The French saw the natives as uncivilized and felt it was their duty to improve the land to make the most of it. While Witgen doesn't see it as such, in An Infinity of Nations this is our first experience of gender roles between the two sides. Witgen often refers to the French as the “father” and the indigenous tribes as the “sons.” In attempting to create their empire, Witgen argues that the French felt as if they were the “father giving birth to native children, literally creating and nursing Indian nations into existence.” (WITGEN 230) Despite having this feeling of fatherhood, Witgen also touches on the maternal traits of the French. “Native peoples do not need to disappear; they could be reborn as children of the empire. Their French father would not only give them a new life, but also nurture them as only a mother can,” observes Witgen. (WITGEN 112) With the sense of fatherhood and motherhood, the French felt responsible to impose their power on what should have been the New Native