The Treaty Between The Abenaki Indians And The English At Casco Bay

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I. What are the terms of the Treaty between the Abenaki Indians and the English at Casco Bay? What argument does Sauguaarum then make in regard to it? What insights to gain from his perspective?

The terms of the Treaty included the acknowledgement of Indian tribes’ asking for forgiveness and the English dominating Indian trade and commerce. There were other terms that included the English being able to use Indian land for recreational use and any “remedy or redress” (Calloway 174) being brought to justice based on English laws. Overall, the terms and language used in the treaty is used to place blame of past hostilities on the Indians. The English completely twisted the language in the treaty to favor the English and shows the Indian people as rebellious savages that were begging for forgiveness for King George and the English.
Sauguarrum’s testimony on the negotiations reveals that the English had twisted what the Penobscot leader had said to the English. Firstly, Sauguarrum talked personally to an English man about the structure of the treaty and what will be addressed. However, the answers he gave to the English never showed up in the treaty. For example, Sauguarrum did acknowledge the English king, but did not see King George as his own king. Also, during the negotiations, the English allowed the Indian chiefs to decide on justice if any quarrels occurred between the two parties, but in the treaty, King George and the English get to decide the punishment. This account of the negotiations leading up to the treaty reveal that the English intentionally changed the language in treaty to give English complete control over the Abenaki Indians. The first-hand account of the negotiations also reveals that there were complications ...

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... warriors allowed the English to relate to Indian tribes. Also, the Indians also used many gender metaphors to insult their opposition. They compared nations looking for peace to women. For example, the Delaware Indians were dressed as women during their negotiations for peace. The gender metaphors helped characterize the fighting spirit of many Indian tribes. The view that men were warriors and did not give in easily during a fight allowed many young men to grow and helped establish a patriarchal system in many Indian tribes.
Overall, the gender metaphors used in Indian tribes and European societies were very similar. Shoemaker brings up an interesting point that gender metaphors come from a person’s daily experiences. This point complicates the thought that Indians and Europeans are complete polar opposites and maybe could have many more similarities between them.

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