We've all heard the story of how the American Indians sold Manhattan for 24 bucks. 60 guilders, actually. Well technically, it was the equivalent of that currency, only in wares and clothes that would have been great luxuries to the Indians. With the "sale," the Indians expected partnership with the settlers (in this case, the Dutch) and assistance in defense against their enemies (other tribes).
To a Native American in the 17th century, the sale of land was not understood as a final transaction, but a sort of renter's agreement. The land was vast and wild and if they could get a few luxuries as the Dutch cultivated the land and became their allies, they deemed it a good trade. They did not leave the land, but continued to use what was occupied the Dutch. In fact, there is some record of particular Indians acting as real estate agents and getting commission as a result of their brokering, often taking the form of overnight stays in the settler's homes (often with their women). One of the Dutch in writing back to Amsterdam, reported that he didn't go half a day without encountering a native and suppling him with some good or service.
So in a sense, the Native Americans were expecting community in their bartering. They were often shrewd and were quite aware of the pros and cons of the trade. The trade for Manhattan even approximates the rate for purchases of other tracts of land (Long Island, a large portion of New Jersey, etc.) and is just less than what fellow Dutchmen traded land to each other for. We all know that later the English settlers abused this relationship with the Indians, broke promises, chased them from the land, and mired them on a reservations, but the beginnings don't sound as awful as they are sometimes described.
This information comes from the excellent book, The Island at the Center of the World by Russell Shorto. A fantastic read.
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