The period from 1500 to 1800 roughly corresponds to the colonial era in the Americas.
The colonial encounter between European intruders and indigenous inhabitants from the late fifteenth century was characterised by tremendous acts of violence. In a few decades a large part of the native population died either in the wars of conquest, due to over-exploitation or as a result of hitherto unknown diseases introduced by the explorers and conquerors, such as measles or smallpox, against which they had no resistance.
Amerindian ritual violence, such as human sacrifice, the torture of captives and cannibalism (anthropophagy), was particularly suited to the justification of conquest and colonial domination. Therefore, it was widely discussed in European sources. Few sources ‘from the natives' point of view' exist, however, and so the indigenous perspectives have to be elucidated by critically analysing descriptions from conquerors, colonisers or missionaries.This chapter presents several arguments concerning native and European colonial violence, focusing in particular on their ritual forms. Firstly, while Amerindian cannibalism and human sacrifice were particularly condemned by the Europeans, some of their own behaviours resembled these practices more than they would admit. Secondly, while the colonial discourse tended to construct a relatively homogeneous colonial ‘other', native ritual violence differed considerably between and among stratified and egalitarian indigenous societies - that is, those with or without institutionalised forms of inequality beyond age and gender differences (a distinction which will be critical in this analysis). Thirdly, Amerindians were differently affected by European conquest and colonial rule depending, among other things, on their form of political organisation. Fourthly, native and European (ritual) violent practices influenced each other to a certain extent. Finally, while Europeans condemned native ritual violence such as human sacrifice or the treatment of war captives as barbaric, their dealings with people considered inimical to the secular and godly order were by no means more humane.
Given the variety of Amerindian cultures and colonial encounters, only some general trends and a few empirical examples can be discussed in what follows.
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