Ethnocentric First Impressions of the New World

Ethnocentric First Impressions of the New World

The first impressions of the New World created by the

European culture was created from minds that were

ethnocentric. I am aware that not every single European

citizen thought the same way about the Natives as it is

generally depicted. The general concensus of the European

people was that the newly discovered was theirs, and whoever

inhabited the land was going to be conquered.

The impressions of the New World were started prior to

the landing of Christopher Columbus. Europe had been

anticipating the discovery of the New World by the statements

of a poet by the name of Pulci Astarotte. He anticipated an

evangelical mission of the Europeans among a group of

heathens(Gerbi 37). Discoverers started creating images of

the Natives because of Astarotle's statement, and the

explorers were already prepared for their initial meeting.

The faces of the Natives were shining and stupendous in the

eyes of Columbus. Columbus thought the faces were more

stupendous than what he had previously imagined(Gerbi 38).

Dr. Chanca accompanied Columbus on the second voyage.

He was surprised with the land of the New World and the

luxuriant and incredibly varied American flora. Despite his

noticing the differences between the Natives and the

cannibals, he found that the behavior of these Natives to be

humorous: he laughed at them. Dr. Chanca had no personal

feelings toward the "primitive" man. He made jokes about the

women of Antilles, showing his lack of respect toward the

Natives. It was unknown how Dr. Chanca's impressions would

have an impact on the European community(Gerbi 39).

Completely different from Dr. Chanca and his beliefs,

Michele...

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show that the culture that was discovered was worth taking

and the inhabitants that were living there were inferior.

Even though Columbus' descriptions of the Natives may have

been accurate his impressions of them being inferior set the

initial impressions of inferiority in the minds of the Old

World.

Works Cited

1. Amerindian Images and the Legacy of Columbus, Jara,Rene and

Spadaccini,Nicholas Editors University Press of Minnesota, 1992

a) Debry's LasCasas, Conley, Tom

b)

2. First Images of America, Chiappelli,Fedi Editor California

Press 1976 a) The Earliest Accoumts of the New World

Gerbi, Antonello

b) Images of America in the German Renaissance,

Jantz, Harold

c) First Visual Images of Native Ameerica,

Sturtevant, William C.