Indian Land Tenure Curriculum > 6-8 Curriculum > Standard 2 > Lesson 3

Achievement Goal: Describe the different ways in which European settlers and Native North Americans viewed land and land use.

Time: One class period

Core: History, Civics/Government

In general, Europeans conceived of land as personal property to be used for the realization of economic and material needs and wants. Thus, land that was not actively “improved” for agriculture, homesteads, industry or resource extraction was considered unused and open for someone to claim and use for his personal benefit. Land was also closely related to class and social structure in Europe . Land afforded a certain degree of economic security and social status to landowners, which was important in economically and socially stratified countries in Europe .

When European immigrants began to settle in America , these ideas concerning land and its use prompted settlers to encroach upon Indian lands. While American Indians did not share this conception of landownership, this encroachment threatened the livelihoods and very existence of tribal peoples. While land could not be “owned” in American Indian thought, there were most certainly “rights” to land and gifts from that land which, if violated, amounted to a declaration of war on the survival of the tribe.

Exacerbating the situation was the differences in the ways native and non-natives used the land to survive. European settlers usually desired to use land for intensive agriculture to produce food and essential materials. In addition, the social stratification and division of labor characteristic of European societies required the establishment of permanent towns and cities. While a few tribes cultivated crops and had established towns as well, most tribes relied on some combination of hunting, gathering, and cultivation. In many instances, this required a semi-nomadic lifestyle and low population density in an area to ensure adequate amounts of game and edible plants. Thus, when early non-native settlers looked at the landscape of America , they saw a land without “civilization” or towns, and land that was “uninhabited” and open for settlement. They did not understand that the land was the home of thousands of flourishing Indian communities that lived meaningfully and successfully within their lands.

Due to these vast differences in native and non-Native cultures and conceptions of land, land disputes began almost immediately after non-Natives arrived in North America . This lesson will enable students to explore these conflicts by examining further the differences between native and non-native conceptions of land.

Preparation

• Explore the Smithsonian Institution’s website “Campfire Stories with George Catlin” at http://catlinclassroom.si.edu/ . In particular, review the sections entitled “Sacred Geography”, “New Views on Land Claims” and “Depicting Ownership” from the “Ancestral Lands” campfire stories. These short films should prove an interesting way to introduce the clash resulting from native and non-native conceptions of land and land use. Set up access for students to view these short films in class.
• Review the attendant “Debating for Land Lesson Plan” at http://catlinclassroom.si.edu/lessonplans/al-aplan.html. This plan sets out how you can recreate a debate about land ownership between students to help them explore the differences between native and non-native conceptions of land.

Student Activity:

• Have the students watch the online films listed above within the “Ancestral Lands” section of the Campfire Stories with George Catlin website.
• Have the students participate in and complete the “Debating for Land” lesson plan.

Evaluation:

• Students should be able to describe and explain the differences between the concepts regarding land held by Indians and Euro-Americans.

Resources:

• “Campfire Stories with George Catlin: An Encounter of Two Cultures”, Smithsonian American Art Museum , http://catlinclassroom.si.edu
• “Debating for Land”, Campfire Stories with George Catlin: An Encounter of Two Cultures, Smithsonian American Art Museum , http://catlinclassroom.si.edu/lessonplans/al-aplan.html