Blog #5

When Christopher Columbus came to America he assumed the continent uninhabited. Despite the native tribes that already occupied the land Europeans saw it as their duty to civilize and Christianize the "New World". In all reality they had taken over an ancient world, one of special rituals and customs, spirituality, community, systems of trade and economics, and even a hierarchy similar to government. The Europeans only saw these people for savages with torn loin cloths and unclean bodies. The inability for these invaders to take a step back and really look at these people is what marks the early history of our nation as so barbaric. Realistically these Native Americans were not so different from the early settlers. They believed in love and family, respected the rules set by their leaders, followed a strict spiritual life, and just tried to survive on a daily basis.
Many settlers were extremely prejudice against these people and historically it is known as a big issue in our nations growth, but there were also people in those early times who recognized the hypocrisy and injustice being done. Being of Indian descent, Apess naturally sided with his ancestors and looked down upon the early European treatment of them. In "An Indian's Looking Glass for the White Man" he sheds light on the extreme hypocrisy in which the white settlers partook when segregating and discriminated against the Native Americans. Not only does he prove how wrong that part of history was, but he also brings forth the notion that the white men are in fact the inferior race. No other race has committed so many crimes against their "brothers" while contradictorily following the law of Christ who declares "Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself"! He exposes the Native spirituality, how his people were one with the earth and followed what was good and true and that the white settlers seemed to declare their beliefs as righteous but were far less likely to follow them. His writing is so simplistic and obvious but to those who cannot see what they had done it was possibly eye opening. It is hard to see things you are so closely surrounded by, and Apess had the ability to take a step back and reveal what many people of that time might not have known.
Similarly, Sigourney viewed the world in terms of the Native Americans. In her poetry she is appalled that anyone can fathom the death of the Native people. They are everywhere, in the trees, rivers, mountains, and fields. Their way of life and beliefs will always be a building stone of our nation and she strives for others to recognize that. The Native Americans taught the early settlers many things necessary for survival and even if a day comes when their beliefs and way of life is no longer present, the continuation of the American way of life and the sheer geography of our country will keep it alive.