Captivity Essay Research Paper Captivity NarrativeThe Confiscation
Captivity Essay, Research Paper
Captivity Narrative
The Confiscation of Cultural Identity
The intermingling of contradictory civilizations is possibly nowhere more identifiable to Americans than the brush between Native North Americans and the European colonists. Within this brush there exists a close first-hand glance of how these autochthonal people lived. These histories are filled with personal feelings and prejudices toward the native groups. However, within these prejudices there arises an interesting incite into non merely the mode by which Native Americans lived, but besides how the European foreigners viewed their manner of life. The prepossessions based upon bing histories of Native American contact were a considerable factor in the belief systems maintained by Europeans before direct contact had of all time taken topographic point. The consequence is a rhythm of cultural designation that displaced a native civilization into a place of bitterness among the European colonists. These imprisonment narrations were more than merely descriptions of an unfamiliar civilization ; imprisonment narrations were political and socializing tools used to advance the Native Americans in a certain individuality based upon much more than personal experience.
The initial studies of imprisonment were non met with the same angles that the eventual histories would render. They were done to set Indians into a societal context. ? Stereotypes of the Indian emerged when colonisation of the New World succeeded geographic expedition and it became necessary to hold fixed positions so that the Indians could be dealt with. These stereotypes varied with the purposes of the colonizing states and were based on prepossessions and in bend were used as grounds to corroborate and hence to perpetuate. ? Puting Indians in a context was portion of the infestation of European civilization. The European stereotyping had many effects toward the eventual return over of the continent. The creative activity of an Indian individuality served to advance the European way-of-life as the morally right theoretical account, made legitimate actions and purposes of colonial and American policy toward Native American groups, created a societal fright of Native Americans and Native American interaction, and enraged a cultural divide to unify against the native civilization to which the Native Americans could non defy.
The motion toward making a Native American individuality through imprisonment narrations holds many witting and subconscious backups from a colonial point of position. ? Captivity represents an ultimate boundary state of affairs where human being, individuality, and ultimate significance are called into inquiry as the prisoner? s universe is turned disorderly and his freedom and liberty are stripped from him, along with his societal position, apparels, and other cultural accessories and markers. ? When look intoing these narrations one must see non merely at the scene of the imprisonment, but besides the state of affairs in which imprisonment was present. Each person taken into imprisonment brought with them their personal individuality. This individuality was based upon many factors refering Native American being. When being forcibly entered into a status of imprisonment it is of import to recognize the clashing of non merely personal individualities, but besides cultural individualities. Prisoners taken brought with them preexisting sentiments toward Native Americans that gave a angle to the position by which they witnessed Native American life.
In sing the narrative offered by an single prisoner to the Native Americans one must look at the fortunes by which they were taken confined. Often clip prisoners are taken to relieve the bereavement of a lost relation. When a captive is brought before the mourning party? it is their option either to sate their retribution by taking his life in the most barbarous mode they can gestate of ; or, to have and follow him into the household, in the topographic point of him whom they have lost. ? A violent or barbarous catching would evidently strive the person to experience any kind of connexion to their gaining controls merely based upon the mode whereby they were taken. Conversely, a European colonist taken under without violent confrontation would therefore exhibit more unfastened and accepting inclinations toward the native way-of-life. For case an early assimilation into Native American civilization would non let the prisoner to retain their individuality outside of the Indian civilization. Mary Jemison was 12 old ages old when her parents were exterminated at the custodies of a Shawnee war party. Mary was taken captive and was shortly adopted by a household of Seneca. Despite Mary? s loss of blood household, her young person combined with the sort nature of the following Indian household made it easier to absorb toward Native American civilization without the struggle of an bing colonial individuality. ? It was my happy batch to be accepted for acceptance ; and at the clip of the ceremonial I was received by two squaws, to provide the topographic point of their brother in the household ; and I was considered and treated by them as a existent sister, the same as though I had been born of their mother. ? Mary had to cover with a typical struggle of individualities. Her struggle led her to be a fervent protagonist of native and European coexistence. Mary crossed the lines of designation that for most were excessively darkly drawn to be crossed. Her relation between civilizations was the theoretical account for a peaceable interaction between warring civilizations. Yet Mary? s instance was all excessively rare to wipe out the hate that manifested itself in the European conquering of North America.
Despite the clashing of individualities there did be the cases of? White Indians. ? The construct of the White Indian holds major significance when look intoing individualities in North America. The White Indian wholly lost connexion with their European individuality for absolute assimilation into the Native American civilization. The procedure complete credence into native civilization is recognized as? Indianization. ? Through the narrations of the White Indian we see an interesting facet when comparing white and Indian civilizations. Benjamin Franklin wrote of the cultural comparing:
? When an Indian Child has been brought up among us, taught our linguistic communication and habituated to our Customss, yet if he goes to see his dealingss and do one Indian Ramble with them, there is no perswading him of all time to return. When white individuals of either sex have been taken captives immature by the Indians, and lived a piece among them, tho? ransomed by their Friends, and treated with all conceivable tenderness to predominate with them to remain among the English, yet in a short Time they become disgusted with our mode of life, and the attention and strivings that are necessary to back up it, and take the first good Opportunity of get awaying once more into the Woods, from whence there is no repossessing them. ?
This calls into inquiry the individualities being considered. There remained a far greater figure of Europeans who sought the life style of the Native Americans than is true of the antonym. This state of affairs prompted many of the cultural designation that occurred during this clip period. The menace of this cultural as
similation is the anchor of European word picture of the Indian Savage. The formation of Native American individuality was, in portion, to perpetuate the imported civilization of the Europeans.
