The European colonisers tried all means to occupy the lands belonging to the North American Indians after they landed on the new continent.Besides the naked conquer by force of arms,the European colonisers,who had been imbued with the white racial prejudice,the Christian missionary ideas and cultural progressivism,also carried out the so-called'civilising policy'towards the Indians.In order to plunder the remaining lands of the Indians and exterminate the'savage culture',the U.S.and Canadian federal governments implemented a set of policies of forced assimilation after the American Indians were driven into reservations in the late 19th century.However,it only caused permanent damages to the native American culture,rather than fulfilling the goal of incorporating Indians into the mainstream society of North America.Along with the rise of cultural relativism and the decline of the progressive perception of civilisations,the policies of forced assimilation and boarding schools were severely criticised by the North American society and were gradually abolished by the U.S.and Canadian governments in the early 20th century.Afterwards,multiculturalism and self-determination in education have become the new goal for the development of the North American Indian culture.The transformation experienced by the native American culture in the U.S.and Canada is not only the result of the struggle of the Indians and the entire North American society against the white racial prejudice,but also the victory of multiculturalism over the outdated progressive perception of civilisations of the contemporary human society.
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