The purpose of this research is to examine pan-Indian unity movements that occurred in North America between 1762 and 1891. The plan of the research will be to set forth the historical context of these movements and then to discuss whether and to what extent the goals of Indian unity and assimilation are the same and the impact of tribalism on Indian cultural identity and integrity vis-à-vis the emerging dominance of non-Indian culture over the course of the nineteenth century.
The appearance of European settlers in North America altered the fate of indigenous peoples permanently. It is fair to characterize the white incursion into Indian territories as a species of internal colonialism. However, the internal dynamics of the indigenous peoples can also be implicated in the success of the Europeans in dispossessing the Indians of their lands and socially marginalizing them. Evidence for how that came about can be seen in the recurrence of mostly failed efforts at constructing pan-Indian unity movements.
Pan-Indian unity was a dynamic of reaction and response to the Indian experience of encounters with whites. It seems to have become very clear very quickly that whites intended to displace Indians rather than attempt to coexist with them or fully integrate their cultures. Martin cites missionary accounts of sentiment among the Delaware people as early as 1751 of resentment toward whites and a sense that they were being pushed aside. The pattern of white behavior was to use rum and other European goods to encourage the Indians to relinquish their lands, and so-called prophets among the Delaware cautioned their people against falling for the unequal trade. Some Indians responded with violence, destroying settlers' cabins with a view toward reclaiming the land. Another strategy was typified by Munsee Delaware prophet Papounhan, who had become a drunkard with white men's help but who became a reformed character, and who reported a vis...