Thank you, Fred, for your analysis noting the preference of honest debate rather than labels and authoritarianism. I particularly appreciate the oh-so-easy-to-forget reminder to be "...aware of prejudicial thinking and past generalizations that can't survive scrutiny..."and "...resist the temptation to Dictate and Denounce..." Hurray for Insomnia! Joanne Kartak John Frederick Fausz <[log in to unmask]> wrote: All readers of this list owe a debt of gratitude to Mr. Browning and Mr. Berland (or Berland and Browning) for taking the time and effort to conduct this Great Debate, because it demonstrates that History matters and that it is certainly more complex and intriguing than a cut and dried recitation of chronological events. Analysis and Argumentation and Re-Vision are at the core of a never-ending creative process that aims to bring clarity and structure to "the Past" through thorough research, the develop- ment of plausible hypotheses about causation and consequence, and the ability to persuade others to accept our contentions. Thesis - Antithesis - Synthesis > New Thesis etc etc. Like housework, History is never finished, once and for all, to every- one's satisfaction. Argument without End about meaningful and powerful issues is what makes History so fascinating and frustrating, engaging and enraging. Thank you, gentlemen. Regarding Political Correctness, think of the swinging pendulum and Thesis - Antithesis - Synthesis, resisting all efforts, far right or far left, that seek to impose a dictatorial, doctrinaire "single correct interpretation" orthodoxy on the messy details of our ancestors' lives. Just 40 years ago, the most respected academic historians were still using "savages" as a synonym for "Indians" (yes, that term also has baggage), and the Manifest Destiny of Great White Fathers was the dominant theme in American History from Columbus to the Vietnam War. Very few books dealt with so-called "pre-history" before European contact, and the "Invasion of America" perspective did not appear until 1975 (by Francis Jennings)--the same year that Edmund Morgan's American Slavery, American Freedom made a mess by confusing ethnocentrism with racism in Virginia's earliest colonization. We, as historians and citizens, have come pretty far since then, in recognizing, if not always appreciating, the true multiculturalism that characterized colonization since its earliest days. Historians did not invent that, and they moved Indians back to center stage as an accurate reflection of where they once had been, while NOT replacing European cast members. Now two (or more) sets of historical Actors could interact on a single stage in the Drama called "Jamestown and Werowocomoco: A Tale of Two Towns." Some "lines" were scripted (such as the effects of virgin soil epidemics), but most actors were allowed to ad-lib and improvise, with every individual decision repre- senting something exciting, unnerving, and worthy of analyzing because they did not produce invevitable consequences. The opening session of the Virginia Forum at the Library of Virginia in April featured Native American speakers, who addressed some of those issues--especially, by their mere presence, the Non-"inevitability" of Indian extermination. But in arguing against "Semantic Marginali- zation" and denouncing traditional terminology, they may have gone too far, with a pendulum swing toward PC authoritarianism and Me-Tooism. They recited these problems with differentiating cultures: The Euros had knowledge, but Indians had lore science skills arts crafts agricultural fields horticultural gardens towns villages girls maidens women squaws soldiers braves songs chants troubles plights You get the idea. While I have not seen the "Guide to Writing About Virginia Indians," it should be useful as an educational tool to make non-Indians aware of prejudicial thinking and past generalizations that can't survive scrutiny. "Seeing ourselves as others see us" is always valuable (and often humbling)--BUT let us all resist the tempation to Dictate and Denounce (Debate is far better), recognizing that we are all fellow passengers with different backgrounds destined to ride on this shrinking planet as its travels hrough Time. That's all. Thanks for "viewing." Fred Fausz, the Insomniac in St. Louis ************************************** See what's free at http://www.aol.com. --------------------------------- Get the Yahoo! toolbar and be alerted to new email wherever you're surfing.