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History perpetuates scalping myth

Author

Marlene Dolan, Guest Column

Volume

11

Issue

6

Year

1993

Page 4

Myths of many cultures are dragged through time and eventfully find a place in reality. Such is true of the scalping myth that was associated with warriors of old. Scalping crept into the movies and tales of the old west and was eventually accepted into the pages of the history books.

It's a scary thought that our children are taught that yesterdays' savage Indians virtually tore the scalps from their victims. Tore! This would have had to be the case, as prior to the arrival of the white man, the Indians didn't have the tools to neatly remove the scalps with precision.

Not to discredit the trophy of removing patches of scalp from victims of war but full scalping was not a practice of our forefathers. I can't imagine how the warriors could have managed to take the time to scalp? Battle strategy was to move in and move out as quickly as possible, stopping for a scalp could cost their lives, not much of a trophy. Before the horse, the braves had to be quick on their feet and no time was wasted.

It's interesting that scalping was common practice in Europe in the 12th and 13th century. Perhaps they brought the myth with the knives? I suppose it is sensational and spices up history a bit. Too bad it discredits a race of human beings.

Myths like these have been perpetuated through time and many of them were adopted from the settlers. Unfortunately they are not forgotten. They become an element of behavior - Hollywood sensationalizes and manipulates them and they are believed to be historically correct.

As a child in elementary school I recall history lessons on the battle tactics of the North American Indians and remembering thinking how cruel they must have been. There was no way I could have been an Indian, I couldn't do any thing like that. I didn't want to be associated with that cruelty. Teacher didn't care much that I could have been Indian, she made out that Indians didn't really belong on the face of the earth. I wonder how the German people feel when the injustices of Hitler are taught in school? Of course, that's just history, it doesn't mean that the German descendants are capable of such atrocities!

Good guys, bad guys. I guess we've been labeled as bad guys and even Kevin Costner can't change that. We could stop everyone on the street and tell them that we really didn't scalp all those white men, or we could change the history books. We could write history from a true perspective and tell every one that the English put a bounty on Beothuk scalps, encouraging the practice. Economic times were bad in those days, I'm sure those English Lords could teach Mulroney a thing or two.

Times really haven't changed that much. Genocide is just as much a part of today as it was yesterday. I wonder what tomorrow will be like? Wanna write a book?