William Cronon Changes In The Land Essay

Words: 651
Pages: 3
Open Document
The way that human societies interact with their environments change on how they view the land that they are living in. Some view the land as a home, others see it as a resource to build their homes. When Europeans began to colonize North America, these views were brought into question for many.
For Americans pre European arrival, the land was considered a home. Even though the land was used for survival, it was not destroyed by overuse. They lived in small houses, some movable, others permanent. These ideas of shared use of the land, rather than abuse, was prominent throughout north America as shown through a dictated response to French critical opprobrium of the lifestyle of the Micmac, a tribe native to Canada. Their living nomadically, without the comforts the French believe to be essential, leaves them feeling that they “are very content with the little that we have.” (.......) They …show more content…
In William Cronon’s book, Changes in the Land, he describes the way Europeans saw the natives usage of the land as a “supposed failure to ‘improve’ that land was a token not of their chosen way of life but of their laziness” (Cronon, 56). The European ideals of adapting the land to their own desires developed into a sense that anyone not actively working to change their environment were lazy. They carried over the way of providing for their needs of their lives to a new country but without changing the way they supplied their needs. They disregarded the way the Native Americans provide for themselves and even went so far as to try and change how they lived their lives. The Micmac chief also saw their way of life to be ridiculous, in its constant need for labor. “Which of these two is the wisest and happiest--he who labors without ceasing [...] and only obtains [...] enough to live on, or he who rest in comfort and finds all he needs in the pleasure of hunting and
Show More

Related Documents: William Cronon Changes In The Land Essay

William Cronon Wilderness

things.” The word “falling” indicates that the speaking might be dying “into the fund of things” and “fund” could signify the land or soil since soil is a resource. Regardless if the speaker is willing or not, when they die, “the body serves/entering the earth.” The body will inevitably be enriching the earth. Eventually, “what was the heaviest/and most mute”, which…

Words 1358 - Pages 6

Cronan Changes Essay

Angelo Rebelo Colonial History 02/08/2013 Transforming to Capitalism Ecosystems are fragile to change, yet strong in adaptability. An invasion of any new life can induce change within an ecosystem; an intrusion of Englishmen will undoubtedly alter just about every aspect. The way of life in the Americas', was a system that developed isolated from European culture. Unlike in the mass land block of Eurasia, where civilizations had come into contact through the years, the Natives had few interactions…

Words 1674 - Pages 7

American Indian Environmental Issue Essay

Reflections on Conservation, Sustainability, and Environmentalism in Indigenous North America Author(s): Shepard Krech III Source: American Anthropologist, New Series, Vol. 107, No. 1 (Mar., 2005), pp. 78-86 Published by: Wiley on behalf of the American Anthropological Association Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/3567675 . Accessed: 18/06/2013 17:41 Your use of the JSTOR archive indicates your acceptance of the Terms & Conditions of Use, available at . http://www.jstor.org/page/info/about/policies/terms…

Words 6460 - Pages 26