1. How did the Indians’ appreciation of “balance” affect their hunting and farming practices?
As a result of the Indians’ appreciation of “balance”, they followed various customs throughout their hunting and farming practices as a sign of respect towards nature. For instance, they could not slaughter an animal recklessly even though a community depended on hunting as survival. The Micmacs in Nova Scotia would respect their prey by preventing beaver blood from falling on the ground. They would also dispose the bones with care so that they would appease the spirits that offered them easy capture of animals. In addition, they treated animals who were trapped and those who were killed differently. Furthermore, fishing grounds were vacated for a
…show more content…
In warfare, the Indians would launch raids, fight wars, and capture prisoners in response to failure of mutual trades, replacement of deaths or abductions, and restoration of dignity. Additionally, violent conflicts that led to severed body parts of warriors would be offered to the victims’ families as a way maintain friendly tribal relations. Similarly in the Indians’ political systems, reciprocity also played an important role when forming political alliances based on the common fear of supernatural punishment. Based on that fear and its connection to reciprocity, it allowed shamans, magi, and sorcerers to obtain a lot of influence because they were able to interpret the complexities of how to maintain balance among the peoples and environment. As a result, shamans were influential in the political …show more content…
The Indians skillfully made arrows that were able shoot with a maximum range of 200 yards while the triangular projectile points could tear through human flesh and bears’ hides. These arrows were made from the craftsman knowledge of woods and minerals. Moreover, the Indians used wood, reeds, and moose-hide from their surroundings to create helmets, arrow-proof tunics, and shields. Additionally, they also used various trees and wet clay to build large canoes that could accommodate men in spear fishing as they stood up inside of them. They also used bark from giant paper birch trees to build canoes and cover longhouses, teepees, and wigwams. Bones from their environmental surroundings were used as fishhooks or harpoons. In addition, the Indians adapted to the different seasons by preserving their food in ice, straw, or bark. They also created a “currency” due to the rarity and difficulty of creating different colored clamshells into