more scalping info.......
[email protected]
Colonists Scalp Native Americans (February 20, 1725)
by News of the Odd
<A HREF="http://historychannel.com/tdih/index.html">Today in Odd History</A>, a group of American colonists attacked a Native
American encampment in New Hampshire, taking 10 scalps, for which the British
government paid a bounty of £ 100 each.
The colonists, led by Captain John Lovewell, had been authorized to conduct
revenge attacks for raids by the Indians against British settlements. They
had had some success, killing and scalping an Indian man and taking a boy
prisoner in December, 1724. On February 20, 1725, they came across an
encampment, and hid in the woods until 2 AM. Once they were sure that the
enemy was asleep, they fired volleys into the camp, killing 9 Indians and
wounding one more. He tried to flee, but was chased down by a dog and killed.
The dead were scalped, and in early March, <A HREF="http://www.imaginemaine.com/directories/Archives/Lovewell.html">Lovewell marched into Boston</A>,
wearing a wig constructed from several scalps, and carrying the plunder from
the raid—blankets, moccasins, snowshoes and rifles.Lovewell’s raids were the
first recorded instances of Europeans scalping Native Americans. The practice
is traditionally associated with North American Indian tribes. Episodes such
as this one, however, have led some people to believe that the Europeans
actually introduced scalping to America. In 1820, <A HREF="http://thecowshed.tripod.com/native/cutting.htm">an Allegheny Seneca
chieftain named Cornplanter</A> claimed that the Indians were peaceful until
Europeans came. There is also some evidence that if they did not invent
scalping, European settlers did help to spread the practice <A HREF="http://mcclungmuseum.utk.edu/research/renotes/rn-09txt.htm">westward</A> as they
emigrated across the continent. <A HREF="http://www.frontpagemag.com/guestcolumnists/garlinghouse/2001/gh05-16-01.htm">The archeological evidence</A>, however, suggests
that scalping did in fact originate in the Americas, and that it was
widespread long before European contact. Skulls bearing evidence of scalping
have been found throughout the Americas, many of them dating to hundreds of
years before European contact. What the Europeans did introduce was the
practice of paying bounties for scalps. These bounties led to an increase in
scalpings by white settlers, male and female; <A HREF="http://www.geocities.com/divinerights/NativeTruthII.html">a woman named Hanna Duston</A> was
actually known as "The Hatchet Lady" for her scalping activities. It seems
likely that as scalping by whites became more common, Native Americans may
also have begun taking more scalps, and that tribes which had not previously
practiced scalping may have begun to do so in revenge for the scalpings
carried out against their people. If this is the case, then Native Americans
and European settlers may actually have taught each other to scalp.
Sources:
<A HREF="http://historychannel.com/tdih/index.html">The History Channel</A>
<A HREF="http://www.imaginemaine.com/directories/Archives/Lovewell.html">Imagine Maine: Lovewell’s Fight</A>
<A HREF="http://thecowshed.tripod.com/native/cutting.htm">Cutting to the Chase of a Long-time Debate</A>
<A HREF="http://mcclungmuseum.utk.edu/research/renotes/rn-09txt.htm">The Earliest Scalping Victim in America</A>
<A HREF="http://www.frontpagemag.com/guestcolumnists/garlinghouse/2001/gh05-16-01.htm">Scalping: Myth and Reality</A>
<A HREF="http://www.geocities.com/divinerights/NativeTruthII.html">Native Truth II</A>
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
by News of the Odd
<A HREF="http://historychannel.com/tdih/index.html">Today in Odd History</A>, a group of American colonists attacked a Native
American encampment in New Hampshire, taking 10 scalps, for which the British
government paid a bounty of £ 100 each.
The colonists, led by Captain John Lovewell, had been authorized to conduct
revenge attacks for raids by the Indians against British settlements. They
had had some success, killing and scalping an Indian man and taking a boy
prisoner in December, 1724. On February 20, 1725, they came across an
encampment, and hid in the woods until 2 AM. Once they were sure that the
enemy was asleep, they fired volleys into the camp, killing 9 Indians and
wounding one more. He tried to flee, but was chased down by a dog and killed.
The dead were scalped, and in early March, <A HREF="http://www.imaginemaine.com/directories/Archives/Lovewell.html">Lovewell marched into Boston</A>,
wearing a wig constructed from several scalps, and carrying the plunder from
the raid—blankets, moccasins, snowshoes and rifles.Lovewell’s raids were the
first recorded instances of Europeans scalping Native Americans. The practice
is traditionally associated with North American Indian tribes. Episodes such
as this one, however, have led some people to believe that the Europeans
actually introduced scalping to America. In 1820, <A HREF="http://thecowshed.tripod.com/native/cutting.htm">an Allegheny Seneca
chieftain named Cornplanter</A> claimed that the Indians were peaceful until
Europeans came. There is also some evidence that if they did not invent
scalping, European settlers did help to spread the practice <A HREF="http://mcclungmuseum.utk.edu/research/renotes/rn-09txt.htm">westward</A> as they
emigrated across the continent. <A HREF="http://www.frontpagemag.com/guestcolumnists/garlinghouse/2001/gh05-16-01.htm">The archeological evidence</A>, however, suggests
that scalping did in fact originate in the Americas, and that it was
widespread long before European contact. Skulls bearing evidence of scalping
have been found throughout the Americas, many of them dating to hundreds of
years before European contact. What the Europeans did introduce was the
practice of paying bounties for scalps. These bounties led to an increase in
scalpings by white settlers, male and female; <A HREF="http://www.geocities.com/divinerights/NativeTruthII.html">a woman named Hanna Duston</A> was
actually known as "The Hatchet Lady" for her scalping activities. It seems
likely that as scalping by whites became more common, Native Americans may
also have begun taking more scalps, and that tribes which had not previously
practiced scalping may have begun to do so in revenge for the scalpings
carried out against their people. If this is the case, then Native Americans
and European settlers may actually have taught each other to scalp.
Sources:
<A HREF="http://historychannel.com/tdih/index.html">The History Channel</A>
<A HREF="http://www.imaginemaine.com/directories/Archives/Lovewell.html">Imagine Maine: Lovewell’s Fight</A>
<A HREF="http://thecowshed.tripod.com/native/cutting.htm">Cutting to the Chase of a Long-time Debate</A>
<A HREF="http://mcclungmuseum.utk.edu/research/renotes/rn-09txt.htm">The Earliest Scalping Victim in America</A>
<A HREF="http://www.frontpagemag.com/guestcolumnists/garlinghouse/2001/gh05-16-01.htm">Scalping: Myth and Reality</A>
<A HREF="http://www.geocities.com/divinerights/NativeTruthII.html">Native Truth II</A>
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]