Daniel Strauss
Section 306
10/4/10
Envir 113 Paper #1
Paper Topic: Analyze the differences between the various perceptions of wolves from culture to culture by examining all the religious beliefs, social customs and traditions, as well as economic pressures that reflect contrasting projections of wolves between separate cultures. Explain what the conflicting portrayals of wolves reveal about the changing attitudes towards the relationship between humans and nature from one culture to the next.
No single explanation exists for the varying perceptions and portrayals of wolves between the European and Native American cultures during the Middle Ages and early European settlement in America. Modern-day Americans find it easy to blame one side, specifically the Europeans, for the vengeful destruction of a national wildlife heritage. However, the religious, social, and economic differences between the two cultures at the time explain the underlying motives. As Lopez puts it, “We forget how little, really, separates us from the times and circumstances in which we, too, would have killed wolves” (Lopez, 138). Each culture, defined by their own set of customs and traditions, viewed not just the wolf but nature as a whole, in very different lights. The wolf has been a symbol of great respect and honor as well as a demonic symbol of hatred and persecution. While the Europeans saw the wolf as a demonic machine capable of destroying a man’s livelihood overnight, many Native American tribes saw the wolf as a brother, a revered companion in hunting, and a figure with deep connections to the spiritual world. These varying perceptions of wolves between European and Native American cultures at the time were the result of contrasting social backgrounds, including each culture’s unique set of customs, traditions, and practices, as well as the divergent economic and religious pressures that existed between the separate cultures at the time.
First of all, the incomparable social backgrounds of the European and Native American cultures contributed to their varying perceptions of wolves during the Middle Ages. Separate cultures possess their own distinct set of customs, traditions, and practices that make that culture unique. Moreover, these diverse customs and traditions helped to shape the perceptions of wolves that each culture possessed around the time of European settlement. The vast differences between each culture’s social backgrounds aids in illustrating this point. Starting first with Native Americans, it is important to note that though individual tribes may be distinct from one another, many shared a similar set of customs, traditions, and hunting practices that gave rise to equivalent portrayals of the wolf. The similarities between their ways of life led to the positive perceptions of wolves in many Native American and closely related Eskimo cultures. Many Native American tribes, as well as the Nunamiut Eskimos, are traditional hunting societies that lead similar lives to wolves’. Both ate similar foods as the wolf such as Caribou and Moose. In addition, the harsh conditions of their shared environment tested the very same skills necessary for survival in both Indians and wolves (Lopez, 85). Subsequently, this leads to the differences between hunting styles among the indigenous people of North America and the Europeans, ultimately resulting in two very different perceptions of the wolf. For Native Americans, hunting goes far beyond tradition. Throughout Native American history, hunting has been the Indian man’s means of survival, a sacred art, and his way of living. At the time, Europeans were transitioning away from hunting and gathering and were gradually moving towards an agrarian way of life. Consequently, Europeans were unable to relate to the wolf the way Native Americans could at the time. These similarites between the Indian and the wolf contributed to their positive perceptions. According to Lopez, “At a tribal level, the attraction of the wolf was strong because the wolf lived in a way that made the tribe strong: he provided food that all, even the sick and old, could eat; he saw the education of his children; he defended his territory against other wolves” (Lopez, 105). In addition, tribes like the Cree, Pueblo, and Shoshoni Indians all fought alongside wolves in mutually beneficial hunts to take down their prey, a practice absent in European culture (Lopez, 99). In turn, Native American war ceremonies, as well tribal songs and dances celebrated the wolf, further separating their perceptions of this animal from those of the Europeans (Lopez, 115). Furthermore, wolves inspired a sense of respect and reverence in many Native Americans due to the hunting skills and techniques that wolves shared with them. All of these examples demonstrate the effects that certain customs, traditions, and practices belonging to distinct cultures have on shaping perceptions of nature and in this case, wolves.
