How could the Native Americans not see the overwhelming nature of the English colonization?

Question

They were confident they could build a coalition of several hundred thousand Native American troops to throw the English off the continent.
The Native Americans were simply naive about their ability to fight the English settlers without modern weapons.
The Native Americans had an extremely limited worldview that did not allow them to understand the magnitude of the English colonization efforts.
The Native Americans were ignorant of the birth of the English settlers, and therefore misjudged how long it would be before the English colonists had overwhelming numbers.

Answer 1

The interactions between Native Americans and English colonizers were complex and influenced by a variety of factors. While it's difficult to generalize the perspectives of all Native American groups, several key points can help explain why they may not have perceived the full magnitude of English colonization:

1. Diverse Perspectives and Experiences: Native American tribes were not a monolithic group; they had varied cultures, languages, and historical experiences. Some tribes had engaged in trade and alliances with Europeans long before extensive colonization occurred, leading some to view English settlers as potential allies rather than overwhelming threats.

2. Historical Context of Alliances: Many Native Americans had a long history of dealing with various European powers and may have believed that they could form successful alliances against the English, much as they had done in the past. The notion of coalition-building was often rooted in their own traditional practices of diplomacy and trade.

3. Perceptions of Land Use and Ownership: Native American concepts of land use differed significantly from European notions of land ownership. Many Indigenous peoples understood land as a communal resource, and the encroachment by settlers may not have been fully appreciated as a threat at first, reflecting a fundamentally different worldview regarding land and resource management.

4. Misjudgment of Settler Population Growth: The Native Americans may have underestimated the rapid population growth and settlement patterns of the English. The settlers faced hardships but were also driven by strong motivations to expand and secure territory, which may have been difficult for Native Americans to foresee in terms of scale and persistence.

5. Technological Miscalculations: Although some Native Americans recognized differences in technology (such as firearms), they often had their own effective forms of warfare and strategies, which contributed to a degree of confidence in their ability to resist encroachment, despite the settlers’ advantages.

6. Cultural Differences in Warfare: Native American warfare often focused on strategy and mobility rather than large-scale battles. This cultural approach may have led to miscalculations regarding the potential outcomes of conflicts with a growing settler population that was often more organized in military terms.

In summary, a combination of historical context, differing worldviews, cultural practices, and misjudgments regarding population growth and military technology contributed to Native American leaders underestimating the overwhelming nature of English colonization.