Most obviously, because “native peoples” aren’t a single group. They were/are a large and diverse set of groups with varying beliefs and cultural practices.
But more poiginetly because both views paint native peoples as naive innocents. This is the “noble savage” myth. But this is far from the truth. Native people murdered and enslaved other native people. They had kings and gods. They went to war. They destroyed ecosystems and drove species to extinction. The only real difference between native people and their western conquerors was some technological innovation and resistance to pathogens.
The only real difference between native people and their western conquerors was some technological innovation and resistance to pathogens.
This is again somewhat reductionist. Being focused on and driven to outwards expansion at any cost is something which is really influenced by the culture.
Both of these views are reductionist.
Most obviously, because “native peoples” aren’t a single group. They were/are a large and diverse set of groups with varying beliefs and cultural practices.
But more poiginetly because both views paint native peoples as naive innocents. This is the “noble savage” myth. But this is far from the truth. Native people murdered and enslaved other native people. They had kings and gods. They went to war. They destroyed ecosystems and drove species to extinction. The only real difference between native people and their western conquerors was some technological innovation and resistance to pathogens.
This is again somewhat reductionist. Being focused on and driven to outwards expansion at any cost is something which is really influenced by the culture.