![]() The musical composition, “Oh That Navajo Rag” narrates the account of a Native American group acknowledging the coming back of an Indian chief from further studies. Such productions stressed the idea that Native Americans could at any time resort to their primitive forms and possibly revert to violence. Besides the attempts to assimilate Indigenous people through initiatives such as government benefits and missionary learning facilities, literature, art, and pop music continued to evoke fears of the savage Natives (Silver 96). One of the possible effects of the “Civ/Sav” difference is that it created fear among Europeans and Natives, with the former fearing that the latter could revert to their inherent violent nature at any time, thus causing disruption and unrest. ![]() The Perception of Natives as Savages Secluded Indigenous People By referring to the “Civ/Sav” division in his many scholarly works, Mackenzie develops a dehumanized perception of Indigenous groups and their cultural diversity. Though these claims, as Duchemin puts it, Mackenzie disregards or ignores almost everything, which implies that Natives may have had an enlightened and meaningful life beyond the simply physical aspects of their existence. While Mackenzie develops a negative image of those ruled by colonial forces, he believes that he is entitled to such claims and their lack of adherence is wrong and disrespectful (Silver 52). Alexander Mackenzie, for example, is a European colonist and scholar who created an impression of a superior colonial power while developing concepts and ideas that threaten and manipulates Americans and Native groups. Consequently, various scholars developed works that inform about the “Civ/Sav” variation, with some creating a glorified view of European powers while creating an inferior perception of indigenous communities. Silver informs that the belief that European civilization, with its accompanying notions of progress and advancement, was the highly appreciated aspect of intelligent life reiterates many other talks about literary depiction of Indigenous groups, more so in early societies and colonial works (51). The binary difference between civilization and savagery, also called the “Civ/Sav” difference was developed and perpetuated through generations of European colonists and thinkers, and depicts Europeans as the center of civilization, and other groups, particularly those they rule as savage inferior, thus restricting their expressions and experiences in a broader society. The problematic notion of binary or dualism between civilization and savagery and of progress formed the basis of European colonization and also informed their societal development initiatives and assimilation guidelines. The consequence of European view as being civilized while referring to Natives as savages caused constant conflicts that created diverging views on many things, including whether European settlers should be allowed to dominate Native communities. All these factors derailed how both Natives and Europeans negotiated their lives, especially with regard to advocating for their interests and desires. The settlers regarded the Susquehannock people as savages who require harsh treatment to prevent them from opposing the entry and settlements of colonists. The study refers to the Susquehannock people who suffered significantly following their contact with European settlers. ![]() Furthermore, European view on Natives as savages led to the killing of Natives through a series of attacks and battles. The paper describes how the binary effect of civilization and savagery led Europeans to perceive Natives as violent people who deserve equally forceful means to suppress resistance. The paper argues that the “Civ/Sav” variation limited the ways in which Americans, including both Natives and Europeans – negotiated their lives because of increased marginalization, especially of Natives putting them on the periphery as members of mainstream society, thus resulting in significant constraints and imbalance.
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