Aahhh, let's discuss what happened during the Inquisition in Spain,  
the several hundred years of witch hunts [in several villages in  
Germany only two or three women were left alive when it was over],  
the tortures used to extract confessions in Elizabethan England [a  
knotted cord tightened around the head till the victim's eyes popped  
out or were burst...]. Being hung, drawn and quartered was not  
civilization's finest moment, either. What were the burnings during  
the Inquisition but sacrifices of "heretics", Jews and women  
[chiefly] to the prevailing Church and the interconnected political  
system of the day? None of it is palatable by today's standards, and  
for that we can be thankful that today's standards have improved so  
greatly. I think, in any of these cases, if you scratch the surface  
you'll find a fear of something, an ignorance of something, fanned by  
the leaders of the place, to achieve some political ends and increase  
their power [or forestall losing it]. Probably the same was true of  
these gruesome killings of the English. And to scrape out their  
brains [I have to ask if they were also eaten, tho this is a subject  
that is delicately treated, if not avoided, in most Native American  
communities, it did happen], was probably their way of showing their  
power over these strange, pale and sinister invaders.

Nancy

-------
I was never lost, but I was bewildered once for three days.

--Daniel Boone



On Feb 12, 2007, at 4:55 AM, Clara Callahan wrote:

> At the risk of stating the obvious, wholesome, non-savage people  
> don't sacrifice/murder and then scrape their victims' brains out of  
> their skulls with mussel shells.
>
> Anne Pemberton <[log in to unmask]> wrote:  Doug,
>
> Good questions. I want them to realize that the English were not  
> the heroes
> at that point in history. Without the Indians' help, they would  
> have all
> perished. I want them to see the Indians are wholesome people,  
> worthy of
> respect. Not "savages".
>
> That is why I set the year at 1609, since Pocahontas would be older  
> than the
> reader, but not yet an adult. The readers of my story range from  
> four year
> olds, who have the stories read to them, to young teens who are  
> slow at
> learning to read. The most common ages are 7-10 for reading them on  
> their
> own.
>
> Since you asked the questions this evening, I am thinking about  
> 1607, the
> summer before the Colonists arrive, and focus only on the daily  
> life of the
> Indians. But, then I can't make the points about the first  
> colonists listed
> above and below.
>
> I just read an article on Powhatan Women by Helen Rountree at VCU, and
> wonder if, since the Powhatans bathed daily, year round, if the  
> colonists,
> who if I remember my history well enough, bathed irregularly,  
> smelled stinky
> to the Indians. That would be a fun fact for kids to wrap their grins
> around!
>
> I do appreciate all the help as I develop this story. Already I  
> know that
> some things in my original plot will not work. I do want historical
> accuracy, since kids get enough fiction from Disney, etal. But, I  
> don't want
> to write a text book, I want it to be a fun read.
>
> Anne
>
> Anne Pemberton
> [log in to unmask]
> http://www.erols.com/stevepem
> http://www.erols.com/apembert
> http://www.educationalsynthesis.org
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Douglas Deal"
> To:
> Sent: Sunday, February 11, 2007 10:14 PM
> Subject: Re: Native American Culture
>
>
>> Anne:
>>
>> I see your point... I had misunderstood the basic "format" of the  
>> book.
>> But there is still the question of verisimilitude. What is it that  
>> you
>> want readers of your book to discover or understand about early  
>> Jamestown
>> and the native inhabitants of the area? What sort of historical  
>> accuracy
>> is necessary? What sort is unimportant?
>>
>> Doug
>>
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