What do you think about the way American Indians were treated by the White Man in the past?

Question

As children 50yrs ago we were brainwashed by Hollywood to think of them as Savages who had to be wiped off the face of the Earth.
Cowboy and Indian Films showing them being massacred by Whites with high powered rifles were very popular. But during childish 'Hurrah/Boo' chase sequences I used to get into hot water with the crowd, when I cheered the Indians.........

Sad. SO sad....I am glad though that I cheered for the Redskins.
Its true. We never stop seeing stuff about the Holocaust in the Media, but seldom do we see anything about the way the poor Native Americans were treated. Wonder why?

Answer 1

I personally believe there is nothing that can be done to make up for the horror that was done.
I don't know that much about other indian tribes but Ive studied about the Cherokee Indians. They were well to do highly educated people with their own language and schools. But because of the fact that the gov. wanted to take their land ect .. They declared them savage and took their schools, money, lands , lives& dignity!
they were drug across the nation and mixed with other indian nations ( which is how they found out how to live as them) they were treated worse than most dogs. They were sold as slaves . This is what is referred as the trail of tears. You can learn all about these shocking things at Talaquah, Oklahoma. Where they also have a mueseum ect...Yes its disgraceful.
But so is what was done to many other indian tribes, the black men from africa, the Isrealites ect.. All through history there has been abuse. If we check our family heritage all of us have had aome sort of abuse!

Answer 2

Last Wednesday was actually the anniversary of the Sand Creek massacre . In my opinion the most brutal single act of murder against the Indian people. 148 peaceful ( flying a white flag) Indians mostly women and children were massacred.Their bodies mutilated and put on display. By Colonel John Chivingtons Colorado volunteers in sand creek Colorado in 1864.

They attacked a peaceful band of Indians because Chivington wanted to be a war hero to gain political office so he let his men get drunk and they attacked the sleeping band of Arapahoe Indians at dawn . The initial slaughter was not even enough for them and when the fighting was over they returned later to the camp and killed all the wounded and burned the camp leaving the few survivors to freeze in the winter conditions without shelter.

Although the authorities eventually found out what had happened no one was ever punished for the slaughter on that day.

What happened to the native Americans in The 19th and into the 20th century was nothing short of genocide and should be remembered the same way the Jewish Holocaust is remembered so such horrors can never happen again.

Answer 3

Again... generalizing about all white people, does not hold true for all. My ancestors, from Germany in 1846, settled a town on the border of Native country. They made a peace treaty with them that has never been broken and is still honored today. Tribes people come almost every year to re-enact the treaty signing. So... there are exceptions.

But as far as Hollywood is concerned, I don't think things have changed much. They are always trying to brainwash folks one way or another.

And for the sake of the whole truth, I don't think it was honorable the way some native tribes cannibalized members of other tribes. The white settlers did not have the corner on the market of savagery... it was already here before we came!

Answer 4

I think it was a long time ago and there is nothing (realistically) that can be done to change things. Some of the other answerers are correct that other cultures and even the Indians/Native Americans/American Indians did a lot of cruel things. However, to one answerer, depending on the tribe, Indian CAN be a correct term. Not all tribes are offended by the term "Indian". Whenever possible it is best to check with a particular tribe's website and refer to the individual tribe as they request. It is no different than the current debate by many over the proper way to refer to current day African-Americans/Blacks/Americans. It depends on the individual.

Answer 5

I always rooted for the Indians too. I cried in first grade when my teacher wanted me to be a pilgrim in the Thanksgiving Day play. The teacher finally gave in and let me be an Indian. I was the only fair-skinned, red-headed Indian.

It's shameful the way Native Americans were treated. So many people feel bad about the way blacks were treated in the past but rarely do I hear anyone lamenting the treatment of the Native Americans.

Answer 6

Along with slavery, it's a stain on our culture that is difficult to ignore. What arrogance on our part to assume superiority over the natives of any land. It's started with the Spanish conquistadors in Mexico, Central America and Peru. They wiped out entire civilizations in their lust for gold. The western European belief that any non-Christian culture was heathen and unless converted, subhuman, was in itself inhumane and brutal.

As a boy I was also lured by the perspective of Hollywood that the Indians were savages out to kill the good guys but as I, along with history, matured, the horrors that the white man committed against the natives manifested itself. Even Hollywood became more sensitive to that fact.

We violated virtually every treaty we made with the Indians and it only surprises me that any of them ever took our word for anything. If we gave them a reservation and later determined that there was some unforeseen resource on that property, we didn't hesitate to break our word again and again until we either wiped them out or moved them onto some land that was, indeed, worthless. We annihilated an entire civilization under the arrogant banner of "manifest destiny" and then, in what could only be called the ultimate irony, considered ourselves civilized.

Answer 7

Good for you! That's what I like to hear! I think white people of America and the rest of the world today could learn a thing or two by taking their attitude toward the environment as inspiration. Of course as you know attitudes over the past 20 years have changed and it is much more common to see Native Peoples portrayed in a more flattering light and characters played by genuine Native actors of the respective tribes. Glad the film industry finally woke up to their existence.

Answer 8

Ok...

I think anytime that anyone, or race, is being oppressed is wrong. Your going to talk about how the white man oppressed the Indigenous people and then lied about it. Pretty much everything about history is a lie. But it's up to you to uncover the veiled eyes and make a difference. Not a difference of rage and anger, like you said you created when you cheered for the "Indians". Educate people, because believe it or not.... Knowledge really is the power over the ignorant stories that we are fed along the years.

Answer 9

It was absolutely horrid what was done to the American Indians. I am of Cherokee descent and I know from talk in my family of what happened to their ancestors. I've also watched a lot of history channel shows, and visited a few sites, like Little Big Horn. Their lands were taken away, their game killed off, tribes were killed off, and their people were made to suffer in some of the most viscious and evil ways imaginable. All in the name of having more land and more game to hunt? They weren't savages, they were a wonderful group of people who lived as one with nature, they never wasted anything, everything in their lives was about the tribe/family. Their only crime, being naive and kind where the new Americans were concerned.

Answer 10

The French were very kind to the Native Americans/Indians, but other Europeans were not so nice, it was actually quite mean, coming over, false promises made, forceful relocations, The Trail of Tears, on their very own land. Very sad. And yes, people have made very stupid stereotypes, I think their culture should be a lot more respected.