He refers to them as savages because he is trying to explain that white men to red man are savages and red man to white men are savages. They are savages to each other because do not understand their ways or traditions. He thinks of white men as savages as they destroy the land because it is their enemy, their animals, etc. and the red man cares for the land as it is theirs so they are savages to each other as they do not understand each other's thinking.
