The Native American Dream
Introduction
What is often depicted in mainstream society as American Indian culture is, in fact, a multitude of unique native cultures that once spanned the thousands of miles that make up the continental United States. For this reason, the notion of a single Native American dream is simplistic and hardly applicable to all Native Americans in any given time or place. However, the role of Native Americans in American society has long been determined by the ruling white majority. In this regard, the Native American dream can be seen as a reflection of how whites viewed American Indians throughout the history of the United States.
Europeans Arrive
The earliest depictions of the Native American dream are not derived directly from Native Americans, but they are recorded by early white explorers and settlers. Thomas Hariot was one such explorer; his "A Brief and True Report of the New Found Land of Virginia" (1588) was instrumental in shaping European settlers' views of the native people they encountered in the New World. Though Hariot spends the bulk of his report itemizing every natural resource in Virginia that might be used or exploited, he devotes a section at the end of his report to the native people and their customs and beliefs.
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