The history of colonization, which spans from the late 1400s to the 20th century, has had a very damaging impact on many indigenous societies. Various tribes were colonized by the Europeans and their imperialism which led to the obliteration of their diverse cultures, traditions, governance systems and land. This process of imperialism that involves taking control over a territory has permanently transformed the tribal societies in social, economic, political and cultural aspects.
In order to make sense of the impact that colonization had on these tribal societies, it is essential to analyze what sort of damage it caused on the society both on an immediate and a long term basis.
1. Disruption of Social Structures
Tribal societies are generally formed by clans that share a common ancestry, and oral culture and traditionally made decisions as a community. These social structures as well as hierarchies gave the members of the tribes a sense of unity and continuity. But during colonial rule, the focus was to construct new societal order with new governance mechanisms and legal frameworks.
In the majority of cases European colonists altered the governance of the tribes by introducing centralization of governance which was vastly different from the tribal practices. For example, tribal societies that practice egalitarianism or consensus based decision making were forced into hierarchal systems of governance under colonial administrators.
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