Before the Europeans arrived in

the Americas, natives followed

their own tribal religions and
rituals. They practiced human
sacrifice, and had worship at
temples. Their practices were
seen by the Europeans as that of wild savages. The Europeans brought Christianity
most notably, Catholicism, and attempted to
convert the natives. The Spanish set up missions and had priests that taught the natives
about Catholicism. Some native religions
intertwined with Christian values, and the
Christian converters used similar ideas of God
and nature to relate their religion to the natives.

Before the Europeans arrived, Indians thought freedom was being able to go
about their business with no
interruption. Kinship ties and the ability
to follow ones spiritual values were integral to the political side of the natives.
Gender status was relatively equal, as
men and women judged each other based
on their ability to live harmoniously with
others. The Europeans, on the other
hand, saw freedom as obedience to the
law. The Europeans saw the natives as
barbaric because they had no fixed laws
and no respect for authority. They saw
the relaxation between the sexes as lazy.
When they could, the Europeans set up
boundaries between themselves and the
Indians, taking the land and power out of
the natives hands.

Native societies were more focused on connectedness and

belonging in a community than
individual freedom. Europeans
were the complete opposite. To the natives, the Europeans were selfish. The native societies also had equal ratios of men
to women, while most European groups
were comprised of mainly men. The Europeans wanted to change the native society
by liberating the lazy sexes and practicing
private property. They also introduced the
inferiority of women to the natives, where
they did not have much say in the commu-

Before the Europeans arrived, the natives didnt

have ownership of the
land. They just used the
land available to them as they pleased
and didnt abuse it. The Europeans saw
this as completely wild behavior, and
thought they should teach the natives
about true freedom. To the Europeans,
freedom meant being able to have land
and use it for whatever purposes they
pleased. The Europeans introduced
real estate and boundaries to the natives. Additionally, the Europeans introduced accumulated wealth to the
natives, and traded European goods
like beads for Indian fur.

The resettlement of Central

American refugees will
cause a great diffusion of
culture. Central American
refugees will have to adapt
to a new way of life. There
will be language differences
between the Houstonians
and refugees. Overall, religion wont be a problem because of religious tolerance
in the U.S.

After the European contact, created a phenomenon of diffusion of culture, religion, disease, and resources. Native societies after this
contact were introduced to new crops and live
stock, such as horses, cows, pigs, and sugar.
This changed the natives diets and tools with
European technology with weapons and metal
tools. The Europeans also brought Christianity
with them, which some natives accepted or
rejected. The Spanish spread Christianity to
the new world with missionaries. This interaction also introduced natives to diseases
bought by colonists that would wipe out native society. Some of the diseases brought
were smallpox, measles, and influenza. After,
the Europeans would force the surviving natives for labor. The Europeans diets were also
enriched due to the introduction of American
crops such as maize. As the diets improved in
European countries, their populations
boomed. The European economy also had a
boost as cash crops from America were cultivated, sent back to Europe to be manufactured and distributed.

Native American societies before

European contact were based on
hunting and gathering. They also
established kin-based tribes, with a
typically male chief. Natives practiced animism, and cosmologies.
Although the native practiced little
agriculture, they did not have metal
tools. Natives lived a nomadic life
style. They also developed both
trading and migration routes. On
the European side, the populations
had high death rates and low birth
rates due to lack of nutrition. Englands economy was dwindling before it took part in the Columbian
Exchange and benefited from trade.

Prediction
Politically, the refugees are escaping gang
violence. Refugees might get caught up in
gangs in the Houston cities, but the laws set
up at the campsites will discourage and
prohibit such actions. Hopefully, the refugees will want nothing to do with gangs
once they relocate. Additionally, three
different countries (Guatemala, El Salvador
& Honduras) are relocating so there might
be tensions and rivalries between the
different nationalities.

Prediction
The religious and cultural tolerance present
in Houston will welcome the Central American refugees. The Houstonians will not
oppress the refugees because the group is
already mostly Hispanic, with much of the
Houston population being Spanishspeaking. Also, the refugees will relocate to
a forest, which will be away from overwhelming cities, so the refugees shouldnt
be worried about their culture clashing with
the Houstonians.

Prediction
Economically, the refugees are escaping
countries where financial prospects are
few. When they relocate to Houston, their
ability to accumulate wealth will rise, as
jobs will become available to them. They
do not have to worry about competing for
jobs with the Houstonians, because initially,
they will have jobs only at their campsites
in the Sam Houston National Forest.