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 > > To subscribe, change options, or unsubscribe, please see the instructions > at http://listlva.lib.va.us/archives/va-hist.html To subscribe, change options, or unsubscribe, please see the instructions at http://listlva.lib.va.us/archives/va-hist.html To subscribe, change options, or unsubscribe, please see the instructions at http://listlva.lib.va.us/archives/va-hist.html