Post by dT on Nov 1, 2013 15:55:55 GMT -5
"But aint that the way of the human on this rock"
Yes it is. very much so.
I will tell you why I asked those questions. another reader said: "Warfare and farming are a lot alike to Apaches and Navajo." Perhaps this is true. And if it is, it represents a different point of view about life. Maybe it was a point of view that the Nde developed when they lived in the mountains like the Sierra Madre. it was not possible to provide all the needs of their families through farming, so they adapted to a combination of farming and raiding to get what they wanted. And so this became their new lifestyle.
A big problem happened later on when the white men attempted to put the Nde onto reservations. For example, look at Turkey Creek. At one time in history, the policy set by Washington DC was that the Chiricahua's would settle at Turkey Creek. Why would the white man look at things this way? In the mind of the white civilization, the settling of people onto land and taking up farming was a path towards "progress". That is - in essence - exactly what white settlers were all doing. They were grabbing pieces of America, putting up fences, and claiming the land as theirs. The goal of the white people was land ownership, and farming. It was seen as progress - the "way to go". But from the point of view of the Nde, if Turkey Creek could not provie all of their needs by farming, then it was logical to continue to conduct hunting and raids. If you read some of the historical accounts - you can see this very clearly in the statements by people like Geronimo and Nana. They often confronted the US Cavalry and said things like ... "why do you confine us here?", "why can't we drink tizwin (alcohol) when we want to?", "why can't we go and hunt?". And so on. It was not simply a matter of "rebellion" against the white men in charge. There was a very fundamental difference in the viewpoints of the two sides ... neither of them really understood the world of the other person.
I am NOT saying this was the only cause of things that went wrong at Turkey Creek or San Carlos, but it is a factor in what happened. When people look at the world from completely different viewpoints, conflict is likely to happen. And so it did.
It still seems to me that the Apache's had developed a tremendously strong mindset against adversity. They were hit with so many problems, yet never gave up (until forced to quit by an enemy that was too numerous). There is a mental toughness to them that is undeniable. Maybe it came from the land itself - the place where they were living. It was not an easy land in which to live, and people who are weak just would not survive there.
dT
Yes it is. very much so.
I will tell you why I asked those questions. another reader said: "Warfare and farming are a lot alike to Apaches and Navajo." Perhaps this is true. And if it is, it represents a different point of view about life. Maybe it was a point of view that the Nde developed when they lived in the mountains like the Sierra Madre. it was not possible to provide all the needs of their families through farming, so they adapted to a combination of farming and raiding to get what they wanted. And so this became their new lifestyle.
A big problem happened later on when the white men attempted to put the Nde onto reservations. For example, look at Turkey Creek. At one time in history, the policy set by Washington DC was that the Chiricahua's would settle at Turkey Creek. Why would the white man look at things this way? In the mind of the white civilization, the settling of people onto land and taking up farming was a path towards "progress". That is - in essence - exactly what white settlers were all doing. They were grabbing pieces of America, putting up fences, and claiming the land as theirs. The goal of the white people was land ownership, and farming. It was seen as progress - the "way to go". But from the point of view of the Nde, if Turkey Creek could not provie all of their needs by farming, then it was logical to continue to conduct hunting and raids. If you read some of the historical accounts - you can see this very clearly in the statements by people like Geronimo and Nana. They often confronted the US Cavalry and said things like ... "why do you confine us here?", "why can't we drink tizwin (alcohol) when we want to?", "why can't we go and hunt?". And so on. It was not simply a matter of "rebellion" against the white men in charge. There was a very fundamental difference in the viewpoints of the two sides ... neither of them really understood the world of the other person.
I am NOT saying this was the only cause of things that went wrong at Turkey Creek or San Carlos, but it is a factor in what happened. When people look at the world from completely different viewpoints, conflict is likely to happen. And so it did.
It still seems to me that the Apache's had developed a tremendously strong mindset against adversity. They were hit with so many problems, yet never gave up (until forced to quit by an enemy that was too numerous). There is a mental toughness to them that is undeniable. Maybe it came from the land itself - the place where they were living. It was not an easy land in which to live, and people who are weak just would not survive there.
dT