Passage 1📖
‘At sunset on the day before America [that is, before the Europeans reached there and gave the continent this name], diversity lay at every hand. People spoke in more than a hundred tongues. They lived by every possible combination of hunting, fishing, gathering, gardening, and farming open to them. The quality of soils and the effort required to open and tend them determined some of their choices of how to live. Cultural and social biases determined others. Surpluses of fish or grain or garden plants or meats helped create powerful, tiered societies here but not there. Some cultures had endured for millennia…’
– William Macleish, The Day before America.
Questions / Answer:
Question 1: According to William Macleish, what was the state of diversity in America before the arrival of Europeans?
Answer: At sunset on the day before America, diversity was widespread, with people speaking over a hundred languages and engaging in various lifestyles based on hunting, fishing, gathering, gardening, and farming.
Question 2: What factors influenced the choices of livelihood among the indigenous people of America, as mentioned by Macleish?
Answer: The choices of livelihood were influenced by factors such as the quality of soils, the effort required for cultivation, and cultural and social biases.
Question 3: How did surpluses of resources contribute to societal differences among indigenous cultures, according to Macleish?
Answer: Surpluses of fish, grain, garden plants, or meats played a role in creating powerful, tiered societies in some regions but not in others.
Question 4: In what ways did cultural and social biases impact the diverse indigenous cultures of America?
Answer: Cultural and social biases played a role in shaping the varied lifestyles and choices among indigenous cultures, influencing how they lived and interacted with their environment.
Question 5: According to Macleish, how long had some indigenous cultures endured before the arrival of Europeans?
Answer: Some cultures had endured for millennia before the arrival of Europeans, highlighting the deep historical roots and resilience of certain indigenous societies.
Passage 2📖
‘It was indicated on the stone tablets that the Hopis* had that the first brothers and sisters that would come back to them would come as turtles across the land. They would be human beings, but they would come as turtles. So when the time came close the Hopis were at a special village to welcome the turtles that would come across the land and they got up in the morning and looked out at the sunrise. They looked out across the desert and they saw the Spanish Conquistadores coming, covered in armour, like turtles across the land. So this was them. So they went out to the Spanish man and they extended their hand hoping for the handshake but into the hand the Spanish man dropped a trinket. And so word spread throughout North America that there was going to be a hard time, that maybe some of the brothers and sisters had forgotten the sacredness of all things and all the human beings were going to suffer for this on the earth.’
– From a talk by Lee Brown, 1986
Questions / Answer:
Question 1: According to the stone tablets mentioned by Lee Brown, how were the first returning brothers and sisters supposed to come to the Hopis?
Answer: The stone tablets indicated that the first returning brothers and sisters would come as turtles across the land.
Question 2: What did the Hopis see when they looked out across the desert as the time approached for the return of the brothers and sisters?
Answer: The Hopis saw the Spanish Conquistadores coming, covered in armor, resembling turtles as foretold by the stone tablets.
Question 3: How did the Hopis react when they encountered the Spanish Conquistadores?
Answer: The Hopis went out to the Spanish Conquistadores, extended their hands for a handshake, but instead of a handshake, the Spanish man dropped a trinket into their hands.
Question 4: What did the dropping of a trinket by the Spanish man symbolize, according to the narrative by Lee Brown?
Answer: The dropping of a trinket into the hands of the Hopis symbolized a negative omen, indicating that a hard time was coming, and some brothers and sisters had forgotten the sacredness of all things.
Question 5: What did the spread of word throughout North America suggest about the consequences of the encounter between the Hopis and the Spanish Conquistadores?
Answer: The spread of word throughout North America suggested that there was going to be a difficult time, and the sacredness of all things had been forgotten, implying that all human beings would suffer for this on the earth.
Passage 3📖
It is interesting to note that another writer, Washington Irving, much younger than Wordsworth and who had actually met native people, described them quite differently. ‘The Indians I have had an opportunity of seeing in real life are quite different from those described in poetry… Taciturn they are, it is true, when in company with white men, whose goodwill they distrust and whose language they do not understand; but the white man is equally taciturn under like circumstances. When the Indians are among themselves, they are great mimics, and entertain themselves excessively at the expense of the whites… who have supposed them impressed with profound respect for their grandeur and dignity… The white men (as I have witnessed) are prone to treat the poor Indians as little better than animals.’
Questions / Answer:
Question 1: How did Washington Irving describe the native people he had encountered in comparison to the poetic descriptions by writers like Wordsworth?
Answer: Washington Irving described the native people he had met as quite different from the idealized poetic descriptions, noting that they were taciturn in the company of distrusted white men but were lively mimics among themselves.
Question 2: In what way did Irving observe the behavior of native people when they were among themselves?
Answer: Irving observed that when native people were among themselves, they were great mimics and entertained themselves at the expense of the whites, contrary to the supposed profound respect for their grandeur and dignity described by some.
Question 3: What did Irving suggest about the behavior of white men towards the native people in his observations?
Answer: Irving suggested that, based on his observations, white men were prone to treating the poor Indians as little better than animals, highlighting a contrast with the idealized views held by some.
Question 4: Why did Irving note that both the Indians and white men were taciturn in each other’s company?
