We are called to love, yet did we?

When European’s came to America, they came seeking freedom from the British Empire.  The new world gave people the opportunity for religious freedom and a dream of a better life.  The freedom that people desired when they arrived in America developed into the free society we have today, but I find it very ironic that while the colonists were seeking freedom from Britain they were mistreating the Native Americans and not giving them the freedom they deserved.  The white man came to America and took over, along with that, they pushed the Native Americans off their land, killed them, and took their women for wives.  The European white men robbed the Native American’s freedom that they had for centuries and treated them very poorly.  It is amazing that no one stepped back and thought something was wrong with this picture- we are seeking freedom while taking the exact thing from someone else? How did that make sense?  Did the white man not see a problem with this?

The mistreatment of the Native American people is an overarching theme in “An Indian’s Looking Glass for the White Man” by Apess and “Indian Names” by Sigourney. Apess expresses the mistreatment of the Native American people from a religious perspective, while Sigourney shows how much the white man owes to the Native American people.  I think that both Apess and Sigourney have very valid points in displaying the mistreatment of the Native American’s and they each do it in a unique way that displays the importance of the Indians. 

Apess highlights the fact that God called His people to LOVE one another and this was not taking place in America during this time.  Many European’s were Christians and in fact came to America seeking religious freedom and knew the word of God, yet they did not always live by it.  Apess calls out the white man for not treating the Native American people as Christ would treat others.  They do not love on the Indians; they do the exact opposite.  Apess brings to light the fact that “we find that Jesus Christ and his Apostles never looked at the outward appearances.  Jesus in particular looked the hearts…” (643).  This shows Apess’ desire for the white man to look beyond the red skin of the Native Americans and look deeper into the heart of the people who have lived in America long before the white man showed up.  Apess also presents the idea that, “God is the maker and preserver of both the white man and the Indian, whose abilities are the same and who are to be judged by one God, who will show no favor to outer appearances but will judge the righteousness” (640).  God is the God of ALL people, and no one deserves to be treated differently because of race.  God is the judge of souls, not the white man. 

In the poem by Sigourney, the white man mistreated the Native American people, yet America and the names of many landmarks are all due to the Native American people.  The Indians died and suffered treatment that they never deserved and the only thing preserving their culture are the names of different places in America.  But without the Native American people these places would not be known as they are today.  The white man owes much to the Native American people, yet in return they received mistreatment.