Europeans’ Perspective of Native Americans

Europeans’ Perspective of Native Americans Europeans’ had an early dislike and no understanding to the ways of the Native American people. They were two very diverse groups of people that could not simply understand one another. They had different views on customary beliefs, social forms, and material traits of racial, religious, or social groups. Native Americans were people of the land and that was something that Europeans’ did not cling too due to their new technologies. You never judge a book by its cover however and the Europeans’ learned that. Native American towns were scarce and often small; biggest one had approximately 30 houses (Document 2). They wore loose deer skin mantles and aprons around their waste that were made of the same fur. They had no edged tools or weapons for defense and had no idea on how to make proper tools in case of attacking the Europeans’. Their defense was armor that they made out of sticks that were held together by thread and shields that were made of bark. They were looked upon like savages because of their rituals, and that they lived off the land with none of the comforts that the colonists were used to. Native Americans were poor and lacked skill and judgment that caused the Europeans’ to have no fear of them at all. Europeans’ were much thrown off about the way Native Americans practiced their religion. Europeans’ were believers of Christ and the Christian way, however Native Americans believe in many gods which they call Mantoac. They have a religion of their own were gods are believed to take the shape of humans. Native Americans also believed in immortality of the soul; their soul goes to heave or goes to a hole/great pit once they have passed away. Europeans were educated to believe that their own faith was the only true one and that all nonbelievers were heathens which made them look at Native Americans wrongly (Muntone). Europeans would have never guessed however that Native Americans weren’t bad people.