"Insight on 10 Myths About Indigenous Peoples" Topic

"The definition of "myth", according to the Oxford Canadian Dictionary, is "a widely held but false notion." When it comes to the topic of Indigenous Peoples there are many widely held but false notions or myths.

Myths are different from stereotypes. A stereotype is "a widely held but fixed and oversimplified image of a particular type of person or thing." There are also many widely held but false stereotypes about Indigenous Peoples…"

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Armand

I would add the myth that all Native Americans lived in harmony with the land.

The truth is that they squandered natural resources to the degree they were able…

Agree with Editor Bill.
The focus of our series of articles called Our Place Under the Sun. It focuses on the conflicts between nation prior to the European invasion. Or as some tribes called it "The Invasion of the People from the Sea"

I thought the stereotype was when a cowboy fired his rifle at an Indian in the movies, ten of the Indians would fall off their horses.

Another myth is that all Native Americans were deeply spiritual.

They varied in spirituality just like any other people.

That they --like all other non white peoples were inherently and naturally good, fair, just, honest, and noble.

Glup!…

Armand

How to resist a comment…

Rousseau versus Voltaire.

Is man naturally good or is man bettered by society?

The fact is that humans inherently possess virtuous traits which can be corrupted by society, but inherently negative traits that can be tempered by society.

Amerindians where mostly devoid of the "evil" facets of a society having reached the developmental stage where "castes" develop.

A rigid aristocracy, where a minority forge their superiority over the people through force of arms, was unknown to them.

Freedom.

Freedom was what they possessed in droves, and this gave them a certain moral uphand on some aspects oh humanity.

One must ask himself: Why is it that so many Canadians (in the sense of 17th to 18th century Canadians), if not prefered to go live with amerindians, at least appreciated so much to go interact with their amerindian neighbors, and adopted so many of their customs, which would shape early Canadian society?

Why is it that many individuals captured by raiding partys would prefer to stay within the tribe that captured them once they had passed all the hazing of the temporary slave status?

Stockholm syndrom? Please. It was freedom. Freedom to act, freedom to love. And freedom will always be hampered by having a minority of the constituants of society whom declare themselves superior.

Humans do what humans does, and in the end, unfortunately, society is often shaped in part by the lowest common denominator.

The developmental road they took was in large part imposed by demographics, circumstential if your will is to see it as such…but in the domain of freedom, this gave them a clear advantage.

"Inherently and naturally good, fair, just, honest, and noble"? Nay. But unspoiled by the vices of a corrupt society? Definitely…and this still echoes within most of them today, for what is a distant past to some is not as distant to them.

The "Stockholm syndrome"-- or were they the ones that didn't get tortured or have their heads bashed in against a rock or tree.
The Iroquis confederation certainly believed in in freedoms and fairness.
What a load of dribbling crappola!

Butchbird + 1

Armand