| Recent human history is replete with discoveries and
inventions that have caused significant societal changes to occur before previous advances
were fully integrated. The most significant of these was the giant leap forward that began
in the 18th and 19th centuries with the advent of The Industrial Revolution, leading most recently to
the technological advances of the 19th and 20th centuries. The momentum began in Europe and swept the world, burying in its path the aborigines on other continents, including the Americas, whose progress throughout time had remained slow. Although, in some cases they advanced as providers for their families, their way of life remained virtually unchanged from that of their ancestors. Their spirits, economics, religion, and way of life was tied inextricably to the land. Such a place was North America where life began each day with the natives believing that the land was in their guardianship. Its inhabitants, while not always friendly toward each other, lived pastoral lives of relative simplicity. Although tribal warfare erupted occasionally among the Indian tribes, their greatest threat came from inclement weather and the shortage of food and water. ‘Progress’ had passed them by. Many of today’s modern cities are near old Indian villages, a reminder of just how fleeting civilization can be. Indian towns were communities in every sense of the word, where people married, raised their children, worried, rejoiced, fought and died — just like the ‘white people’. Today, children still play act as cowboys and Indians, pitting the ‘good’ guys against the ‘bad’, when in reality, the relationship between the first settlers and the Indian inhabitants was very complex, with the aggressor and victim not so easily identified. [Back] [Next] [Up] [New Search] 'Indian' segment written in December, 1997 by David Lodge |