Abenaki Indians as Environmentalists

A detailed Summary of Abenaki Indians as Environmentalists

Many people are under a false impression that early Native Americans are the original environmentalists. This is an impression that many people share. The Abenaki tribes that resided in Maine from 3700 BP were not by our traditional definition, environmentalists. In fact they were far from ecologically sound. This paper is meant not to criticize the Native Americans of the age, but to clarify their roles in the environment. To better understand this subject some background is needed.

The Abenaki People of the Northeast led a non-permanent exististance based mostly on the seasonal flux in the region. The area of land now referred to as Maine especially. Maine has always had abrupt seasons and the Abenaki used these seasons to their advantage. Their culture is one of direct appropriation with nature. This meaning that they were a culture in which nothing was permanent. Their survival depended on mobility. The Abenaki did not utilize storage as we do now, or even as the early Europeans of the time did. For each of the four seasons they stayed in areas where they would successfully survive. For instance, the summer months were sp

ent on the coastal regions fishing and foraging while in the winter they pulled back into the interior forests for protection and hunting. However, they did return to the same part of the forests, coasts and waterfalls where their former camps had been.

As you can see, by our current definition of environmentalism the Native Americans of the time were not the epitome. The Abenaki did however understand something that not only the colonists and explorers the time did not, that which many of us currently do not posses. The Abenaki and a majority of the Native Americans promoted the natural balance of nature thereby creating a sustainable environment. They used what is known as a diffused substinance pattern. By this we mean that by using resources available to them lightly as opposed to intensely using the same resources, they were conserving for the future. These tribes would spiritualize nature. In this culture everything was significant. They held reverence for the environment and a strong kinship with nature. Often these people observed respectful guidelines to avoid spiritual retaliation. For instance, the bones of the bea

Some common words found in the essay are:
People Northeast, Native Americans, native americans, , abenaki tribes, anthropogenic fire, variety reasons, using resources,

Approximate Word count = 764
Approximate Pages = 3 (250 words per page double spaced)

Category: History

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