Native Americans (Wampanoag) and Pilgrims both played an integral part in the development of Massachusetts. One cannot take all the credit they must actually share it equally. The Pilgrims traveled to the state of Massachusetts over from Europe trying to escape the King’s rule and to be able to have religious freedoms. They also wanted to avoid being persecuted for their religious beliefs. The Native Americans were already settled in Massachusetts and had been suffering from plagues brought over from the Europeans. They had lost many of the Wampanoag and were looking for help and they needed allies since their numbers had diminished so much from the plague and war. They both had things to offer to the other to aid in their survival. The pilgrims had weapons to offer as well as ships where the Native Americans had had bows and arrows and spears. The Native Americans had their knowledge of the land and survival skills. They had two different ways of life such as different styles of dress, religious beliefs.
The Pilgrims were not equipped to survive in the new world and many didn’t make it in the beginning through the first winter. With the help of the Native Americans they learned how to survive on the new land. The Native Americans taught the Pilgrims how to farm and plant. Corn became an important crop. It was sometimes used to barter for furs, and it was also used to feed the livestock. They also taught them how to fish and how to be better hunters. The pilgrims ate the meats of the land but also ate chickens, goats, sheep and cows, which they brought over with them from Europe.
Native Americans did not believe in believing in one religious being, but they did have many beliefs. They were very much into the spirit world and believed in a Supernatural power or being influencing their lives. They believed in multiple gods, they believed all things to be sacred. The Pilgrims on the other hand believed in only one God to worship. They believed that God made man, and all things of the world. The Pilgrims had very strong religious beliefs. They thought the Native Americans should follow their religious beliefs. This is kind of weird considering they came here to be able to worship freely.
The Native Americans and the Pilgrims thought of woman and male roles to be very different. In Native tribes the men would go to war and hunt while the woman stayed behind with the children. The woman would work the farms and fields. Wheras, the Pilgrim woman would never do such things not deemed the lady’s place. The Native Americans would look down on the Pilgrims and say their women were lazy.
The Native Americans’ usually used animals they hunted to make their clothing, some even learned to make clothing from weaving thread and plants. The woman would make all of the clothes by hand. The Native Americans would have elaborate decorations using feathers, animal fur, and beads to decorate their clothes. They did not hide their bodies; the men would be scarcely dressed in cloths that only covered the front and the back. Many didn’t wear shirts but would wear cloaks when it got very cold. Pilgrims however, were more modestly dressed men typically wore long, collared short-sleeved shirts with a lace collar and cuffs. On the bottom they wore baggy pants, which came down to knee level. They also wore felt or knit cap. They would sometimes wear a cloak over the shoulders.
In the end, the Native Americans and the pilgrims could not make it as a united front. Things eventually started to go bad between them when the pilgrims began to be greedy and want to take over the land. They started treating the Native Americans unfairly and tried to gain total control and power of them. These things eventually led to war between the Native Americans and the pilgrims sadly. It’s funny because when you think of the pilgrims and the Native Americans you don’t think of war you think of “Thanksgiving”. I don’ t know many who don’t associate the two and you would never know the truth without further research.
References
http://www.history.com/topics/pilgrims http://www.history.com/topics/thanksgiving/mayflower-myths http://mayflowerhistory.com/clothing/
Schultz, K. M. (2012). HIST2, Volume 1 (3rd ed.). Boston, MA: Wadsworth, Cengage
