Byrd's Ignorance

We spoke of the ignorance of Byrd in class on Wednesday, in particular, to what degree he is ignorant, and to what degree he is sarcastic when dealing and speaking about the Native Americans. At the time I agreed with the side of the room which though him much more sarcastic than ignorant. But there are several instances in the text where he displays his ignorance in fine form. When he speaks of the division of labor among Native American families, he scorns the men for being idle. He takes no pains to learn their customs and traditions. He assumes that because in Europe hunting is only for sport, that for the Native Americans it is also a laid back activity. That of course, is not true. The division of labor for the Native Americans was simply different than the homemaker-breadwinner society of the British. The tasks that the Indians saw as feminine were often seen as work for men by the English. The Indian women, termed “poor women” by Byrd, while treasured by their men, were very hard working and provided their families with most of their diet. Hunting and fishing were not “gentlemanly diversions” for the Native Americans, but an important way of life, and a means of substance. Native Americans did not raise livestock, so they needed to hunt and fish in order to have fresh meat for their tables.

He also speaks of the Native women’s custom of sleeping with many men before the time of her marriage. He does understand this custom, but still seems to view it as a heathen practice. So although it seems that Byrd may be trying dispel and make fun of some of the stereotypes that Europeans had concerning the Native Americans, there are definite flaws in his understanding of their customs and ways of life. Ultimately it becomes obvious that he does not understands, and has made no effort to understand why the Indians do things differently, he just chalks it up to their being savage, and not Christian. We read that those Natives who are schooled in Christianity from a young age are sent home, and “immediately relapse into infidelity and barbarianism.” The Indians cannot be both Christian, and keep their customs, in the eyes of Byrd and Europe, so it is a "failure" to convert them, and to teach them.