Compare And Contrast Native American Warfare And Iroquois Culture

Native American warfare was more than just killing for territory. There was meaning, spiritual connections, and traditions behind it. Native Americans did most everyday activities for a reason. There was never hunting for sport, farming for fun, or basket weaving for pleasure. Each of these activities was done for a reason. Native Americans treated war the same way. Positions in their armies were a sign of respect from within their respective tribes. When it came to war, the Iroquois were the most prominent of the Native American Nations and the most powerful. Other tribes were scared of them and they even intimidated the Europeans. Tradition was a large part of the Iroquois warfare. The mourning wars was a major part of Iroquois culture and

They were known as the fiercest warriors in the Americas besides the Europeans. At the same time they were also some of the most rich in rituals and traditions. The mourning wars were one of these rituals. Whenever one of their tribal members were killed in battle they would capture a member of another tribe and either kill them or if the Iroquois believed the prisoner could be a functioning member of their society, they were allowed to live and adapt into their customs. This was a very stable process until the Europeans arrived, specifically once the European powers wanting to conquer the Americas rather than discover and explore. The Columbian Exchange did not help the Iroquois in the Mourning War because the Europeans brought trade goods to the Americas including livestock. With the livestock came disease and epidemics, primarily small pox. Once the Europeans decided they wanted to conquer they changed their stance and brought in their soldiers. With the Native Americans dying quicker and more frequently due to smallpox, which they could not stop, and the technology of they European’s weapons, such as their guns, the Iroquois’ practice of the mourning wars became virtually impossible. There were too many people dying too quickly and the tribes did not have enough people to capture and convert to their tribal

Overtime the tribes learned that the only way to prolong their survival was to put aside all differences and fight together. Before the Europeans arrived, Native American wars would not yield large casualties or were impacted by any outside diseases. Deaths were under a “normal” stature and never at a point where a majority of a population was killed. The Native Americans had limits and would not wipe out an entire nation. They may take them as captive or slaves, even the other men. But would not murder and destroy an entire nation. However, Europeans arrived and changed all of that. Obviously the majority of Native American deaths were result of the various diseases brought overseas by the various countries. However, the European style of warfare also impacted the amount of deaths, specifically on the battlefield due to their advanced technology and guerilla type warfare. In Peter Nabakov’s book, Native American Stories, an Indian named Tecumseh gathered with various Indian tribes and discussed joining forces to fight the Europeans. Tecumseh tells his