Life Before Columbus

An excerpt from James S. Robbins:

There is a tinge of hypocrisy in the claims of the Columbus bashers. 1491 was no golden age. Native American tribes and civilizations fought wars for territory, booty, and slaves. Life was not good for the vanquished, if they were even allowed to live. Is anyone defending the cruel rites of the Aztecs, or the chattel status of women in most pre-Columbian American cultures? Is it the lack of science, technology, the wheel? The Columbus critics should at least be grateful for the introduction of the horse, which had a decisive impact on the evolution of the culture of the Plains Indians. The horse has become emblematic of Native American life on the Great Plains, but was not widespread in the west until about 100 years after the establishment of the settlement at Plymouth. This is to say, the tradition of the Pilgrims is as at least as venerable as anything connected to the mounted Indian, if not more so, judging by tenure.

Or is the beef mostly about the land? It is not as if title had not changed hands before. Several successive migratory waves came to the Americas before the Europeans. One can imagine that when the first of the bands that arrived 9,000 years ago showed up, those who had wandered over 2,000 years before them thought, there goes the neighborhood. Ancient residency claims can seem credible when those who occupy the land are the only source for its provenance, and there are no written records to prove otherwise. Nevertheless, in some cases we know the chain of custody. The Black Hills for example were and are sacred ground to the Sioux; but three hundred years ago, they were sacred ground to the Kiowas, who lived there on a lease from the previous occupants the Crows, that is until the Sioux drove them both out. Beati possidentes, surely.

Comments

[Woody]

Complaints about Columbus are really attacks on Western Civilization by the diversity leftists. I'm not trying to push anyone to another site, because you can learn so much more here; but, here is a link to an entry by me on this subject from yesterday. If you go to it, be sure to come back to Tom's site.

This is the link:
http://www.gmroper.com/archives/2005/10/christopher_col.htm

and a primary reference from that is this:
http://www.firstthings.com/ftissues/ft9511/dsouza.html

"Yet it is not Columbus the man who is being indicted but what he represents: the first tentative step toward the European settlement of the Americas. Consequently, the debate over Columbus is a debate over whether Western civilization was a good idea and whether it should continue to shape the United States."

[Guy]

Among the books my grandfather left me is a 1926 copy of "The Works of Theodore Roosevelt". I was much more interested in science than history as a youth, so only got around to reading "Hunting Trips of a Ranchman" (the first book) in the early 90's. I realized it is set at approximately the same time and place as Kevin Costner's "Dances With Wolves".
The first chapter, "Ranching in the Badlands" includes lots of choice observations still pertinent today and thankfully the book can found online at http://www.bartleby.com/52/1.html .

A long but pertinent quote:
" During the past century a good deal of sentimental nonsense has been talked about our taking the Indians' land. Now, I do not mean to say for a moment that gross wrong has not been done the Indians, both by government and individuals, again and again. The government makes promises impossible to perform, and then fails to do even what it might toward their fulfilment; and where brutal and reckless frontiersmen are brought into contact with a set of treacherous, revengeful, and fiendishly cruel savages a long series of outrages by both sides is sure to follow. But as regards taking the land, at least from the western Indians, the simple truth is that the latter never had any real ownership in it at all. Where the game was plenty, there they hunted; they followed it when it moved away to new hunting-grounds, unless they were prevented by stronger rivals; and to most of the land on which we found them they had no stronger claim than that of having a few years previously butchered the original occupants. When my cattle came to the Little Missouri the region was only inhabited by a score or so of white hunters; their title to it was quite as good as that of most Indian tribes to the lands they claim; yet nobody dreamed of saying that these hunters owned the country. Each could eventually have kept his own claim of 160 acres, and no more. The Indians should be treated in just the same way that we treat the white settlers. Give each his little claim; if, as would generally happen, he declined this, why then let him share the fate of the thousands of white hunters and trappers who have lived on the game that the settlement of the country has exterminated, and let him, like these whites, who will not work, perish from the face of the earth which he cumbers.
The doctrine seems merciless, and so it is; but it is just and rational for all that. It does not do to be merciful to a few, at the cost of justice to the many. The cattle-men at least keep herds and build houses on the land; yet I would not for a moment debar settlers from the right of entry to the cattle country, though their coming in means in the end the destruction of us and our industry.
For we ourselves, and the life that we lead, will shortly pass away from the plains as completely as the red and white hunters who have vanished from before our herds. The free, open-air life of the ranchman, the pleasantest and healthiest life in America, is from its very nature ephemeral. The broad and boundless prairies have already been bounded and will soon be made narrow. It is scarcely a figure of speech to say that the tide of white settlement during the last few years has risen over the west like a flood; and the cattle-men are but the spray from the crest of the wave, thrown far in advance, but soon to be overtaken."

Note this was written 120 years ago, in 1885...

[zzzz]

"Complaints about Columbus are really attacks on Western Civilization by the diversity leftists."

OH my GOD! How did he find out! That's JUST what they are! Exactly! And only that. It really *is* just that simple.

[richie]

Vote obama for real change in a better direction Mccain agrees with george bush over 90% we see what george bush did to the economy we dont need another george bush!!!!! Vote Obama!!!!

[Just a CrAzY Guy]

Just a few things to think about.

1) If someone breaks into your home and kills your entire family except 2 members because they run off and escape. Then 200 years down the rode you find out what really happen who's house is it?
2) If my family lived for over 10,000 years and where fine why would I take advice on how to live from a people that went into the Dark Ages, on killing crusades in the name of Religion, and who steals from other people?

You say moving forward I say stealing you say inventions I say greed. So fuck Columbus and the Horse he rode in on. Western Civilization is all about one thing GREED!!! What the FUCK is MANIFEST DESTINY? Sounds like sugar coated BULLSHIT! Should have been called Crazy people from Europe killing Indigenous Peoples. Thats the truth.

At this point we are all here together we need to take what we know and use it for the future because our government is a bunch of ruthless killers and if you think its a game. Look into what I say besides Vietnam every place america has invaded there is a base still to this day. FACT JACK. So everyone needs to buckle down and look around this country is FUCKED UP because the people who are running it are FUCKED UP.

I can't just complain with no solution or at least what i think a good start is.
1) Realize that we are all human and that we don't need disaster to remember that we love each other and that we are all brothers and sisters
2) Everyone stop being so greedy and realize that its not about money thats a stress its about happiness and wealth. Wealth - Family, Food, Love, Shelter, etc. no order (NOT MONEY)
3) Get back to the basics Learn how to build from the earth and make a domicile. I.E. Earthships look them up Youtube.
4) Learn how to be one with earth again garden. I.E. growboxes work just about in any state.

I hope this makes sense the only way we are going to make it is together.

As always Peace Love Knowledge and Justice!

-Aker

ps anyone want to chat more jdienite@yahoo.com i love to share thoughts.