Historical Agencies of American Indians Throughout the course of time most people when they looked back they would most likely say that the human history mostly consists of bloody wars that each nation wants benefit for their countries. We can’t argue that it’s not true, since the bloody World War two have only ended around half a decade ago and war is still broking out this very day. And the history of our nation, the United States, begins with a war to kick out the Great Britain and happened throughout conflicts with the Native people, and the history of the Native people doesn’t contain that much fighting until the colonial power arrived to wreck their peace. Some would state that the Indian people don’t have the power to determine the course of history as well as their own fates, but the reality is actually completely opposite and sometimes it’s actually the European who required aid from their allies the Native people. They exhibited their historical agency by acquiring firearm through trading with the colonial power, using that weapon to defend their villages from invaders as well as aid their allies in time of need, and when things didn’t go as well as the way they wanted, they travelled across the globe to established peace with the colonial power. The Europeans brought many things to America, some harmed the Indian people but some really boasted their way of life. They brought small poxes which killed lots of Indian people; they brought pigs which ate the Indian people’s food; but they also brought horses which changed their lifestyle of hunting forever and they brought firearm in which is a lot more efficiency than bows and arrows in hunting, as well as helping them to defend themselves from the colonial power’s threat. And the only way to acquired firearm is through trading with the European. Eventually, firearm became a part of the Native people’s life. Not only they helped a great deal with hunting but they also gave a sense of safety against their enemies and the colonial power. Before the introduction of horses and firearms, Indian people didn’t hunt very efficiency since the lack of speed and power. Bows and arrows isn’t as deadly as one shot of a musket, plus the bows required a tremendous power and skill to used, while firearms only need to pull the trigger and a good aim. And without horses they don’t have enough agility to keep up with their prey. When they were able to acquired horses and firearms, the lack of speed and power have been removed so they were able to hunt more for further trading and acquiring new firearms. And this is the reason why most people got the impression that Indian people wiped out most of the species in the past, but that it’s not true. And the guns were used as a formed of defense as well. In Howay’s “Voyages of the Columbia to the Northwest Coast” he mentioned that the Chief whom they invited on board gathered “a great number of the natives with him all armed”, not as a threat to attack but simply to gave a sense of safety against the incoming stranger.1 By the 1800, most Indian people have acquired firearms and those who did not “were anxious to get them.”2
Firearm also changed the face of warfare of the Indian people. Those that have more firearms always tend to be on favor against the other side, so firearms become a priority among trading with the Europeans. In the conflict between the Shoshoni and the Blackfeet firearm changed the way they were fighting.3 Each side tried to trade with the European and other Indian for as much firearm and horses as possible. The Blackfeet then found out the Shoshoni trading route so they blocked the pathway making only a few guns to reach the Shoshoni and eventually pushed the Shoshoni back t the Rocky Mountain. This is one of many conflicts that proved firearm to be essential in the history of warfare.
Wars that the Indian experienced are not only between the tribes alone but also between them and the Europeans. They are valuable