Posted by Bill R on March 22, 1998 at 21:27:46:
In Reply to: re. Books from an Indian perspective posted by Francois de Melogue (The Chef with the foaming mouth) on March 22, 1998 at 20:42:03:
about the Fort William Henry "Massacre" which appears to not have been much a massacre at all? Does anyone know how long Indians had scalped people? I believe I read in one the Leatherstocking series a reference made by Hawkeye that the Europeans taught the Indians that practice. But in all my reading, it seems the Indians did that long before. I am also interested in how Cannilbalism started with the tribes. Not from a professional Chef stand point, but more from a gory historical. Do we taste like chicken? ah just a joke. Any input would be most welcome...
: Stay Free,
: Francois de Melogue
Hello Francois,
You have sort of a dark, dry with don't you? I like that! Stick around!
I had heard the same speculation that Europeans started the whole scalping business...that they payed a bounty to their Indian allies for each of the enemy killed, but proof of the kill was required to collect the bounty. In a dark way, that would explain the scalpings of women and children.....but then again maybe not. I mean, if it was all economically driven, then they would have taken several swipes at each head to increase the income! So, perhaps the practice was aggravated by European alliances, but likely it was a practice before Europeans came here. As to cannibalism....Eckert goes into great detail on numerous occasions to paint that picture....and it could well be right. Putting mores and values aside, other cultures may not look at it with the abhorrence (excepting some SYMT's around here) that we do. If you are hungry, and suffer no inhibitions in that regard, perhaps such things would occur. Was it just hunger, or was there some symbolic thing involved (such as gaining the strength of the defeated) or what? I also would like to know these things if someone has an answer. It is something that is almost never talked about by anybody when speaking of the peoples who were here before Europeans came to the land. But it occurred. Question is, for what motives and how prevalent was the practice?
Say Francois, what have you been taught was the view of the French in regards to the F*I War? Empire? Freedom to expand?
Protecting hearth and home? Duty to King? Can you tell us?
I would tend to agree that the movie (LOTM) is not to be taken as gospel as to events, accoutrements, history or people of that time. Mann took a lot of license. He was not even particulary true to Cooper's book. But it is a great movie in my opinion anyway, as I love seeing any kind of film on this era, and the movie was....to may way of thinking now....more a love story set in period times than a period film with two people who fell in love.
Bill R