.

5. Metacom/King Philip was Massoit’s second son. He was first called Metacom and then renamed to King Philip. He fancied english lace work and kept pigs and kept close friends with Indians and English. He was living life on both sides and was born in a time when both sides were developing and was exposed to the life of both, making him a product of both Native American and English Culture.

6.
The Indian Wars started by the English seizing lands of the Indian, and taking any lands that were available to them. They had an alliance and it became very apparent to the Indian that this treaty was starting to fall. This caused anger and frustration to Philip and his people and the war escalated it started by them attacking the English as they felt that they were being taken advantage of were accused of doing things they did not commit. They surrendered their weapons the first time they were asked for and the second time they didn’t. Philip felt pressured and felt starting a war was the best decision. Indians attacked the English by lighting towns on fire. Tribe after Tribes became involved and English colonists started to flee. This caused the English to look very differently at the Indians. The choices that King Philip had to make was very difficult. I feel like he made the best decision by giving up the weapons because it was the safest option at first, but as his frustration increased, he declined to give it up the second time and proceeded to war because he felt that he was being taken advantage of. A year into the war 5000 native people died. The remaining that survived were sold into slavery. Philip did his best to save his people and it cost him significantly in the end. Philip returned home in the end and was walking into his own trap. He lost the war. He was killed and his body was discarded into pieces and put his head on a pole. They used his arm as a
trophy to show others what they are capable of. Philip’s son was locked in a jail and his son was put into slavery. In the end, I feel like his people were going to be attacked either way, but personally I don’t feel attacking them was the smartest choice because there was more English than Indians and they were underpowered.

7. The documentary does a great job at illustrating the nature of English/American relationships because it really shows that they were not always as they seemed. The English had their own intentions from the beginning and acted two faced in a way to gain the land from the Indians and wanted to obtain wealth and never really cared for them. They betrayed them and broke their alliance and it shows that they were after one thing from the beginning. This can be proven because in the documentary they were accusing the Indians of things they were innocent of and wanted to use anything to put dirt on their name for their land.