Humans are by no means perfect, and in consequence to this, missteps and injustices are inevitable. Sometimes people blame their poor behavior on the pressures of their circumstances, but in most cases, our behavior is a direct reflection of our principles and values. With this in mind, I believe that the European people mistreated this land and its native inhabitants for no reason other than the fact that they possessed character flaws. More specifically, the Europeans were arrogant, greedy, and racist, and it was these characteristics that led them to this land and to the events leading up to the numbered treaties. The European settlers exploited this land long before the Age of Exploitation. For example, fisheries in Newfoundland continuously expanded westward as the European settlers steadily depleted cod stocks. This suggests that these people had a clear disregard for the environment and they were only interested in the gains that they could extract from the land. Indeed, this is very different than the approach of the original inhabitants. The native people respected the land, which is evident by the fact that they were able to live for many years before the white man came without harming the land. With time, the European countries became increasingly aware that this land had plentiful and diverse natural resources (ex., fish, fur, wood, etc.), which is when greed began to influence exploitation expeditions. Perhaps what is even more shocking than the greed that brought the white man here is the lack of concern exhibited for the rights of the land’s native inhabitants. The European countries were presumptuous in believing that the natural resources in North America were “free for the taking.” The Doctrine of Discovery essentially provided Christian explorers the right to “discover and claim” land that was not already claimed by other Christians. This doctrine was founded on multiple unethical principles, which include discrimination and greed, because it failed to respect the rights of native (non-Christian) inhabitants of the land. The rights of the native people were completely disregarded. They were not considered the “owners” of the land, despite being there long before the Europeans arrived, simply because they were not Christians. The motivation behind this doctrine was greed, and more specifically, greed for land and the resources that came with the land. Once the explorers “discovered” and “claimed” the land, dealing with the land’s native inhabitants was deemed a minor deal in their eyes. Treaties were drafted that took advantage of the native people and favored the white man. Again, these treaties were motivated by greed and were a reflection of the arrogance of the white man. Based on the global events leading up to the numbered treaties, it is clear that the actions and ideologies of the European people were very different than the ones held by the native people. While the native people were modest and respectful of all life and of the environment, the European people were pretentious, greedy, disrespectful and discriminatory. These characteristics eventually led the Europeans to this land and motivated them to exploit and mistreat the land and its native inhabitants. With ideologies such as these, it is no wonder the numbered treaties followed shortly after. - Indigenous Studies Student, December 2014 (shared with permission)
Posted on: Sun, 14 Dec 2014 18:44:59 +0000
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