While the Dutch were heavily involved in the sugar trade during the colonial period, they primarily established sugarcane plantations in the Caribbean, South America, and West Africa.
Here's why the Dutch wouldn't have been teaching this to Native Americans:
* Focus on Colonization: The Dutch were primarily focused on colonizing and exploiting territories for profit. They sought to establish plantations and utilize slave labor to produce sugarcane and other cash crops.
* Native American Labor: The Dutch, like other European colonizers, often used forced labor from Native Americans and, later, enslaved Africans on their plantations. They wouldn't have been interested in teaching skills that would empower the Native Americans and potentially threaten their own economic interests.
* No Dutch Settlements in the Americas: The Dutch did establish settlements in present-day New York (New Netherland) but did not have major sugarcane plantations in that region. Their primary focus was on trade with Native Americans for furs, timber, and other resources.
Instead, the Dutch were instrumental in the transatlantic slave trade and relied heavily on enslaved Africans for the labor needed on their sugarcane plantations.