I remember learning about Columbus’ “discovery” of the New World pretty early into elementary school. We learned about Columbus but I do not remember learning about colonial history again until I got into high school. When we learned about Columbus it was very poetic and flowery and there was very little mentioned about how brutal it actually was. There was also the assumption that he landed in North America and not in the Bahamas. There was not much of an explanation for why he came to the Americas either and there was very little mention of an Indigenous community. Instead, I only remember learning about Indigenous communities when talking about Thanksgiving and when researching communities that lived near my school. There was also no mention of other explorers and I did not know there were other travelers that got to the Americas until the middle of high school.
This week has expanded my knowledge on the ‘discovery’ of the Americas by opening my eyes to aspects of colonialism that I had never thought of before. In particular the article by Rebecca Earle opened my eyes to aspects of colonialism in America that I have never thought of before. In particular I was fascinated by the idea that the humors were so present even when the Europeans had gotten to the Americas. They wanted to preserve their health (and beards) by bringing their own foods in order to not transform into the Indigenous population. Europeans were very focused on control and that control led to them wanting to control what the Indigenous population ate, wore, and practiced. In Rebecca Earles article she made sure to mention that the Europeans wanted the Indigenous population to be more like them but not too similar in the way that they would lose control of them. The ongoing structure that can still be seen today in the Americas is the focus on certain crops. There were varieties of potatoes, maiz, beans and other foods that have been narrowed down to a select few that have become popular. Indigenous communities still preserve the different varieties of crops but widespread the popular crops are being grown and the varieties are being forgotten.
Hi Brianna!
Thank you for your thoughts on this week! It’s really interesting to read how everyone learned about Columbus, and how we all share a similar educational experience. It draws into view just how little Native Americans have been perceived as being fundamental to American history– and usually only when it is in service of propagating colonialism. As you point out, our understanding of “discovery” requires a much more dynamic, multifaceted approach. It is an *entire system* that supported European then US expansion throughout Native lands. Deconstructing the structure also requires us to deconstruct the myths that came with it.