The Europeans in this movie were driven by their burning faith and an absolute conviction that they were doing the right thing. They were driven by religious belief and personal glory rather than trying to know each other better so that they could test their faith under hardship. They had no idea that what they were trying to do would later wipe the original inhabitants off of their lands and in no way lead to their salvation. Father Laforgue was one of the many to test his faith and attempt to persuade an entire culture to forget what they had grown up with all of their lives for generations to attempt to "enter paradise." He was empowered by a force of colonialism as he viewed the tribes and people he came across. Many times he viewed the Algonquins as inferior due to his inability to accept different ways of life. His attitude of pity for them was not an act of friendship but more of an act of supposed superiority. .
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One of the European colonists, Daniel, was able to accept that he was indeed different from the Algonquins, and he was assuredly looked down upon for it. After falling in love with the Algonquin chief's daughter, Annuka, he was scolded by Laforgue for falling away from his own beliefs; however, Laforgue lacked the words to reason with him about his love for her. Later this move would be beneficial as she uses her unselfish, cleverness to help them escape from the Iroquois after being captured. After Laforgue made fun of the Indians view of an afterlife where souls of men hunt the souls of animals in the forest at night, Daniel retorted, "Is it any harder to believe than a paradise where we all sit on clouds and look at God?" I am sure that this view was seldom followed by Europeans during the 17th century but it did help show the ethnocentrism of the people at the time. He was able to look past what he had always been taught and accept a different view point. Maybe it was too!.
