Acoma Pueblo

Picture a vast scope stretching from the Red River Basin to the Plains of Colorado to the Arkansas River to the Rio Grande. Envision the diverse groups of Natives that live on the land peacefully. Imagine the golden Pueblos of the Acoma Indians, the Hogan huts of the Navajo, and the wiki-ups of the Lipan. Then imagine this picturesque view shattered by European imperialism. The Europeans during the 16th and 17th centuries took several different approaches to the New World. The French saw…

Christopher Columbus : On October 12, 1492, Captain Christopher Columbus claimed a tiny island in the Bahamas (less than 400 miles from North America mainland) for the king and queen of Spain. Columbus’s landing facilitated the mutual discovery by two peoples of one another. The moment of Columbus's landing, the Americas became the stage for a variety of encounters of Native American, European, and African peoples in the new Atlantic world. (pg 25) Atlantic world : The meeting of the Spaniards…

At the start of the 17th century England, Spain, and France all had permanent settlements located in North America. Since the continent was vast and plentiful, there was an inevitable struggle for land between the European countries. Regardless of the uniform religion Christianity, the ideals and goals of the three nations greatly varied. The Spanish, English, and French settlements became increasingly diverse as a result of separate geographical regions and different colonization purposes,…

The misrepresentation of Native Americans in The Professor’s House is a prime example of how early American literature chooses to falsely romanticize the southwest. Willa Cather follows this pattern with the characters Father Duchene, Tom Outland, and the professor, Godfrey St. Peter. Together these characters create a dangerous false narrative outside the novel. The problematic characterization of Native Americans is initiated by Duchene, lived by Outland, and is preserved by the professor.…