The Noble Savage
When discussing indigenous people, similar themes arise -- the injustice faced by the poor, defenceless tribes at the hand of the greedy Europeans, the beauty of their age old customs and above all, how peaceful, how sustainable and how much better the world would have been had their continued existence been permitted.
At our school, we all enjoy lacrosse, a sport invented by American Indians, and everyone knows about the formidable Moai on Easter Island. Many were awestruck at the British Museum’s recent Eldorado Gold exhibition, though there was the compulsory, “of course this was all taken away from the hardworking goldsmiths by the invading Spanish” message underlying the displays and exhibits.
Undeniably, the development of European fleets and the diseases their sailors brought along with them did play a huge part in the snuffing out of many indigenous tribes, however, it is close-minded to think that the indigenous people were completely innocent and defenceless. It is almost offensive to assume that these "collapsed civilisations" that were able to survive for thousands of years met their ends just because of the arrival of the Spaniards.