The stories of the various Indian tribes encountered by
Lewis and Clark are fascinating. The descriptions of each individual tribe and
the journey as a whole give the impression that the expedition was wandering
across a sort of post-apocalyptic wasteland, encountering the last remains of
what was a thriving continent. It appears that, though each group encountered
had still managed to keep their culture intact, they had all been decreased
severely in numbers. Smallpox and other diseases had swept from coast to coast
in the New World, leaving devastated villages and cities in their wake.
Despite that, the remaining Indians functioned in a way that
reminds me a bit of Europe. Many ethnically similar groups living in close proximity
to one another had found ways to establish trade relationships with each other
and eith the Eurpoeans, thus ensuring that each had access to the things they
needed.
One particular example that struck me was that of the Teton
Sioux and the Arikaras. The Arikaras were a group of skilled farmers, and the
Teton Sioux were well aware of this. For their part, the Teton Sioux had a
powerful army, but were not nearly as good at growing corn. So the two groups
traded their specialties one for the other, and as a result were able to cling
to their existence in the aftermath of smallpox. The truly interesting thing,
though, is that the Teton Sioux were not friendly towards Lewis or Clark, even
though the Arikara were.
This just shows one way in which Indian relationships must
have been diplomatically complex, because these sorts of alliances could give
the astute observer access to information or goods from an unfriendly culture
by using a friendly one as an intermediary. It’s interesting to me how similar
this seems to the challenges faced by modern diplomats.
Source: http://www.pbs.org/lewisandclark/native/index.html
You are right, the interactions between the Corps of Discovery and the Native American’s are fascinating. I found it interesting that the the expedition crew had been offered women along their journey by some tribes, and that venereal disease was common within the group (Brandt).
ReplyDeleteIn November, 1805, Clark wrote in his journal, “An old woman & wife to a Chief of the Chinooks came and made a Camp near ours She brought with her 6 young Squaws I believe for the purpose of gratifying the passions of the men of our party and receiving for those indulgences Such Small as She (the old woman) thought proper to accept of, Those people appear to view Sensuality as a Necessary evil, and do not appear to abhor it as a Crime in the unmarried State” (Clark).
I suppose this could have been another way in which they gained “access to information or goods from an unfriendly culture by using a friendly one as an intermediary.”
References:
Brandt, Anthony. “Sex, Dog Meat and the Lash: Odd Facts about Lewis and Clark” National Geographic News, 8 Dec 2003. Web.
Clark-Nebraska Lincoln University of. “The Journals of the Lewis and Clark Expedition” 21 Nov 1805. Web.
It would have been interesting to see what may have happened if the First Nations were not susceptible to the European diseases; I wonder if more warriors/men at arms were available to defend their lands and peoples that that may have discouraged the Europeans and Euroamericans from waging wars of conquest. If you guys and gals have not yet read "Guns, Germs, and Steel" by Dr. Jared Diamond, I highly recommend it. Diamond details and postulates the historical outcomes of sociopolitical and technological developments in civilizations where more manpower was available. Basically, in sum and substance, Diamond argues that the less people that are out hunting and gathering, the more people are available for centralized authority, sedentary life-styles, and population growth. Furthermore, he talks about the natural resources and how humans exploit what they have available to them based on their natural environments. I believe that would still have put the Native North Americans at a disadvantage, technologically speaking, but I think if their populations were decimated by disease they could have put up more resistance to the invaders and events may have turned out a little differently.
ReplyDeleteHello Amy,
ReplyDeleteI think you did a pretty good job with this analysis of the Lois and Clark expedition. I am glad that you recognized the different interpretations that some natives had with European/American settlers...it is very good that you mentioned that here.