Answer: Irving attributed the taciturn behavior of both Indians and white men in each other’s company to mutual distrust and a lack of understanding of each other’s goodwill and language.
Question 5: How did Irving’s personal encounters with native people contribute to his perspective on their behavior, as opposed to the romanticized descriptions by other writers?
Answer: Irving’s personal encounters with native people led him to provide a more realistic and nuanced description, highlighting their different behavior in real life compared to the idealized portrayals in poetry.
Passage 4📖
In 1854, the President of the USA received a letter from a native leader, Chief Seattle. The president had asked the chief to sign a treaty giving a large part of the land they lived on to the American government. The Chief replied: ‘How can you buy or sell the sky, the warmth of the land? The idea is strange to us. If you do not own the freshness of the air and the sparkle of the water, how can one buy them? Every part of the earth is sacred to my people. Every shining pine-needle, every sandy shore, every mist in the dark woods, every clearing and every humming insect is holy in the memory and experience of my people. The sap which courses through the trees carries the memories of the red man… So, when the Great Chief in Washington sends word that he wishes to buy our land, he asks much of us. The Great Chief sends word that he will reserve us a place so that we can live comfortably. He will be our father and we will be his children. So we will consider your offer to buy our land. But it will not be easy. For this land is sacred to us. The shining water that moves in the streams and rivers is not just water but the blood of our ancestors. If we sell you land, you must remember that it is sacred and you must teach your children that it is sacred and that each ghostly reflection in the clear water of the lakes tells of events and memories in the life of my people. The water’s murmur is the voice of my father’s father…’
Questions / Answer:
Question 1: What was the context of Chief Seattle’s letter to the President of the USA in 1854?
Answer: Chief Seattle’s letter was a response to the President’s request to sign a treaty giving a large part of the native land to the American government.
Question 2: According to Chief Seattle, why did the idea of buying and selling land seem strange to his people?
Answer: Chief Seattle found the idea strange because, in his perspective, one cannot buy or sell elements like the sky, the warmth of the land, air, and water. Every part of the earth was sacred to his people.
Question 3: What does Chief Seattle emphasize about the sacredness of the land and nature in his letter?
Answer: Chief Seattle emphasizes that every part of the earth is sacred to his people, including elements like pine-needles, sandy shores, mist, and every living creature. The land carries the memories of the red man.
Question 4: How does Chief Seattle describe the proposal from the Great Chief in Washington to buy their land?
Answer: Chief Seattle describes the proposal as a request to buy their land, with the promise that the Great Chief will reserve a place for them to live comfortably and be their father while they become his children.
Question 5: What condition does Chief Seattle set for considering the offer to sell the land, and why is it not an easy decision for his people?
Answer: Chief Seattle states that if they sell the land, the buyers must remember that it is sacred, teach their children its sacredness, and respect the significance of natural elements. It is not an easy decision because the land holds ancestral memories, and its elements are considered sacred by his people.
Passage 5📖
A Description of the Sydney Area in 1790
‘Aboriginal production had been dramatically disturbed by the British presence. The arrival of a thousand hungry mouths, followed by hundreds more, put unprecedented pressure on local food resources.
So what would the Daruk people have thought of all this? To them such large-scale destruction of sacred places and strange, violent behaviour towards their land was inexplicable. The newcomers seemed to knock down trees without any reason, for they were not making canoes, gathering bush honey or catching animals. Stones were moved and stacked together, clay dug up, shaped and cooked, holes were made in the ground, large unwieldy structures built. At first they may have equated the clearing with the creation of a sacred ceremonial ground…Perhaps they thought a huge ritual gathering was to be held, dangerous business from which they should steer well clear. There is no doubt the Daruks subsequently avoided the settlement, for the only way to bring them back was by an official kidnapping.’
– (P. Grimshaw, M. Lake, A. McGrath, M. Quartly, Creating a Nation)
Questions / Answer:
Question 1: How did the British presence in the Sydney area in 1790 affect Aboriginal production, according to the description?
Answer: The British presence in the Sydney area in 1790 dramatically disturbed Aboriginal production by putting unprecedented pressure on local food resources, leading to large-scale destruction of sacred places.
Question 2: How did the Daruk people view the British settlers’ activities, such as tree felling and construction, according to the description?
Answer: The Daruk people found the British settlers’ activities, including knocking down trees without apparent reason, moving stones, and building structures, inexplicable. They may have initially thought the clearing was for a sacred ceremonial ground.
Question 3: Why did the Daruk people avoid the British settlement, according to the description?
Answer: The Daruk people avoided the settlement because of the large-scale destruction of sacred places and the strange, violent behavior towards their land. The activities of the newcomers, such as tree felling and construction, were not understood by the Daruk people.
Question 4: How did the Daruk people respond to the changes brought by the British presence, and what was the only way to bring them back to the settlement?
Answer: The Daruk people subsequently avoided the settlement. The only way to bring them back was through an official kidnapping, indicating that they were reluctant to return due to the disturbances caused by the British presence.
Question 5: What hypothesis does the description present about the Daruk people’s initial interpretation of the British settlers’ activities?
Answer: The description suggests that the Daruk people might have initially equated the clearing and construction activities of the British settlers with the creation of a sacred ceremonial ground, possibly thinking it was for a huge ritual gathering.
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