When Native Americans signed land treaties with colonists they understood that they were giving up the land.?

Question

True or false

Answer 1

False.

The first commenter is right: in the native american culture, they didn't understand how one could "own" land. I agree with them, really--the land was here before us and will be here after we die... if anything, the land owns us ^_~

Answer 2

False.

The best way to picture it perhaps is to think about laws you are asked to vote on during an election. Consider how they are worded and how easily understood. Now imagine that there are two additional factors not usually in force during elections in the U.S.. First, the document you are looking at is in a language that you do not understand and second, a gun is pointed at you and you will be shot if you don't agree with whatever it may say.

The topper of course is that even though the "treaties" were outright theft, what little they offered in return usually was never made good on.

Even today, the current administration is confiscating land owned by the Western Shoshone (paying 8.5 cents/acre) using as its authority a 19th century treaty that only allows travel through their lands but no settlements.

The theft, deception and murder continue, not something cleanly long in the past.

Answer 3

Generally, false. Most Native American cultures did not understand the concept of land ownership.

Answer 4

False -- they had no comprehension about the European concept of land ownership. you must understand the European and Native American/First Nation People had a strong cultural difference regarding land ownership.

Answer 5

false: even if they knew that they were allowing settlers on their land, they didn't know that the colonists were actually taking their land