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Native American Diplomacy

Introduction

Diplomacy is a means of establishing a mutual understanding among people. It is a useful tool for groups of people with different needs and desires who want to try to live and work with one another without physical conflict. Sometimes diplomacy works; sometimes communications break down and conflicts turn violent.

Native people inhabited North America long before Europeans arrived. The goals of Native people and of European explorers and settlers were in conflict. To live in peace required a delicate balance of negotiation and cooperation.

As Native peoples resisted yielding territory or agreed to cede land in exchange for peace, they also kept European-Americans guessing as to which European power they would favor. Different British colonies competed for Native peoples' business, and European powers vied for the support and assistance of Native Americans on the edges of their North American territories. Diplomacy was essential to both Native peoples and to European-Americans in charting the future success of their cultures.

Materials

Strategy

Set up the lesson by explaining to students that many Native American languages were filled with metaphors and symbolic language. Europeans learned how to use this symbolic language and to adopt some Native customs such as gift giving to communicate effectively with Native groups. Tell students that they will learn about symbolism from primary sources and will compare these to present-day symbol.

1. Discuss what is meant by a symbol. Have the class brainstorm symbols that are commonly used today. Some could be patriotic symbols (e.g., eagle, flag, colors, Statue of Liberty) or ones that relate to daily life (school emblems, corporate logos).

2. Distribute the Graphic Organizer: Cherokee Symbolism. Divide the class into small groups and have each group hypothesize what the meaning of each symbol might have been.

3. Discuss students' responses. Guide the discussion using the Teacher Resource: Metaphor and Symbolism chart.

4. Distribute to the groups Primary Source 1: A Cherokee Delegation Visits Williamsburg (1751). Have the students rewrite the metaphor sentences in their own words.

5. Distribute Primary Source 2: British and American Views of Indian Diplomatic Demands and the Graphic Organizer: Diplomatic Demands. After the students have read through the primary sources, have them choose one Indian speaker and one colonial speaker and complete the graphic organizer. As a class, discuss the various answers they have recorded.