The term refers to the interaction and dynamic between a European colonial power and the indigenous tribes or peoples they encountered during their colonization efforts. It encompasses the various ways in which these relationships were established, maintained, and evolved over time.
Related terms
Assimilation: The process by which indigenous peoples adopt cultural practices or beliefs of the colonizing European power.
Encomienda System: A labor system in which Spanish colonizers granted land and control over indigenous people to individual settlers.
Fur Trade: The economic exchange of animal furs between Europeans and Native American tribes for goods such as tools, weapons, or clothing.