Going Native: Difference between revisions

* Many of the Norman families who settled in Ireland after the invasion of 1169 eventually became "Hiberniores Hibernicis ipsis"-more Irish than the Irish themselves- to the point where the government passed the Statutes of Kilkenny in 1367, which banned the "English" in Ireland from adopting Irish customs, in a failed attempt to halt the process.

** It's not only Ireland, this trope defines the Normans. Originally they were Vikings who settled in Northern France, enthusiastically adopting French and converting to Catholicism. Wherever they went the Normans conquered, left their mark on the language and culture before being absorbed and integrating into their new homes.

During the early colonial period many British officials did go the whole hog adopting local dress, customs, wives etc. After the East India Company was replaced by direct Government rule things changed: postings became more for fixed terms rather than for life, mixing with the 'natives' became more socially taboo, and acclimatisation to the local culture dwindled to a thin patina of exoticism.

* [[wikipedia:Helmuth von Pannwitz|Helmuth von Pannwitz]], a German general who was placed in command of the Cossacks who defected over to the Germans to fight the Soviet Union. Due to the respect and understanding he always showed for his troops and his tendency to attend Russian Orthodox services with them, Pannwitz was very popular among his Cossack volunteers. The Cossacks even voted him as their ataman, or supreme commander. When Pannwitz surrendered to the British and his troops were turned over to the Soviets, he chose to go with them. Even when told that as a German he was not subject to repatriation, Pannwitz insisted on sharing the fate of his men and voluntarily surrendered to the Soviets who duly executed him. The only thing preventing the whole thing from being a [[Crowning Moment of Heartwarming]] is the fact that the Cossack regiments under Pannwitz's command committed a number of atrocities against the civilian population, including several mass rapes, and routine summary executions. And, of course, continuing the Cossack tradition of Jewish pogroms.

* [[Catherine the Great]]. Born a German Lutheran who converted to the Russian Orthodox Church after becoming the wife of a Russian Tsar. Once she seized the throne, she fully embraced her adopted nation expanding the size, influence, and progress of Russia.

** Same with the Manchus in China: they basically adopted Chinese culture and language, and even though many people in northern China claim to be ethnic Manchu, there are only about a dozen speakers of the Manchu language left.

* Pocahontas is a Native American that adopted English ways.

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