Interactions Between The Nativ Essay, Research Paper

Interactions between the Natives, and the French and British

The two documents, The Jesuit Relations, and Instructions for the Virginia Colony share

commonalities in their approaches in enforcing Christianity on the Native people. Both French

and English believe in exposing and converting the natives to Christians in order to make it

easier for the countries to take over the land. The English announce to the natives in their

document, …make yourselves all of one mind, for the good of your country and your own, and

serve and fear God. In other words if everyone had the same beliefs ( British and Natives ), they

will create one strong mind with clear and consistent objectives capable of creating and

maintaining a successful country. Likewise the French also aimed to declare to the natives a true

God. To the English and the French the natives were seen as being spiritual, the French noted

that they believed when someone died they would become spirits and live in the minds as

memories of those they left behind. They believed that death is neither punishment or reward,

and made no distinction between good and evil. In contrast, within the Christian religion, the

souls of the dead that were good would live in, or be taken care of by Jesus Christ. The French

noticed that the Natives treated evil equal as good, and how rather than to punish someone, they

would teach them to be good. The French were intrigued by this since in their own country at the

time if someone were to commit a crime they would just chop off their heads. It seemed in this

document that the French saw some unique moral values within the Native community, such as

their ability to get along, to exchange gifts, to give without receiving, however although liking it,

the French probably felt that it was not a strong way of living and that the nation couldn t grow

while still living on an equal treatment barter system. Consequently they felt it was necessary for

them to convert the Natives, so that everyone would get along while transferring and creating the

new nation.

From the documents it is also noted that the English took a sneaky route in invading the

natives. They were told not to offend them, and to make sure that they re on their side. The goal

was not to make them feel intruded, but to make the British seem the same as the Natives only

with different values and appearances. They did this by not letting them see the English with

their weapons. The goal was not to kill off the Natives because the country would not be as

strong If the country be populous you shall do well also. The goal was to put everyone on the

same side, so that when the British moved further in the continent there would be no dispute.

In both documents it is apparent that Both the French and the English s main goals were

to be able to take over the land without seeming obvious. By acting as friends trying to help them

and teach them new things as well as seem interested in the Natives way of living they were able

to convert most of them to the same belief system and take over the land successfully.