How did the British and the Native Americans interact?

This is quite a complex question because of the long period of time this encompasses. We are talking about a two hundred year period of interaction that spans from the first English colonies in the early 1600's until the conclusion of the war of 1812. Also, there were hundreds of sovereign Indian tribes that at various tribes had a variety of alliances. When the English first established colonies in America, the relationship with the Indians...

This is quite a complex question because of the long period of time this encompasses. We are talking about a two hundred year period of interaction that spans from the first English colonies in the early 1600's until the conclusion of the war of 1812. Also, there were hundreds of sovereign Indian tribes that at various tribes had a variety of alliances. When the English first established colonies in America, the relationship with the Indians was one of cooperation mixed with times of stress, conflict, and massacres by both sides. There was certainly a desire by both sides to benefit through trade, but ultimately, the English were visitors to America. Unfortunately, the English colonists did not feel that they were visitors and intended to stay. As it became clear that the English intended to expand at the expense of Native American territory, you can imagine how that caused increased stressed.

Throughout the early part of the Eighteenth Century, the colonists started to identify themselves as separate from the English. Land became an issue for the British, colonists, Indians, and the French. This period saw a war between France and England in which both sides formed alliances with different Indian tribes. The British allied themselves with the Iroquois and were eventually victorious over the French. The British would utilize alliances with Indians in its efforts to thwart colonial rebellion. After the American Revolution, most Native American tribes sided with the British because of the threat that the United States posed to its sovereignty and land. The interaction between Native American tribes and the British essentially ended after the War of 1812.