Cooper: The Fair and the Fickle

James Fenimore Cooper’s treatment of white and red gifts undoubtedly holds a bias that closely reflects the “white man’s burden.” The white man’s burden consists of whites teaching lesser races the benefits of civilization and morality over savagery. For example, in Cooper’s “Notion of the Americans,” the Indians are a lazy, “stunted, dirty, and degraded race.” For this reason, whites set up reservations and give the Indians an education. They also pay for land that “[the Indians] did not want, nor could they use.” The Indians are overall a lazy bunch, while the whites are fair and just; they not only pay fairly for the land but also give more than they need to (i.e. and education and technological civilization). The perfect example of this is found in the story of the peacock feather. And while some Indians are sometimes given the gifts of honesty and gratefulness, Cooper mentions, “he is well known to be as eminently grateful as he is vindictive.” Indians are fickle characters known for their trickery and deceit; they are not to be trusted.

Deerslayer understands the fickle ways of the Indian in chapter seven of The Deerslayer. An Indian attempts to shoot him after they had agreed to go their own ways, as compared to earlier when Deerslayer had decided that he would not shoot the Indian while he had his back turned. After Deerslayer mortally shoots the Indian he still gives him water and does not scalp him. Deerslayer’s gifts are merciful but just, therefore showing his (and white’s) superiority over the Indian race’s fickleness.

new vs. old

It is easy to see that Cooper does not have too much respect for the Indians, but hey, at least they are better than the Irish, but in his letter, there are a few encouraging words for the lesser race. He describes the ones that work on the sea as highly reliable and good workers and describes Indians as a whole to not be known for thief unless those who live nearby who have been corrupted by white civilization.
This is weird contrast where he describes a race that he often refers to as uncivilized, being corrupted by civilized people. But years later, in the excerpt of Deerslayer, The Indians have become thieving and treacherous, while of course still being complete idiots. I believe that this was intentional in Cooper’s attempt to create the American Hero. For Cooper, the American Hero was the pioneer. It isn’t so much the thrill of living in the wild as it is leaving civilization to live in the wild. And with any great hero, there must be a villain and Cooper found it in the tribes that the obviously superior whites would encounter. I feel as if Cooper was truly playing into the spirit that would come to embody Manifest Destiny.

White Gifts, Red Gifts, Relationships, and Misunderstandings

Cooper's writings on Indians and the chapter 7 from Deerslayer present fascinating incites about the relationships between white men and Indians. Through both works, Cooper also expresses the separate cultures themselves by the gifts that they give to one another: White gifts and Red Gifts. In Cooper's Notions of the Americans: The Indians, a gift of "peacock feathers" is presented to the Indian Peterlasharroo. The gift is regarded nicely from Peterlasharroo. I find that this gift of feathers presents the white man's interpretation of the Indian. This gift, which is not much more than pretty feathers to white men is considered a "brilliant" to red men. It may be my own speculation (and i understand that the gift was valuable to the Indians), but I smell exploitation, which was a very abundant aspect of the white and red man relationship.

In The Deerslayer, we are shown that the gifts of white men also come in the form of forgiveness, humility, fairness, and respect. Deerslayer attempts to settle his dispute with the Indian with common kindness (you go your way, I will go mine). Unfortunately, this gift of respect is not returned by the Indian who gives the gift of trickery, deceit, and a tomahawk. The Indian is the weaker man here (and in most relationships with the white man), his use of cunning is perhaps both his most powerful and damnable gift (although he fails in his trickery). It would appear that neither side has a strong grasp of each others gifts. The Indian recognizes the white man's gift of "go your own way" as simply an opportunity, while Deerslayer feels morally bound to respect and his word. However, the white man will surely come to recognize the success of guerrilla warfare.

Relations between Whites and Indians, Cooper

By far the most telling and interesting part of Cooper’s account is the even tone throughout the pieces, even a naivety with which he speaks of the relation between colonial bigotry and colonial sense of charity. Schools built and trade established was punctuated by “The Indians have never been slain; except in battle, unless by lawless individuals; never hunted by blood-hounds, or in any manner aggrieved, except in the general, and perhaps, in some degree, justifiable invasion of a territory that they did not want, nor could not use.” However fictitious Deerslayer may be, the conversation between the protagonist and the “Injin” indicates a nice common ground between the two cultures, hinting at a progressively tolerant, if tentative and hostile, attitude. Granted, Cooper writes the class mentioned “American Hero,” and in doing so exemplifies the honor of Deerslayer, but that Cooper recognized this to be a positive step says a lot of colonial/native relations. Cooper writes in his Notions of the Americans: The Indians,
“As a rule, the red man disappears before the superior moral and physical influence of the white, just as I believe the black man will eventually do the same thing…In nine cases in ten, the tribes have gradually remove west; and there is now a confused assemblage of nations and languages collected on the immense hunting grounds of the Prairies.”
While tense, the progression has to be mentioned, and taken as a sign of the change in culture. Cooper does write with a hint of the civil revolutions to come which reveals a lot of what growing sentiment there was between both cultures.

James Fenimore Cooper Blog Question

There are two readings for Cooper. One is his essay on Indians and the other is Chapter VII on Deerslayer. Read them both and post a comment on the difference between white gifts and red ones--Deerslayer's gifts and Indian gifts. Think of what Cooper means by gifts.