The readings this week provided new insight into a vast range of topics in early colonial America.
I found it really interesting how languages traveled across the continent to different parts of this land. The fact that several communities in the prairie spoke Algonquian languages, despite its origin on the East coast is intriguing, and I’d like to learn more about what that journey was like and what motivated that much travel. Similarly, I’d like to learn how this process occurred in reverse with Siouan languages that traveled from the middle of the land out to the east coast.
One thing I found particularly troubling was the lesson on Mataoka. I’ve previously been made aware of this disturbing history and some of what makes it so upsetting, however, I don’t think I was aware of the fact that she was kidnapped, nor was I conscious of how young she was when she was subjected to this degree of trauma and abuse. I cannot imagine what it would be like to have this experience as a literal teenager and to be ripped away from my home and family and paraded around in front of the people directly responsible for so much destruction. The two portraits of her also revealed a lot of information about the degree to which she was forced to conform to the norms of the time and was converted into a spectacle for others to gaze at, rather than a human being who deserved respect.
Finally, I was interested in the parallels between the way in which Native communities had adapted to the land and the ways in which white colonists tried to adapt the land to themselves (and usually failed). Previously, I hadn’t fully grasped the development of colonial settlements in America, nor did I understand how incompetent these attempts often were. Learning about the doomed settlement at Jamestown revealed how little thought often went into building these communities, especially compared to the Native people who often put so much consideration into how they might work in tandem with the natural world in a much more advanced way. This contrast is especially clear when looking at the Mandan people, as they used natural materials when building their houses and found ways to preserve and protect their food sources in a sustainable manner.
Hi Delaney!
This week certainly grappled with difficult topics, from uncovering Mataoka’s lived experience to the physical transformation (or rather manipulation) of the land to become suitable to English colonization. It brings together a complex story of how Indigenous peoples had to employ a variety of survival strategies amid sweeping transformations and colonial invasion. Individuals and entire communities were forced to make difficult decisions to save themselves and their families– and it’s important to reinforce the context of coercion and violence under which this occurred.
I’m really glad that we are reading the case study on the Mandan people, because it’s useful to compare what we normally think of as “early America” on the eastern coast to other events happening deep in the interior. It’s also a reminder of how important it is to engage with history at a community level.