Captivity must besides be considered under the societal context of the times. The strong moral footing for being gathered with the Biblical nature through which most settlers lived their lives ushered in beliefs that captivity served as penalty for wickedness. Indians were considered? animals of the Satan? who take up those non populating their life under God. The narration of Hannah Swarton finds her blaming imprisonment on the household for? ? [ go forthing ] the Publick Worship and Ordinances of God, to travel to populate in a distant Topographic point, without the Publick Ministry ; striping ourselves and our Children of so great a benefit for our Souls ; and all this for Worldly Advantages. ? By go forthing the fold in hunt of a new homestead the Swarton household had doomed themselves to a beastly life that took the lives of the eldest boy and the male parent. This rationale carries with it the intensions toward all Native Americans. The multitudes feared being taken by the barbarians so they maintained a life near to their church. The position of Native Americans as the boy of the Anti-Christ did small for advancing positive dealingss with the settlers. These? kids of the Satan? served to maintain the settlers in sound moral standing with God. Those who were to fall out of line found themselves engulfed into a civilization of repent.
Many of the narrations were non declarative of the cultural individualities of the Native Americans. Rather, the narration was more than a personal diary contemplation. Narratives were used as propaganda tools within English colonies. The end of these narrations was to prosecute the populace in a general sentiment with respect to native groups. The colonists took to a policy of non-coexistence with the indigens. Many storytellers to a great extent slanted the perceptual experiences of the Native Americans that the civilization existed based on barbarian inhumane patterns. These perceptual experiences were used to legalize the policies and patterns used by the colonialists, and, finally the Americans, against the Indians. In the instance of the Seven Years War there were many histories of narrative usage as propaganda against the Acts of the Apostless of the Gallic and Indian partnership. The narration of Reverend John Norton Tells of the horrid mode by which the English prisoners were treated amongst the Gallic and Native American parties. The narratives of cannibalism and behavior to advance Indian ferociousness against the prisoners brought fury against non merely the Native Americans, but the Gallic every bit good. These histories brought forth an individuality of retaliation and hatred through their travels through out the English colonies.
The rebellious settlers in the American Revolution employed the same pattern against the British. The histories of John Dodge took to the American Patriots as a rallying call. Dodge served as an Indian bargainer and at the origin of war strove for Indian neutrality in the War for American Independence. This made him a mark for the British Military who captured Dodge and held him confined. Dodge? s Hagiographas were portrayed across the continent in newspapers and divine pictures of the atrociousnesss that he told. The British were advancing a sadistic intervention of American prisoners by the Native Americans. ? The Party of Savages under Le Mote went out with orders non to save adult male, adult female, or kid. To this cruel mandate even some of the Savages made an expostulation, esteeming the slaughtering the adult females and kids, but they were told the kids would do soldiers, and the adult females would maintain up the flock. ? Conceptual propaganda such as this was a powerful tool in puting those between English and American individualities toward American Nationalism. This American Nationalism existed keeping rebellion against Native Americans tightly in its creative activity. In this Patriotism we can happen the policy of American/Indian interaction that spawned enlargement, Manifest Destiny, and so Native American being today.
The romanticism of the narrations served to set up an American individuality through interaction with the Native Americans. Nationalism among settlers, and eventual Americans, could be found in the epic nature by which the narrations portray struggle. Tall narratives of epic white peoples in the frontier were met by taller narratives of the inhumane nature of the Native Americans. In the narration of Mary Smith, she identifies the epic nature of her Jesuss against the Native American enemy. The company of work forces encountered the gaining controls of the Smith Family. The commanding officer sends lookouts, who retrieve the information that the figure of barbarians is far more than they have to battle them with. The company assembles to discourse:
? ? whether it would be prudent to put on the line an action with a force so much higher-up to their ain, there likely being four to one! But the thought of delivering from the unmerciful manus of their enemies their unfortunate countrymen, who likely were designed as victims to feed their barbarian fires, inspired the Lieutenant and his small set with unconquerable declaration? non one expressed a uncertainty of their success, but the whole company begged to be led on to the unequal combat! The commanding officer, puting the extreme assurance in his work forces, who he knew were good skilled in the Indian manner of bush-fighting, did non waver to invent a program of onslaught that would see the release of their unfortunate countrymen. ?
The gallantry placed the Native American individuality to be a individual enemy of barbarians to be overtaken by fusion of white peoples. This narrative places the colonials in a unifying against one common cause. The usage of the word? countrymen? topographic points a nationalist individuality for the Europeans that be asserted by flinging the weak native populations. The supplanting of Native American individuality comes in the disproof of showing a colonial/American individuality.
Throughout imprisonment narrations we see more than a simple diary or description. These narrations were written with a intent behind them. While the intents may change one facet remains consistent ; imprisonment narratives serve as an designation method of two civilizations in a territorial struggle. The struggle was settled by pulling lines of? who belongs where. ? These cultural lines served to set up one civilization through devastation and diffusion of another. The grim nature of the European civilization was, in the terminal, the ruin of the Native American inhabitance of North America. The designation of the Native American as being a defeated force led to a monolithic herding and containment by a civilization based upon power and laterality. The cicatrixs from the long battle still remain today although constructs of the state of affairs have changed. The image of the evil Indian has been replaced by a canonized Native American. Many people of the dominant civilization dream of a life in the civilization that was swept off by the yesteryear. The few records that lead back to their manner of life exists through the eyes of those taken prisoner within the lost civilization.
