The White Indians of Colonial America James Axtell 1975

#1 If you were a “white” prisoner of Native Americans, would you have escaped back to your culture or remained as an Indian?

#2 Would you have allowed “white” prisoners back into your society if you were European colonists?

#3 Assess the validity of Europeans’ assessment of Native Americans as “savages”.

Native American Society Semi-nomadic –Moved villages seasonally for hunting, fishing, planting… Warfare was less destructive than Europeans –Revenge or honor required less killing –Conquest of land not a goal Communal –Decision-making –Ownership of property Technology –Produced a comfortable surplus  was it “savage” –(Europeans were incapable of producing a surplus with their “advanced” techniques)