They envisioned a life of plenty vs. a life of scarcity. A world of wide, open spaces, not cities congested and clogged; a new beginning. It was to some extent this way when they landed and first encountered their new homeland and its current inhabitants, The Native Americans. But, although the land was open and fertile, the waters filled with fish and the wildlife roamed freely, it was a world they did not understand, nor how to subsist. The Europeans came to New England with their eyes set on a new beginning but their minds clearly set in their old ways. They at (almost) every turn underestimated what it would take to survive in the new world. The seasons to them were harsher; winters colder, summers hotter. They had no knowledge of the vast landscape before them. They were ignorant of the lands geography, topography, seasonal changes, agricultural nuances and the unique culture of the Native American's way of life. Because of their lack of preparedness, their own cultural biases, the Europeans did not fully embrace or appreciate the ways of the Indians. .
The Indians had for centuries created a successful lifestyle (if you will), using the land and natural resources for their benefit. They utilized the seasonal changes to signal and direct them in their agricultural plantings and harvests, their hunting and foraging expeditions, their fishing excursions, their land and forest management and their village mobility. The Indians understood the necessity and benefits of being a society that was nimble and unencumbered with material things. The Native Americans hunted and fished as the months and supply dictated. They planted in the spring and harvested in the fall, stockpiling (just enough) to get them thru the harsh New England winters. They cleared the low lying bramble and thinned out trees thru effective and managed fires, clearing the ground for sunlight to shine through to assist in agricultural endeavors and allow wildlife to roam; maximizing the hunting of deer, elk, and other animals for food and skins for clothing.
