Why did native American societies not wish buy and sell land?

Answer 1

The native American societies were not in favor of the private property as they knew better than the average greedy white man and they had environmental approach in their behavior. They respected nature and its creations and lived a simple life that can not be understood today as it was not accepted at the first time the two cultures met 500 years ago.

However, it also needs to be said that the standard of living for Native American tribes was one of widespread epidemics, leading to depopulation, as well as intertribal warfare, as illustrated quite amply by the raids of Aztecs upon neighboring tribes for human sacrifices at their pyramid temples. The French and Indian war led to tribal conflicts between the Native American allies of both armies (i.e., the Shawnee, Sandusky Seneca, Wea, and Kickapoo on the French side, while the Cherokee, Seneca, Mohawk, Montauk, Oneida, Cayuga, Onondaga, Creek, Chickasaw, and Tuscarora were fighting with the American-British forces).

We can see that various displacements of Native American tribes occurred across the North, Central and South American continents when certain tribes wanted territory to feed their increasing populations and were not willing to bring outside tribes into their own. Preeminent among these was the case of the Lakota Sioux. Conflicts with Anishnaabe and Cree peoples pushed the Lakota west onto the Great Plains in the mid- to late-17th century.

Thus, while we can concede that "greedy" whites brought order, law, progress, commerce, infrastructure and prosperity to lands which were undeveloped by Native American "intellect and industry," in their very minor and, yet, native fashion they also had the capacity to crave the lands of others and displace weaker tribes.

So, human nature being what it is, i.e. greed existing in both social examples, what is better, a freedom loving expansion of comforts and meaningful work in the European manner, or chronic diseases, famines, reactionary objections to the benefits tribes have obtained through European wealth and largesse, and resentment and inattention to the vastly improved standard of living and life expectancy by Native Americans through the genius of European labor?

Answer 2

They believed that land could not be bought, because it could not be owned. The earth was their Mother and needed to be honored and protected. They felt they could use the lands as the Mother intended for them but they only borrowed its use from their children.