All of this was in sharp contrast to European values as brought over by the first colonists,a society of rich and poor,controlled by priests,by governors,by male heads of families.For example,the pastor of the Pilgrim colony,John Robinson,thus advised his parishioners how to deal with their children:"And surely there is in all children...a stubbornness,and stoutness of mind arising from natural pride,which must,in the first place,be broken and beaten down;that so the foundation of their education being laid in humility and tractableness,other virtues may,in their time,be built thereon. Gary Nash describes Iroquois culture: No laws and ordinances,sheriffs and constables,judges and juries,or courts or jails-the apparatus of authority in European societies-were to be found in the northeast woodlands prior to European arrival.Yet boundaries of acceptable behavior were firmly set.Though priding themselves on the autonomous individual,the Iroquois maintained a strict sense of right and wrong....He who stole another's food or acted invalourously in war was "shamed"by his people and ostracized from their company until he had atoned for his actions and demonstrated to their satisfaction that he had morally purified himself. Not only the Iroquois but other Indian tribes behaved the sameay.In 1635, Maryland Indians responded to the governor's demand that if any of tRem lolled an Englishman,the guilty one should be delivered up for punishthebt according to English law.The Indians said: It is the manner amongst us Indians,that if any such accident happen,wee doe redeeme the life of a man that is so slaine,with a 100 armes leneth of Beades and since that you are heere strangers,and come into our Countrey,yo hould rather conform yourselves to the Customes of our Countrey,than impose your pon us.... So,Columbus and his successors were not coming into an empty wilderness,but into a world which in some places was as densely populated as Europe itself,where the culture was complex,where human reations were more egalitarian than in Europe,and where the relations among men,woren,children,and nature were more beautifully worked out than perhaps any place in the world. They were people withou a written language,but with their own laws,their poetry, their history kept in memory ard passed on,in an oral vocabulary more complex than Europe's,accompanigd by song,dance,and ceremonial drama.They paid careful attention to the devetopment of personality,intensity of will,independence and flexibility,passion and potency,to their partnership with one another and with nature. John Collier,an American scholar who lived among Indians in the 1920s and 1930s in the American Southwest,said of their spirit:"Could we make it our own,there would be an eternally inexhaustible earth and a forever lasting peace." Perhaps there is some romantic mythology in that.But the evidence from European travelers in the sixteenth,seventeenth,and eighteenth centuries,put together recently by an American specialist on Indian life,William Brandon,is overwhelmingly supportive of much of that "myth."Even allowing for the imperfection of myths,it is enough to make us question,for that time and ours,the excuse of progress in the annihilation of races,and the telling of history from the standpoint of the conquerors and leaders of Western civilization.All of this was in sharp contrast to European values as brought over by the first colonists, a society of rich and poor, controlled by priests, by governors, by male heads of families. For example, the pastor of the Pilgrim colony, John Robinson, thus advised his parishioners how to deal with their children: "And surely there is in all children ... a stubbornness, and stoutness of mind arising from natural pride, which must, in the first place, be broken and beaten down; that so the foundation of their education being laid in humility and tractableness, other virtues may, in their time, be built thereon." Gary Nash describes Iroquois culture: No laws and ordinances, sheriffs and constables, judges and juries, or courts or jails-the apparatus of authority in European societies-were to be found in the northeast woodlands prior to European arrival. Yet boundaries of acceptable behavior were firmly set. Though priding themselves on the autonomous individual, the Iroquois maintained a strict sense of right and wrong.... He who stole another's food or acted invalourously in war was "shamed" by his people and ostracized from their company until he had atoned for his actions and demonstrated to their satisfaction that he had morally purified himself. Not only the Iroquois but other Indian tribes behaved the same way. In 1635, Maryland Indians responded to the governor's demand that if any of them lolled an Englishman, the guilty one should be delivered up for punishment according to English law. The Indians said: It is the manner amongst us Indians, that if any such accident happen, wee doe redeeme the life of a man that is so slaine, with a 100 armes length of Beades and since that you are heere strangers, and come into our Countrey, you should rather conform yourselves to the Customes of our Countrey, than impose yours upon us.... So, Columbus and his successors were not coming into an empty wilderness, but into a world which in some places was as densely populated as Europe itself, where the culture was complex, where human relations were more egalitarian than in Europe, and where the relations among men, women, children, and nature were more beautifully worked out than perhaps any place in the world. They were people without a written language, but with their own laws, their poetry, their history kept in memory and passed on, in an oral vocabulary more complex than Europe's, accompanied by song, dance, and ceremonial drama. They paid careful attention to the development of personality, intensity of will, independence and flexibility, passion and potency, to their partnership with one another and with nature. John Collier, an American scholar who lived among Indians in the 1920s and 1930s in the American Southwest, said of their spirit: "Could we make it our own, there would be an eternally inexhaustible earth and a forever lasting peace." Perhaps there is some romantic mythology in that. But the evidence from European travelers in the sixteenth, seventeenth, and eighteenth centuries, put together recently by an American specialist on Indian life, William Brandon, is overwhelmingly supportive of much of that "myth." Even allowing for the imperfection of myths, it is enough to make us question, for that time and ours, the excuse of progress in the annihilation of races, and the telling of history from the standpoint of the conquerors and leaders of Western civilization. No Profit Use Only