Answer the Questions
Bartolome de las Casas on Spanish Treatment of Indians (1528)
- What do you think La Casas hoped to accomplish by writing so critically about Spanish treatment on Indians?
La Casas hoped that by writing critically about the treatment of Indians by the Spaniards, the empire would change the way it viewed and treated the Indians (Las Casas, 9). He hoped that the Spanish Empire would be more humane in the way it handled the slaves.
- Why, after describing illness and starvation among the Indians, does Las Casas write ‘this was the freedom, the good treatment, and the Christianity that Indians received’?
La Casas writes this to show the irony of the entire event. The Spanish government thought that by bringing Christianity to the continent, it favored the Indians, despite the way it treated the people.
The Pueblo Revolt (1680)
- What actions did the Indians take during the Pueblo revolt to demonstrate their new freedom from Spanish rule?
After revolting against the Spanish Empire, the Indians burned and destroyed all the religious paraphernalia related to the Spanish Empire (Hackett, 13). They also erected their native spiritual elements to replace those of the Spaniards. They also bathed in the local river to wash away the baptism they had received from the Spaniards. They made it a taboo to mention the names of Jesus or Mary.
- Why do you think religion played such a huge role in the Pueblo revolt?
Religion probably played a significant role in the Pueblo revolution because of its symbolism in the community. The natives saw that the Spaniards used their religion to impose their rule on them. Thus, they had to destroy the foreign faith elements and replace them with their native ones to make them feel free once again.
Father Jean de Brebeuf on the Customs and Beliefs of the Hurons
- Which aspects of Indian customs and beliefs does de Brebeuf find admirable and which does he criticize most strongly?
The aspects of family and marriage seem to please de Brebeuf. He wrote that Indian men married only one wife (Thwaites, 16). They also did not marry members of their lineage, however distant they were. On the other hand, he criticizes the fact that the natives are lazy and liars. He also states that they beg a lot.
- How do Huron gender and family relations seem to differ from those of Europeans?
De Brebeuf observes that unlike the Europeans, Hurons change their spouses a lot. Husbands and wives can leave each other any time without facing much prejudice and move on with other lovers. Also, couples do not show signs of affection, like kissing or caressing. A husband may stay away from his wife for up to three months when she is nursing.
To conclude this paper, the story that I find most interesting is that of de Brebeuf. He narrates about the social life of the Hurons and its differences from that of the Europeans. In his narration, he states how some natives embrace foreign ways and how the older ones remain skeptical. The story is interesting because it brings the aspect of interactions among cultures. It shows how people react to foreign cultures. Some may adopt the new ways while others may reject them, claiming that they have been brought to undermine the local practices.