Everything about Settler totally explained
A
settler is a person who has
migrated to a less occupied area and established permanent residence there, often to
colonize the area. Settlers are generally people who take up
residence on land and
cultivate it, as opposed to
nomads. The word "settler" is synonymous with terms such as
pioneers,
colonists, or "
colonials".
Causes of Emigration
The reason for emigration of settlers varies, but often includes one or more factors such as: economic or personal financial hardship; social, cultural, ethnic, or religious persecution (for example the
Pilgrims,
Mormons and
Zionists), or; political oppression and/or policies aimed at encouraging foreign settlement.
The colony concerned is sometimes controlled by the government of a settler's home country, and emigration is sometimes approved by an
imperial government. The term settler isn't usually used in relation to the later histories of well-established and/or independent,
postcolonial countries with continuing immigration, like the present-day
United States,
Canada or
Australia, where terms like
immigrants are preferred.
Historical usage
In almost every real historical case, settlers live on land which previously belonged to long-established peoples, known as
indigenous people (often called "natives", "Aborigines" or, in
the Americas, "Indians"). This land is usually settled against the wishes of the indigenes, and then controlled, defended and expanded by force, or it's bought or leased from indigenous people on terms highly favourable to the settlers, sometimes under a treaty (for example the
Treaty of Waitangi in
New Zealand). In some cases (such as Australia), the legal ownership of some lands is contested much later by indigenous people, who seek or claim traditional usage,
land rights,
native title and related forms of ownership or partial control.
The word "settler" wasn't originally usually used in relation to
unfree labour immigrants, such as
slaves (for example in the United States),
indentured labourers (such as in
South Africa), or
convicts (such as in
New York, 1674-1775; Australia 1788-1868). More recently descendants of these immigrants may argue that they've as much right to use the word "settler" as the descendants of free immigrants.
In
Imperial Russia, the government invited
Russians or foreign nationals to settle in sparsely populated lands. These settlers were called "colonists". See, for example, articles
Slavo-Serbia,
Volga German,
Volhynia.
Although they're often thought of as traveling by sea — the dominant form of travel in the early modern era — significant waves of settlement could also use long overland routes, such as the
Great Trek by the
Boer-
Afrikaners in
South Africa, or the
Oregon Trail in the United States.
Modern usage
However, sometimes one tribe of native settlers drove another tribe from the lands it held, such as the settlement of lands in the area now called
Carmel-by-the-Sea,
California where
Ohlone peoples settled in areas previously inhabited by the
Esselen tribe (Bainbridge, 1977).
In the
Middle East,
Israeli settlers are Jews who live in areas captured during the
Six-Day war and claimed by
Palestinians. Some historians and scientists maintain that Palestinians are descended mostly from
Arab settlers in
Palestine, after the
Caliphate conquered the area in the 7th century. However, both Israelis and Palestinians claim partial descent from peoples who lived in the region in prehistoric times (see:
History of ancient Israel and Judah,
Ancestry of the Palestinians).
Other usage
Settlers in
hypothetical societies, such as on other planets, often feature in
science fiction or
fantasy fiction and/or video games.
Further Information
Get more info on 'Settler'.
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