It is interesting that the letter makes no mention of who sent it. Where is the signature? I have a list of Indian Children who attended the school as well, with their Native names. Anita -- marsha moses <[log in to unmask]> wrote: OH, MY GOSH, Katherine. Is this for real? I am blown away if it is. Were there Indians who could convey these thoughts? Marsha in Wv Katharine Harbury wrote: >There was indeed input from Native Americans but has to know where to >look. One famous example, shown below, was given in June 1744 to the >College of William and Mary in response to their invitation that the Six >Nations send twelve boys to the school: > >"Sirs, > We know that you highly esteem the kind of Learning taught in those >Colleges, and that the Maintenance of our Young Men, while with you, >would be very expensive to you. We are convinc'd, therefore, that you >mean to do us Good by your Proposal; and we thank you heartily. But >you, who are wise, must know that different Nations have different >Conceptions of things; and you will therefore not take it amiss, if our >Ideas of this kind of Education happen not to be the same with yours. >We have had some Experience of it. Several of our Young People were >formerly brought up at the Colleges of the Northern Provinces; they were >instructed in all your Sciences; but, when they came back to us, they >were bad Runners, ignorant of every means of living in the Woods, unable >to bear either Cold or Hunger, knew neither how to build a Cabin, take a >Deer, or kill an Enemy, spoke our Language imperfectly, were therefore >neither fit for Hunters, Warriors, nor Counsellors; they were totally >good for nothing. We are, however, not the less oblig'd by your kind >Offer, tho' we decline accepting it; and, to show our grateful Sense of >it, if the Gentlemen of Virginia will send us a Dozen of their Sons, we >will take Care of their Education; instruct them in all we know, and >make Men of them." > >IF I recall correctly, the source is housed among the special >collections at the College of William and Mary, but it can also be found >in printed books, such as "Letters of a Nation" by Andrew Carroll or >"Touch the Earth" by T.C. McLuhan. > >Swem's index also lists names of some of the Indian students at the >College of William and Mary if anyone is interested- here are a few of >the names listed for the years 1754 and 1755 - Gideon and John Langston, >Charles Murphy, John Montour, William Squirrel, and John and Thomas >Sampson. [See vol. 6 of "William and Mary Quarterly," first series, No. >3, p. 188; vol. 1 of ditto, 2nd series, No.1, pp. 32, 35, 36, 38, 39.] > > > > >