Cabeza de Vaca and his Encounter with the Indian Tribes Research Paper

Cabeza de Vaca and his Encounter with the Indian Tribes - Research Paper Example This research will begin with the statement that the journey and expedition of Governor Pamfilo de Narvaez, followed by around 600 men and five ships along with the officers including Cabeza de Vaca , the Treasurer and alguacil mayor, Alonso Enriquez, the Comptroller, Alonso de Solis, Quartermaster to Your Majesty and Inspector, Juan Suarez, a Franciscan Friar, Commissary and four more friars for capturing and ruling over the provinces beginning from the River of Palms to the cape of Florida is amazing. The incidents that were encountered during this harrowing expedition have been presented by Cabeza de Vaca in this book called The Journey and Ordeal of Cabeza de Vaca. His account of this terrible journey of the southwest part of America certainly leaves us with a feeling trepidation on the one hand and astonishment on the other. The lifestyles of the Indians clearly reflected their ability to survive against the odds and tame their environment.  During their first phase of the jou rney, from Spain through Cuba to Tampa Bay, the Governor, decided to move further, into inland areas despite the opposition of Cabeza de Vaca that segregated them from their supporting vessels and left them in miserable conditions without sufficient food and water. However, this is the first time that the fleet confronted the attack of the Indian tribes. During their second voyage that took them to the coast of Texas, the inhabitants in this area were primarily Karankawa Indians. In fact, the survivors and Cabeza de Vaca were the first non-Indians known to hit this coast. The hostile attitude of these Indian tribes towards the foreigners and enslaving Cabeza shows their struggle for survival. Broadly speaking, the Indians were in a constant state of warfare with their environment and knew little about life on the other part of the globe. The only thing that characterized the Indian tribes included their aggression and toughness which can be accounted to the antagonistic environment in which they lived. In one of the instances, Cabeza has stated that â€Å"they were bidding us go†, (31).