Native Americans' reaction to white travelers was one of curiosity rather than hostility. The ways and customs of the Native Americans were quite different from theirs, so much so that many settlers were suspicious and afraid. Their distrust and fear ultimately stemmed from a lack of understanding of the cultural differences between the two groups. For Native Americans, there was no such word as “land ownership” in their language (Geisler 56); according to them, the land, their air belonged freely to all and their culture never supported the concept of private claim on it. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay Unlike Native Americans, settlers believed in private ownership of land. They said they could claim any unsettled or unimproved land. But Native Americans believed that the land was a gift, given freely by the creator. The land was to be shared and used by every living creature for mutual benefit. The settlers ignored the indigenous peoples' traditional systems as well as communal property rights and established their own territories. Some settlers used treaties as a means to gain control over Native American land. Although these property rights were sometimes established peacefully through treaties, violent conflicts over ownership arose. Because of these conflicting opinions, conflicts arose, and Native American life was changed forever when settlers arrived on the lands and claimed them as their own. In North America, conflicts began before Europeans settled the territory. Evidently the conflict occurred due to the change in location and lack of understanding of cultural practices. For Native Americans and settlers, the understanding of land and related rights differed greatly, for most indigenous peoples unlike the set of rights associated with Western culture..