International Social Science Journal (Chinese Edition)

No.4, 2024

 

 

Camden R. Elliott

 

During the 17th and 18th centuries, there were ongoing land disputes between Britain and the Wabanaki people of northeastern North America. There were fundamental disagreements between the British colonizers and the indigenous peoples over land ownership. These conflicts stemmed from different understandings and conceptions of land, including the British colonizers’ abstracted conception of land and the Wabanaki’s deeply emotional and relational understanding of land. By exploring the roles of trees, animals, and land in warfare, it is evident how these elements reflected different cultures’ differing conceptions of nature. For example, the Wabanaki viewed trees as sacred and alive, whereas the British colonizers viewed trees as commodities and resources. In terms of animals, the Wabanaki viewed animals as kin, while the English colonists viewed animals as food and labor. In terms of land, the Wabanaki viewed land as home and property, while the British colonizers viewed land as territory and resources. Through these cases, the article demonstrates that war is not only a military conflict, but also a conflict between different concepts of nature and culture. In addition, it is important to note that there were also considerable differences between the perceptions of the British settler colonizers and the British government. Understanding these differences in perceptions is crucial to understanding the historical and contemporary significance of colonization and conflict.