Question refers to the excerpt below.
“[t]he great spirit bade him (neolin) be seated, and thus addressed him: … the land on which you live i have made for you, and not for others. why do you suffer the white men to dwell among you? my children, you have forgotten the customs and traditions of your forefathers. why do you not clothe yourselves in skins, as they did, and use the blows and arrows, and the stonepointed lances, which they used? you have bought guns, knives, kettles, and blankets, from the white men, until you can no longer do without them … fling all these things away; live as your wise forefathers lived before you. and as for these english, … you must lift the hatchet against them. wipe them from the face of the earth, and then you will win my favor back again, and once more be happy and prosperous.”
—from the speeches of pontiac, 1762–1763
why did the story of neolin resonate with american indians from various tribes around 1763?
a. groups like the iroquois had proven that it was possible to return to ancestral ways even amongst white settlers.
b. they were angry over the french cession, which included their own lands, that left them at the mercy of the british.
c. most of the praying indians by this time felt betrayed by europeans and so were ready to reject their cultures.
d. imperial conflict gave them the opportunity to reclaim their lands and return to traditional lifestyles.