Indian Infidelity
Spain and the colonization of America
Since late 1400, Spain explored and colonized much of North America and South America. His empire extend across most of America as we now today, pouring down throughout Central America and the west coast of South America. When colonization of California, the Spanish believed that the land would be included in both Spanish law and religion. Spanish culture was very different from Native of California for the Spanish Christianized tried to reform the marriage customs and sexual practices of the Indians they encountered. His previous attempt the reform of religion in a culture colonized proven successful when Father Junipero Serra reformed a young man in a "sin" with an older man. Based on this success with Spanish and the Spanish wanted to Christianize the Indians of California, therefore sexual reform was an important issue.
Spanish follows the canons of society to Christianity. It forbade premarital sex. Marriages are for life, and loyalty is expected. The divorce is not granted unless the circumstances were extreme. Christianity had a range of acceptable sexual practices and all other sins were considered, including which the "sins against nature", including homosexuality, were considered the worst. Christians believed that sex was for pleasure and procreation not much, just a sexual position was allowed. These were the ideologies of gender that the Spanish brought to California for the purchase of the Indians
The Indian sexual practices varied greatly from that of the Spanish colonizers. Virginity is not a primary concern in finding a spouse and sex before marriage was taboo. Monogamy is expected in Indian marriages and infidelity was grounds for divorce, while others include whipping punishment for infidelity, and, in extreme cases, execution. According to Alberto Hurtado "anthropologists characterize the common pattern civil Gabrielino serial monogamy to polygyny casual, indicating that the separations are common. "Another phenomenon in India is the berdache sexual practices, a male homosexual transvestite. The Indians believed that were both men and women, often married heterosexual men.
The Spanish believed the Indians to be a race to the bottom that it was "incomprehensible" while the Indians did not understand why such strict regulations. Hurtado says a perfect example of this on page 11 of Sex, Gender and Culture in Old California. Indians, he says, usually wore no clothes, and only women wore skirts. While the missionaries were asked why the Indians were embarrassed, and tried dress, the Indians did not understand the need for such strict standards. One way the Spanish treated the Indians to take their sexual restraint by separating of men and Indian women at night, how little success.
The Spanish colonists and the Indians of California were two different cultures that had difficulty understand each other. Each had their own practices and settled in their own ways, and found the culture of the other abnormal. His misunderstandings lead to disease and turns leaving dead Indians and settlers. In Hurtado words "Spanish and Indian sexuality embodied the paradox and the identity of her encounter with humans too."
About the Author
Jesus enjoys making food on his BBQ and enjoying his yard. He writes on his website about the Coleman Mosquito Deleto and the Coleman Mosquito Deleto System.
Infidelity (only you) – home made cover – bass