Statement For: The events in Jean François De La Pérouse’s journal illustrate that Spanish colonialism significantly contributed to the alteration of Native American culture and everyday life. Firstly, the coming of Spaniards changed the Native Americans’ way of living by introducing them to agriculture (de La Pérouse 64). The author explains that most of the living resources Native Americans collected by hunting, fishing, and gathering, and therefore hunting skills were highly valued in their culture. Next, in exploring the way Native Americans lived in the mission, the journal explains that Native Americans were required to go to church and could not leave the territory of the mission after conversion despite their migratory lifestyle (de La Pérouse 82). Lastly, the author confirms that polygamy was common among Native Americans, but it was banned after the acceptance of Christianity (de La Pérouse 91). Therefore, the evidence shows that Native American culture has undergone significant changes in freedom of movement, family relationships, and how Native Americans got food resources.
Statement Against: The events in Jean François De La Pérouse’s journal illustrate that Spanish colonialism had little effect on Native American culture and everyday life. Firstly, the author explains that the government gave freedom to the Native Americans to choose a comfortable way of living. Thus, the Native Americans continued living in huts made of straw since this way of living was the most convenient for their natural lifestyle (de La Pérouse 81). Next, the author’s description of the atole dish demonstrates that Native Americans remained committed to their food preferences and food preparation tools (de La Pérouse 85). Lastly, Native Americans were allowed to hunt and fish even when there was enough food in the settlements (de La Pérouse 90). Therefore, even though the arrival of Spaniards implied changes to Native Americans’ way of living, these changes did not affect their culture, and governance took measures to preserve the culture of the Native Americans.
Work Cited
De La Pérouse, Jean-François. Monterey in 1786: The Journals of Jean François de la Pérouse. Heyday Books, 1989.