Native Americans in the Early American Republic Essay

Native Americans in the Early American Republic - Essay Example In fact, they have also been widely portrayed as carnivals under the ignoble savage stereotype and that the Native Americans deserve being eliminated from the society by various artists. As a result, the white settlers have made various attempts aimed at taming the Native Americans by using the acts of genocide against them, which later culminated to a western war. Many arts developed between the late 18th century and 19th century has expressed this negative attitude towards the Native Americans in various ways. Some have been made to express the views if the white settlers that the Native Americans are worthy of being punished for the atrocities they committed during the early days of American Republic. In fact, many writers of the early days, particularly the white settlers have portrayed the Native Americans as Satan’s agents, while at the same time depicting the white settlers as people chosen by God. One such negative portrayal of negative Americans by the white settlers is seen in the works of Cooper in one of famous tales, Leatherstocking series, in which he portrays the Native Americans red devils or noble savage. ... This is show from the fact that the main character in the literature is a white male who has been subjected to sufferings and atrocities at the hands of the Native Americans, particularly the massacre of his family members. As a result, he gets bitter and decides to take revenge against the Native Americans, by hunting and killing them whenever he gets them. The Indianan argues that this was the only way he could pursue justice for his family member who have been massacred by the Native Americans (Bernstein, and Rushing, 1995). Ways in which art has been used to depict these attitudes. As earlier stated, the white inhabitants had a bad relationship with the Native Americans during the early years of American Republican. The negative attitudes they had against the Native Americans did not go unnoticed by many artists who have expressed them in the form of images and films. For instance, the white settlers had perceived their fellow Native Americans of the late 18th century and early 1 9th century as people who are very dangerous, barbaric and carnivals. For instance, Martin Waldseemuller painted the scenario (figure 1), in which he portrays fully nude men, and women chopping off the limbs of a white settlers, while others are publicly urinating without shame. At the same time, the images shows a naive white settler just about to be hid from behind by a metal bar, while in the process of conversing with some Native American women. Sadly enough, some are shown being urinated on by some Native American women (Bataille, 2001). Figure 1: Cannibal scenes Native Americans on white settlers Source: Bataille, G.M. (2001). Native American Representations: First Encounters, Distorted Images, and Literary Appro-priations. New York: