Why Settlers Found It Offensive to Join a Tribe

Why Settlers Found It Offensive to Join a Tribe

I think people would find it upsetting at the idea why these settlers would willingly join

the natives probably because most settlers saw themselves above tribes. As if like they were a

class and they were at the top. Settlers were so advanced in that time, therefore, it would be

considered an insult to them that their own people downgraded. There’s no doubt that English

settlers were arrogant and felt superior toward the natives. They probably scoffed at this notion

that their people joined a nearby tribe. I can picture an English settler telling a native, “How dare

you even suggest that I join your tribe? I could never lower myself to your standards!”

The settlers obviously looked at the natives or indigene people as, “Savages” and

“Barbaric”. Maybe the English had a rational reason for disproving the natives indeed, past aside

from the arrogance. The English had this perspective of them because they were living in the

state of nature and had a different culture. Their lack of clothing is not modest to the English and

is not considered a norm for them. Plus, it was quite possible that the Croatan tribe could have

practiced cannibalism or some sort of ritual that could come off as inappropriate or disturbing to

the settlers. Another fact is the lack of technology amongst the natives such as tools. This inferior

way of life for the natives is not appealing to the English so it’s easy for them to make fun of

them, perhaps.

It’s clear to me why the English believed themselves to be superior and why tribes were

just a big joke to them. Just the thought of someone who is a part of an “advanced” group joining

a tribe is ludicrous, despite if the living conditions at the settlement has become unsuitable for

them to survive. The English take pride.

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