This class has been particularly difficult for me because I tend against dwelling upon all that is negative. For this reason, I have been trying to develop a list of positive contributions on behalf of the Europeans to Native Societies, but the task is daunting to say the least. It is more than just a shame that Europeans inflicted violence, disease, theft, and many other negatives upon Natives, these facts are impossible to look past. Perhaps trading could have been a positive contribution of the Europeans, but even in trade, the English particularly shortchanged the Natives, as we learned this week.
It is interesting to think about what could have been, that is, if the violence, disease, and theft had not been perpetrated. Perhaps the Europeans could have resided peacefully with the Natives, in a setting that could have enriched peoples from each group both culturally and financially.
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Questions like this really intrigue me. What would the Americas be like today if the colonists hadn't been complete bastards? I guess we'll never know but I have a feeling our society would be much more interesting.
It does seem like there are a great deal of negative aspects to this part of history and the quest for some sort of positive side of European imperialism seems to be very difficult. I'm sure debates will rage over the issue but I have trouble finding something hopeful.
In a class like this (basically an enhanced introduction class to Indigenous Peoples), we only really study the topic from a broad angle and can't spend much time on specific topics. As most European encounters were disastrous for Indigenous Peoples, I would be willing to bet that there are examples of positive relations between the two if only in a small scale, personal level. What I am really trying to say is that, yes, the overall impact of European contact was terrible, but there are probably excellent examples of local Natives and Europeans who lived and worked together in relative peace and harmony; you may just have to dig a little bit to find such instances.
I would have to agree that I often think of the negative aspects of things such as the colonization of America. I feel at times like maybe I should be a little ashamed to know that some of my own ancestors came in and took what they thought belonged more to them than to those that already lived on the lands. But, the past can never be changed and the world is how it is today because of the events of our past.
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