Posted by Gayle on March 23, 1998 at 15:44:02:
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:
: Hello:
: If you are wondering why I chose that name for myself please go to www.Ichef.com and check the tidbits board for the answer. I am a Chef who is very passionate about my cooking. I made an appearance here a while ago. I first was captivated by the offerings of this site because of my interest in my ancestory. Which is French (as if you couldn't tell by my name). My family came to Quebec in 1647 then settled in New Hampshire in the 1800's. My family fought in the French-Indian war (as well as the Revolutionary and Civil Wars). I am very interested in French and Indian history as it pertains to North America. My father, who passed away recently, was, among other things the head of French history for the state of Illinois. My former wife was Choctaw. I orginally got notoriety on this board for having the unpopular opinion that LOTM was an average movie. As the movie itself I enjoyed it. I have a copy, and have watched it millions of times. As an adaption of James Fenimore Cooper's work it is awful. I am not trying to rehash wounds here. So sorry if anyone is offended for my differing point of view. But a message board is here for people of all points of view to communicate. I am currently looking for books that descibe Indian history from the particular tribes point of view. History seems to favor the nationality of whomever wrote the book. By the way - does anyone here like the movie Blackrobe? If so, have you read about the Jesuits in Francis Parkmen's work? Blackrobe seems to be partially lifted from that series of books. That movie was so dark and tragic. For me it really carried deep emotions... Another book I enjoyed is Warpath. It seemed to give a very fair assesment of America in the early stages. I also like all of the leatherstocking series. When you get used to the language it is written in (and the time period it was written) I find them very enjoyable. Previously I got the impression of an anti-fenimore cooper sentiment here. Has anyone read Betrayal 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
Did my share of living in the Chicago area over the years, and maybe it's all that wind and cold that makes us stand firm on rocky ground! Like you, I am a diehard fan of Cooper's literature . It's easy to feel that in taking apart a wonderful book and remaking it in totally unrecognizable form, Hollywood is saying either that good literature has no value in today's culture, or that they didn't understand it in the first place, so just picked a few scenes which anybody would understand and built their own story around them. Regardless, millions of people have benefitted by learning, if nothing else, that there that is a wonderful story behind the word "Mohican", that there was an American author named James Fenimore Cooper, and that the eastern part of our country has a grand and glorious history of its own even if it doesn't have the Alamo or Las Vegas. I guess we literary purists must flex some, especially in light of the terrific people who have gotten this site going for the enjoyment of us all. Chin up, Francois - you have a cohort. Just jump on into the fray again, and you and I will shake 'em all up now and then just for the fun of it!