Interaction Between British And American Indians

Discuss the interactions between British and American Indians, as well as their perceptions on each other.
Modern films, such as the Disney film “ Pocahontas”, and “The New World” directed by Terrence Mallick, akin to the founding of Jamestown colony has usually romanticized, the relationship between the British settler and the American Indian. However according to the historical and archaeological fact, the romantic facet is rather debatable. In this essay, the interaction between the British and the American Indian, together with the viewpoint being held about each other will be discussed.
According to the information presented in ‘Moments in time: Jamestown Against All Odds’, since 1607, the British settlers were not welcome by the native
Despite rather heroic exaggeration of his Character, John Smith had captured the turning point of the relationship between the colony and the American Indian tribes. In regard to his memoir, when the Powhatan tribe captured him, he was almost executed and the daughter of Powhatan King, Pocahontas saved his life, as he stated in his account “… then as many as could layd hands on him, dragged him to them, and thereon laid his head, and being ready with their clubs, to beate out his braines, Pocahontas the Kings dearest daughter, when no intreaty could preveaile, got his head in her armes, and laid her owne vpon his to saue him from death”. This part of his account has been overstated and romanticized the scene where she rescued him from the execution. Besides, ‘Generall Historie” is considered his personal anecdote, it is not most reliable account of the
Demonstrated by the article ‘ The Noble Savage” (1853), Charles Dickens held controversial attitude towards the American Indian. The idea of ‘Noble Savage’, which was believed that among the primitive tribe and unspoiled, untamed human, there was certain level of nobility prevailed, was held negatively in his article. For that he stated “ Yielding to whichsoever of these agreeable eccentricities, he is a savage – cruel, false, thievish, murderous; addicted more or less to grease, entrails, and beastly customs; a wild animal with the questionable gift of boasting; a conceit, tiresome, blood thirsty, monotonous Humbug”. Dickens suggested that there was no noble quality among the American Indians, since they favored superstition, war and brutality. The American Indians, in his article, were regressive and all the same, despite their different tribal background. In addition, there would not be any possibility to fit their virtue into civilization unless the American Indians committed cultural suicide, for that he exhibited “To conclude as I began. My position is, that if we have anything to learn from the Noble Savage, it is what to avoid. His virtues is fable; his happiness is a delusion; his nobility, nonsense.” Nevertheless, the attitude he held towards the American Indian in his article, personally, was tainted by Eurocentric ideology and that he ruled the exoticness of the American Indian