Documenting Culture on the Map of Canada: Samuel Hearne’s Eurocentric Values
Unknown territory left explorers eager to make it comprehensible, “I drew a Map…but left the interior parts blank, to be filled up.” (Brown and Bennett 28) One of these explorers was Samuel Hearne, a European explorer who arrived in Canada at the age of 21. In Hearne’s published exploration narrative, A Journey from Prince of Wales’s Fort in Hudson’s Bay to the Northern Ocean, he describes his encounters with the Indigenous Peoples of Canada. The interactions between the European explorers and Indigenous Peoples, often involved domination and subordination. Hearne’s Eurocentric views influenced his perception of the “Indians” and regarded them as inferior to the European …show more content…
Maurice Hodgson, a critic of Hearne’s work, mentions that Hearne achieves “a unique degree of integration into the Indigenous culture” (Hutchings 50). However, when looking at Hearne’s actions, it is evident that he does not integrate with the Indian life. When the Indians paint their faces “red and black”; Hearne does not copy them as he does not see the benefit of such actions. Hearne picks and chooses what customs to follow, “I thought it also advisable to pull off my stockings and cap” (Brown and Bennett 35). Hearne further presents himself as having to endure hardships of harsh weather and hunger. Ward Churchill argues that explorers were “prepared to undergo hardship and sacrifice” to display their inherent superiority to others (Hutchings 51). Hearne describes his struggle in detail to show that a refined European can withstand the hardships of living in the wilderness. Although Hearne interacts with the Indians often, his strong European identity does not allow him to integrate into their culture and sympathize with their …show more content…
During the bloody massacre scene, the narration evokes the image of merciless Indians, “Indian barbarity”, “butchery” and “murderers” (Brown and Bennett 36). In contrast to the merciless Indian, Hearne portrays himself as a pitiful and sympathetic European who cares for the innocent victims. To demonstrate this, Hearne uses the adjective ‘poor’ in “poor unsuspecting creatures” and “poor unhappy victims” which help to establish his moral superiority (Brown and Bennett 35-36). By doing so, Hearne presents himself as having higher morals as he empathizes with the innocent victims, “it was with difficulty that I could refrain from tears” (Brown and Bennett 36). In contrast, Hearne describes the Indians as an unaffected group who “paid not the smallest regard to the shrieks and agony” of the innocent victims. Hearne further shows the Indians’ “inhumane” behavior, “I endeavoured […] to persuade them from putting their inhuman design into execution” (Brown and Bennett 33). He describes the attack as “inhuman” done by ‘barbaric’ people. According to Ronald Meek, it was the eighteenth-century assumption that Indians were representatives of the earliest stages of social development (Hutchings 53). Using this assumption Hearne justifies the Indians’ actions as uncivilized when compared to the refined European
Unknown territory left explorers eager to make it comprehensible, “I drew a Map…but left the interior parts blank, to be filled up.” (Brown and Bennett 28) One of these explorers was Samuel Hearne, a European explorer who arrived in Canada at the age of 21. In Hearne’s published exploration narrative, A Journey from Prince of Wales’s Fort in Hudson’s Bay to the Northern Ocean, he describes his encounters with the Indigenous Peoples of Canada. The interactions between the European explorers and Indigenous Peoples, often involved domination and subordination. Hearne’s Eurocentric views influenced his perception of the “Indians” and regarded them as inferior to the European …show more content…
Maurice Hodgson, a critic of Hearne’s work, mentions that Hearne achieves “a unique degree of integration into the Indigenous culture” (Hutchings 50). However, when looking at Hearne’s actions, it is evident that he does not integrate with the Indian life. When the Indians paint their faces “red and black”; Hearne does not copy them as he does not see the benefit of such actions. Hearne picks and chooses what customs to follow, “I thought it also advisable to pull off my stockings and cap” (Brown and Bennett 35). Hearne further presents himself as having to endure hardships of harsh weather and hunger. Ward Churchill argues that explorers were “prepared to undergo hardship and sacrifice” to display their inherent superiority to others (Hutchings 51). Hearne describes his struggle in detail to show that a refined European can withstand the hardships of living in the wilderness. Although Hearne interacts with the Indians often, his strong European identity does not allow him to integrate into their culture and sympathize with their …show more content…
During the bloody massacre scene, the narration evokes the image of merciless Indians, “Indian barbarity”, “butchery” and “murderers” (Brown and Bennett 36). In contrast to the merciless Indian, Hearne portrays himself as a pitiful and sympathetic European who cares for the innocent victims. To demonstrate this, Hearne uses the adjective ‘poor’ in “poor unsuspecting creatures” and “poor unhappy victims” which help to establish his moral superiority (Brown and Bennett 35-36). By doing so, Hearne presents himself as having higher morals as he empathizes with the innocent victims, “it was with difficulty that I could refrain from tears” (Brown and Bennett 36). In contrast, Hearne describes the Indians as an unaffected group who “paid not the smallest regard to the shrieks and agony” of the innocent victims. Hearne further shows the Indians’ “inhumane” behavior, “I endeavoured […] to persuade them from putting their inhuman design into execution” (Brown and Bennett 33). He describes the attack as “inhuman” done by ‘barbaric’ people. According to Ronald Meek, it was the eighteenth-century assumption that Indians were representatives of the earliest stages of social development (Hutchings 53). Using this assumption Hearne justifies the Indians’ actions as uncivilized when compared to the refined European