What a magnificent encapsulation of two cultures inevitably bound to clash. Lyle Browning, RPA On May 21, 2007, at 11:42 AM, 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.] > >