Indians

Paper topic: Examine the role of gift exchange in interactions between Europeans (not just the English) and Indians and describe how gift exchanges changed over time. Did both parties to exchanges have the same understanding in the earlier period? In the late period? Did either parties understand change over time?

Thousand of years before the Europeans found North America; it was the Indians who settled the land. When the Europeans came they brought all sorts of germs, viruses and even diseases that were unknown to the Indians. Due to the fact that Indians traded more among themselves they affected their population because the germs had spread more. Trading became gift exchanges amongst the Indians and Europeans to make it a friendlier act. Indians and Europeans were sharing food and knowledge with each other in the beginning. In 1609, they were trading corn for goods, but there was hostility starting to grow between them.

Europeans wanted to trade guns, alcohol, woolen clothing, and goods made out of metal for deerskin and beaver belts. The Indians were aware of the benefits that these goods could offer but at the same time they were aware of the cost. To maintain coalition and closeness to the Europeans, Indian trading involved exchanging gifts to make it friendlier. Animal population was diminishing to provide Europeans on what they wanted rather than needed. The Indians became more and more dependent on these manufactured goods and were falling into debt because they were buying goods on credit.

Indian people were farmers and hunters, the men went hunting, fishing and cleared fields while the women were planting and harvesting. Indians satisfied their needs with little work until the Europeans got there. Because of the debts, land transfers would take place with great hostility. The Indians were getting ripped off because the land will last long but the supplies that they exchange wear out. When Cherokee chief Oconastota told John Stuart in 1767, "The Lands we gave you will last long, but the Cloath & other necessaries with which you Supply us, wear out." (Calloway, 5) He is saying this is an unfair trade and almost as though it was preplanned. In other words, the Europeans wanted the Indians to have gift exchanges so they can incur debt and then take over their land. Land was a commodity and the Europeans persisted on owning it.

Indians were very peaceful and helpful people to the Europeans. It wasn't that the Indians didn't want to share; they were more scared of the fact that the Europeans would ruin their land that they worked hard to maintain. In the speech attributed to Metacomet in 1675 " Brothers, these people from the unknown world will cut down our groves, spoil our hunting and planting grounds, and drive us and our children from the graves of our fathers, and our council fires, and enslave our women and children." (Calloway, 20) The Indians were more intimidated by the Europeans because they knew they wanted to build and change their land.

Indians were well aware that their land was more valuable and the goods they receive for it was not enough. There were formal meetings between the Indians and colonist to talk about the issues further and try to make peace and prevent war. But the Europeans only cared about the Indian's land and their trade. They wanted their land no matter what and they used trade to get it. From trading they would run up high debts and take their land in return. This was a constant problem for the Indians because they were deprived of the land and defeated. In 1790, congress had passed the Indian Trade and Non- Intercourse Act, stating that the sales of Indian land were not allowed unless congress approved them. Although this act came out there was still land being lost to the Europeans.

As time went on Indians became more dependent

on the Europeans for the necessities of life. Fur and deerskin trades were taking place to provide warmth for the Indians to survive the cold. The French and the British goods were too expensive to trade with them. It was the European traded goods and alcohol that destroyed the Indian people and societies. They knew it was harmful and did no good to them. Oneida sachem Scarouady said this to Pennsylvania treaty commissioner 1753 "These wicked Whiskey sellers, when they have once got the Indians in Liquor, make them sell the very Clothes from their Backs. In short, if this Practice be continued, we must be inevitably ruined."(Calloway, 78) They knew they needed the Europeans for everything to survive when Skiagunsta said' "My people...cannot...live independent of the English. The cloths we wear we cannot make ourselves. They are made for us. We use their ammunition with which to kill deer. We cannot make our guns. Every necessary of life we must have from the white people." (Calloway, 79) Indians realized that they were depending more and more on the Europeans for the necessities of life and therefore losing their land more and more. Canasatego said, "We know