The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

The "good" Indian exhibited attractive qualities to the white settler - courteous, brave, friendly, courageous, and could be counted on to respond favorably to the hordes of white invaders who seized their lands, destroyed their food supply and murdered their people.


Even though Indians demonstrated patience and invention along with high medical competence, the white man could only see their flaws.  Since their lands were never cultivated in the white man's sense, they had no distinct title to it, not having labored on the land.  Therefore, the white man determined that they were not legitimate land owners and swept away their rights to any of their tribal lands. 

Being compared to gypsies and peasants, most visible Indians were those whose cultures had been destroyed and had been transformed into the lazy, dirty beggers (as white settlers referred to them) who hung around towns and railroad stations in need of food.

According to the New York Times, the government Indian agent and the abominable treatment by the American people were to blame for the hapless condition of the native people who desired nothing more than peace.

Today we can look back with more wisdom and hindsight and wonder how our ancestors could have been so ruthless, but they had no other facts other than what they believed others had experienced. 

Next...The Stereotypical Squaw.