English Colonists' Contradictory Views of Native American Land Use in Virginia & Massachusetts

Stewards or Savages? The Colonists' Conflicted Lens

English settlers in both Virginia and Massachusetts held simultaneously admiring and disparaging views of how Native Americans interacted with the land—views that justified both cooperation and conquest.

Positive Perceptions

• Ecological Stewards: Colonists observed sustainable practices—controlled burns (slash‑and‑burn), rotational cropping, communal hunting territories—that maintained biodiversity and soil health.
• Strategic Allies: Indigenous knowledge of terrain, trails, and resources was vital for survival, trade, and military campaigns (especially against the French).

Negative Perceptions

• "Savages" Without Property: Because Natives didn't fence, deed, or "improve" land in European agrarian terms, colonists deemed it vacuum domicilium (empty dwelling)—legally vacant and free for taking.
• Existential Threat: Raids, wars (Pequot War 1637, King Philip's War 1675‑76), and cultural difference fueled fear and dehumanization.

How Attitudes Shaped Treatment

The contradiction—seeing Natives as both useful partners and inferior obstacles—drove a pattern of:

• Treaties made and broken when land pressure grew.
• Conversion efforts ("Praying Towns") that eroded traditional land tenure.
• Wars of displacement justified by the "savagery" narrative.
• Demographic collapse from disease, warfare, and loss of subsistence base.

Ultimately, the colonists' property‑centric worldview prevailed, transforming a shared landscape into a privatized, surveyed, and fenced colony.