How did Michel de Montaigne view the Indigenous peoples of the New World?

Michel de Montaigne viewed the Indigenous peoples of the New World through a lens of cultural relativism and tolerance, which was remarkably rare for his time.12

His perspective was shaped by his interest in travel accounts and a personal meeting in 1562 with three Brazilian Indigenous people brought to France. Montaigne admired their fidelity to their own nature, their cultural and personal dignity, and their sense of beauty. He famously argued that these individuals were superior to the inhabitants of western Europe, whom he considered the true "barbarians" due to the cruelty and fanaticism displayed during the conquests of the New World and European religious wars. Consequently, he expressed deep indignation and compassion regarding the suffering and humiliation inflicted upon Indigenous peoples by their conquerors.12