Europeans in Pursuit of Capitalism in New England Indian and European people had many cultural differences causing both cultures to clash. The two cultures also had different beliefs in terms of land usage and commodities. The European arrival had an enormous impact on the ecosystem, which as well affected the lives of the Indians. The Indians were used to being mobile in terms of their way of living as opposed to the European colonists, they were used to settling in one place and were also very materialistic. On the other hand, the Indians only possessed what they needed and did not have luxuries like the colonists.The Indians of New England did not believe in land ownership because they moved from one location to another, depending on seasonal changes. The Indians were not greedy over the land; they just planted crops and hunted animals for survival. Cronon points out that “Indian villages moved from habitat to habitat to find maximum abundance through minimal work, and so reduce their impact on the land, the English believed in and required permanent settlements.” (p.53) Once the land in which they cultivated their crops lost its fertility they migrated to another location seeking land with fertile soil because the Indians wouldn’t overwhelm the land. New England had an abundance of natural resources such as timber, animals, crops, water, and fish. Thus, they did not misuse or waste their resources; they used everything wisely. They hunted only as needed or depending on how well the hunting season went, but they never accumulated the animals. Indians traded animal furs for knives, hooks, and other metal goods with the Europeans. European colonists’ arrival had a tremendous impact on the ecology of New England. When the Europeans arrived to New England they saw the abundance of natural resources that there was and began exaggerating when reporting back to their people, they would say that there wa...
