| The settlers were at once faced with a dilemma of how to coexist with people they saw as primitive, but who also had some qualities they admired. Writings of early settlers referred to the natives' primitive innocence, their willingness to share food and other essentials of life freely in a communal environment, and their dark, handsome physical appearance. To the settlers these attributes were'noble.' At the same time, White settlers also made observations about the natives' proclivity for nudity and open sexual relationships. These traits were considered 'savage.' They emerged in colonial-era literature the concept of the 'noble savage. - Clint C. William |
Native American and Euro-American relations in the United States have been historically tense and oppresive on the side of the Euro-Americans. How have you seen Native Americans portrayed in movies, plays, and other forms of popular media?
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Photo Stills taken from "The Big Trail." 1930.
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