Primitive culture

In older anthropology texts and discussions, the term "primitive culture" is used to refer to a society that is believed to lack cultural, technological, or economic sophistication/development. For instance, a culture that lacks a written language might be considered less culturally sophisticated than cultures with writing systems; or a hunter-gatherer society might be considered less "developed" than an industrial capitalist society.

The term was used by many Western authors, such as anthropologists and historians to describe the indigenous cultures in their foreign colonies, and in distant uncolonized lands.

Describing a culture as "primitive" is considered by many to be offensive. Use of the term, especially in academic settings, has thus diminished. The indigenous activist organisation Survival International is campaigning for the complete abolition of the term. and has succeeded in persuading some newspapers to stop using it.

Background

During the 17th and 18th centuries, American colonists and Native Americans lived in resentment and hostility. The two sides portrayed complete opposite ways of living, and through which, uneducated stereotyping arose. Since both parties disliked each other, it was easy to typecast the other side into being something they were not. The Colonists quickly judged the Native Americans as being savages and even barbaric. By calling the Native Americans as Savages, the colonists were able to demonstrate their belief that they were the superior race. Similar to racism in the US, particularly the segregation era, these American colonists treated the Native Americans were utter disrespect and took advantage of them any chance they had.

The Colonists' Reasoning

There are a plethora of reasons as to why the American Colonists believed that the Native Americans lived a savage life. When the English settled, what they found were no cities in existence, but villages instead. The Native Americans did not have a system of law or government, so they often fought with other tribes, as well as each other, in order to deal with their issues. They also hunted for all for all of their food and even used what they hunted as everyday materials around their tribe. Moreover, the Colonists did not understand their established language and uses of communication. The Native Americans also did not exhibit any knowledge of Agriculture, and instead, hunted for all of their resources. All of these reasons culminated to assemble the prejudice mindset the Colonists had towards the Native Americans. The English settlers saw the Indians as savages and treated them as if they were animals, for it was a way to feel dominant and superior over another race and/or to justify their actions in stealing the Native Americans’ land.

The Native American Reasoning

Just how the English Settlers believed that the Native Americans were savages, the Native Americans thought of the Colonists as a heartless group of people. The Indian way was much different than that of the Colonists, and as evidenced in the story “Life of Ma-ka-tai-me-she-kia-kiak” the author, Black Hawk, described how dissimilar English customs were to those of the Native Americans and how their viewpoints on what was polite was completely divergent, “It is one of the Indian Rules of politeness not to answer a public proposition the same day it is made; they think it would be treating it as a light manner and that they show it respect by taking time to consider it, as of a matter of importance.” From this Native American passage, it is easy to see how even the slightest difference of opinions, even on what was considered polite, could form and even further division between the two cultures. Moreover Black Hawk also illustrated how hostile the Colonists got when the Native American chose not to communicate with them when the Settlers visited their tribes. The Colonists viewed this as highly improper, but the Native Americans simply were watching the Colonists of any wrongdoings and protecting themselves. What the Native Americans believed to be well mannered, the Colonists believed to be rude, and vice-versa. From recorded stories, such as “Life of Ma-ka-tai-me-she-kia-kiak” the Native Americans seem to be peaceful people that wanted no harm, but through trickery and deceit, “The white people brought whiskey into our village, made our people drunk and cheated them out of their horses, guns, and traps,” the Native Americans had no choice, but to develop a hostility and loathing for the colonists.

Differing Opinions on Native American Savagery

Obviously not all of the Colonists considered the Native Americans to be savage, and some even professed their desire for equality. Benjamin Franklin even wrote an essay, “Remarks Concerning the Savages of North America,” detailing how the Native Americans were anything but savages, and even went on to explain how the Colonists may have been the actual barbarians. The purpose of Franklin’s essay was to illustate to society how different cultures have different methods of living life and that each one must be respected, “Savages we call them, because their manners differ from ours, which we think the perfection of civility; they think the same of theirs.” He portrayed being civilized as a biased opinion on one’s own cultural values. Furthermore, Ralph Waldo Emerson wrote a letter to Martin Van Buren, President of the United States, explaining how cruel and inhumane the American colonists were towards the Indians, “Will the American Government steal? Will it lie? Will it kill? —We ask triumphantly. Our wise men shake their heads dubiously… And now the steps of this crime follow each other so fast, -at such fatally quick time, -that the millions of virtuous citizens, whose agents the Government are, have no place to interpose, and must shut their eyes until the last howl and wailing of these poor tormented villages and tribes shall afflict the ear of the world.” It was through strong leaders like Franklin and Emerson that awareness was spread and the Native American voice was heard. Even though they were not Native Americans themselves, Emerson and Franklin’s efforts were monumental towards an eventual society that promoted equality between the cultures.

Blurred Distinction Between Savagery and Civilization

As evidenced by the behaviors amongst the English settlers and the Native Americans, there was a blurred distinction between what was considered savage and what was deemed civilized. Both parties would like to think that they were the civilized group of people and that the other culture displayed savagery, but what was interesting was that there were some similarities between the two cultures. Although the two cultures did not interact with each other very much, Mary Rowlandson’s personal account, “The Narrative of the Captivity and the Restoration of Mrs. Mary Rowlandson,” shed light upon the popular beliefs the Colonists had towards the Native Americans, as well as the altered opinion through personal experiences with the “enemy.” Despite her strong beliefs towards the Native Americans and their customs, Rowlandson’s psyche was completely altered over the course of her captivity, and through which, she is able to see the other race in a whole new light. It is interesting because Rowlandson originally viewed the Indians as savages that were downright barbaric, but through her up close experiences with them, she was able to see how the Native Americans were actually civilized people. She obviously would not have awarded them for their elegance, but she truly began to see the Indians as a much more refined race of people. This altered mindset could be attributed to her extended time spent with them, but mostly to her cognizance that both cultures were more similar than either side would think. Whether it be from wearing their clothes, spending nights with them, eating their food, or communicating with them, Mary Rowlandson was a symbol of hope during such cruel time of hatred violence, for she represented not only the uneducated prejudice of the colonists, but also the hope that both sides could eventually cope with each other in an open society.

See also

• Anarcho-primitivism
• Civilization
• Ethnology
• Negrito
• Neolithic
• Noble savage
• Paleolithic
• Pierre Clastres
• Primitive communism
• Primitivism
• Shifting cultivation
• White man's burden
• Zomia (geography)

Further reading

• Stanley Diamond, In Search of the Primitive, Transaction Publishers,U.S. 1987, ISBN 087855582X
• Adam Kuper, The Reinvention of Primitive Society. Transformations of a Myth , Taylor & Francis Ltd. 2005, ISBN 0415357616
• Joseph Campbell, The Masks of God: Primitive Mythology, Viking, 1959; reissued by Penguin, 1991 ISBN: 978-0140194432
• Joseph Campbell, The Historical Atlas of World Mythology, vols. I and II, Harper and Row 1988, 1989.