Assimilation has existed and was practiced since before the United States had even been established. At least it was until the 1600s, when accommodation was recognized to be the best solution for solving cultural and religious conflicts that could have been avoided in the past. In the stories " The World on the Turtle's Back" by Iroquois, "La Relacion" by Alvar Nunez Cabeza de Vaca, and "The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano" by Olaudah Equiano the authors describe encounters of both assimilation and accommodation that have affected their dilemmas. .
In the story "The World on the Turtle's Back", the author distinguishes the unpeopled world from the Sky-world and how coincidently the two assimilating worlds were introduced to one another through the curiosity of a hungry pregnant woman. Somehow the woman had fallen from the Sky-world toward he unpeopled world, where she was accommodated by the creatures of the ocean and the birds of the sea, safely onto a sea turtle's back. The creatures helped the woman and her unborn daughter survive, and create earth. Throughout this time the earth had grown, and so had the daughter. One day a man who placed two arrows, one sharp and one blunt across her body approached her. These arrows symbolized her two unborn twin sons; who were to make a balance and orderly world. Though both the sons were as different as night and day they accommodated one another and both remain in a somewhat peaceful manner.
In the story "La Relacion" by Alvar Nunez Cabeza de Vaca, he reports the disastrous experiences of the Narvaez expedition and how the indigenous people of Galveston Island accommodated him and his men. Though the indigenous people were unfamiliar with Cabeza de Vaca and his men they were hospitable and helped the men survive. The indigenous people provided food for them to eat such a fish, corn, squash, et cetera in exchange for little bells and beads.
