The tribal “umbrella” seemingly linked a people together with common culture, goals and leadership. Although a few groups of Native American people operated under this form of organization, the vast majority did not. In Reality, the most meaningful political unit for the Native American people was the Village.
Traditional views are that the tribe was the main organizing structure of Native American Peoples. These tribes tended to be viewed almost like the Western idea of a nation: One group of people united by culture and language unified under one Chief or Tribal Council working toward common goals. These tribes can be widespread and made up of many villages, but all fall under tribal control. It is commonly viewed that the Chief had control over the tribe, much as a governor or king would in Western cultures.
Native American Villages or Tribes?
The predominant political unit in Native American life was the village, not the tribe. What many would consider the Iroquois were not a single unit. They may, in fact, have only language in common. Their cultures and goals could be radically different. Most importantly, their political leadership was located on the village level, not the “tribal” level. Traders or governors reaching an agreement with one Iroquois leader did not by default have an agreement with all of the Iroquois groups. Also difficult for westerners to understand was the role of the chief in village politics. Native American chiefs tended to rule by consensus with those in their village. They acted more as advisors – for the most part, their word was not final. If the members of the village chose to go against the chief, the chief had little recourse. This caused problems for the Europeans as they expected the chiefs to rule over their people, much as they were ruled over by governments.
This new understanding of the Native American political unit greatly impacted the development of the area we call the Midwest. As the area of the Midwest grew and populated, the relationships the settlers had with the Native Americans became more important. The fundamental lack of understanding the white settlers had of their Native American neighbors caused many misunderstandings.
Native American Interaction With Europeans
Europeans and the Native Americans tried to reach a mutually beneficial understanding of each other in order to meet their own needs - this played a key role in the development of the Midwest. As the region developed, the settlers were constantly striving to forge and maintain the so-called Midwest with the local Native American people. In matters of justice, marriage, religion, trade and culture, both the settlers and the Native Americans were constantly searching for the elusive Midwest. Sometimes it came easy, sometimes it never came at all. The outcomes of this constant negotiation and compromise may well be seen in the stereotypical laid back attitudes of many Midwesterners.
The early part of the nineteenth century saw a great deal of migration into the Midwest. Settlers came from all parts of the Eastern United States to make their way in the frontiers of the West. It would seem certain that the area of the Midwest benefited from the years of experience managing their relationships with the varied groups of Native Americans who made the pays d’en haut their home, although somewhat reluctantly. Surely this experience with varied cultures, goals and beliefs proved useful to the Midwesterners trying to forge a new middle ground with the Northerners, Southerners and foreign immigrants who now called that land their home.
The Midwest – The New Middle Ground
The new view of the structure of Native American political structure offers insight not only into the relationships between the settlers and the Native Americans who shared the Midwestern landscape, but also into the relationships of the Midwesterners themselves. Due to their experience with the various Native American groups, future Midwesterners were well equipped to handle the difficulties that would arise in the growing Midwest. Whether they be accepting the different peoples who chose to make their homes there or managing a working relationship between rural Illinois and the Urban behemoth that would become Chicago – once again, finding a middle ground.
Source Material
The Middle Ground: Indians, Empires, and Republics in the Great Lakes Region, 1650-1815 (Studies in North American Indian History). By Richard White
ISBN: 0521424607, Cambridge University Press, 1991, pp 560.
Kevin Hickson - Kevin Hickson was born and raised outside Denver, CO and currently resides in Indianapolis, IN with his wife and four children. After ...
