Native American and White Philosophy and Conflict

Jack travels between two worlds: the world of the Cheyenne and the world of the white pioneers. He is uniquely positioned to observe and understand both philosophies. The difference in philosophy extends through every phase of life.

For example, the Whites send their children to school for formal education, while the Native Americans teach through play, through action, and through story. Morality is the same way: when Pendrake lists the sins Jack should try to avoid, he could just as easily be describing Old Lodge Skins’s personal traits.The Native Americans believe in a circle of life, where the Earth and sun, life and death, predator and prey are all part of a mystical circle. Warfare is a different thing to white and Native American as well. The whites fight to achieve an aim, while the Native Americans fight for the...