Question

How did pre-contact populations of North America relate to their environments? How did contact with Europeans and Africans change these relations in North America?

Answer 1

Before the arrival of Europeans, many North American populations used their environments as a means to survive. For example, many indigenous populations hunted animals, grew crops (like corn), and moved constantly in order to follow big game (such as buffalo). Regardless, many populations did not view land as something that can be possessed by one individual or group.  Rather, they saw land as something that all members of the community could use.

This drastically changed with the arrival of Europeans. During this time, Europeans viewed land as something that individuals controlled. Along with this, land was viewed as extremely valuable due to the resources it could provide. These differing views of land caused significant problems between Europeans and indigenous people.