Scalping . I've read that the French put bounty on English scalps that the indians were more than happy to collect . I've read that the English put bounty on French scalps that the indians were more than happy to collect . I've read that whites put bounties on indian scalps for the purpose of extermination and white hunters would go out and collect . I've read that indian tribes introduced scalping to the whites as they were doing it long before the white arrival , kinda like trophy hunting . I've read that scalps were of different value depending upon the original owner . The French would pay the indians so much for a light colored scalp knowing it was English and less for scalps of indians that were allies of the English . Where is the truth ?
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Here is a short excerpt from my files.
The Crow Creek site mentioned dates to the early 1300's, certainly prior to European contact.
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However, most of these victims came from Crow Creek Canyon, the site of a large-scale massacre involving a minimum of 486 individuals (Gregg et al 1981). The excavators report that not only were almost every person scalped, but they also were mutilated and dismembered, and many of their hands and feet appear to have been removed and taken as trophies. This custom has been documented historically for certain Native American culture groups in the United States (Friederici 1907). Thus, it appears that something quite different from small scale raiding activities was occurring at Crow Creek Canyon. Furthermore, the skeletal remains were so mixed as to preclude the possibility of assigning post-cranial elements with the proper skulls, so detailed information about individuals is not available. Crow Creek is included in the study only because it gives evidence of the intensity of conflict in the Northern Plains during the mid-fourteenth century, and because two of the crania found at the site demonstrated a lesion of the frontal and parietals consistent with survival of a scalping incident. Presumably those two earlier scalping events were unrelated to the massacre itself, and therefore can be included in the analysis of scalping survivors discussed below....
.... It could be argued, then, that scalping in pre-Columbian America was more likely the result of raiding activity than of large-scale warfare taking place on a battlefield. The evidence for such an assertion is that women were not generally known to be warriors during historic times, and therefore, would be more likely to be scalped in or near their own villages (although see Ewers 1994).
The Crow Creek site mentioned dates to the early 1300's, certainly prior to European contact.
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However, most of these victims came from Crow Creek Canyon, the site of a large-scale massacre involving a minimum of 486 individuals (Gregg et al 1981). The excavators report that not only were almost every person scalped, but they also were mutilated and dismembered, and many of their hands and feet appear to have been removed and taken as trophies. This custom has been documented historically for certain Native American culture groups in the United States (Friederici 1907). Thus, it appears that something quite different from small scale raiding activities was occurring at Crow Creek Canyon. Furthermore, the skeletal remains were so mixed as to preclude the possibility of assigning post-cranial elements with the proper skulls, so detailed information about individuals is not available. Crow Creek is included in the study only because it gives evidence of the intensity of conflict in the Northern Plains during the mid-fourteenth century, and because two of the crania found at the site demonstrated a lesion of the frontal and parietals consistent with survival of a scalping incident. Presumably those two earlier scalping events were unrelated to the massacre itself, and therefore can be included in the analysis of scalping survivors discussed below....
.... It could be argued, then, that scalping in pre-Columbian America was more likely the result of raiding activity than of large-scale warfare taking place on a battlefield. The evidence for such an assertion is that women were not generally known to be warriors during historic times, and therefore, would be more likely to be scalped in or near their own villages (although see Ewers 1994).
Guest
I wrote a paper on this in college. Although it is long gone with the bibliography, the "executive summary" is that Native Americans were scalping as far back as anyone can determine from excavations and/or historical record. The white men just added the economic element.
The English paid for the scalps of Irishmen in the 11th century. Ain't nuttin new under the sun. It takes a Christian to perform a really good atrocity. Plus, a scalp can come from a woman or young child, and be worth nothing. Other body parts less easy to counterfeit have been "collected" by some of the Old World civilized peoples as a proof of a kill.
Myths concerning Native Americans
Fiction: American Indians have invented a number of positive things, but they also invented scalping.
Fact: American Indians probably learned the practice of scalping from the Europeans. Although archaeologists have found a few prehistoric human remains in the Americas that show evidence of cut marks on the skulls, they disagree about whether these marks are evidence of scalping. Absolutely no evidence exists that scalping was a widespread practice in the Americas before European contact. If it was practiced, it was done by very few tribes and then very infrequently.
On the other hand, scalping was a well-established tradition for Europeans. Ancient Scythians (Russians) practiced it. Herodotus, the Greek Historian, wrote of them in B.C. 440, "The Scythian soldier scrapes the scalp clean of flesh and softening it by rubbing between the hands, uses it thenceforth as a napkin. The Scyth is proud of these scalps and hangs them from his bridle rein; the greater the number of such napkins that a man can show, the more highly is he esteemed among them. Many make themselves cloaks by sewing a quantity of these scalps together."
Much later the English paid bounties for Irish heads. Because scalps were easier to transport and store than heads, Europeans sometimes substituted scalping for headhunting. Records show that the Earl of Wessex England scalped his enemies in 11th century.
In 1706 the governor of Pennsylvania offered 130 pieces of eight for the scalp of Indian men over twelve years of age and 50 pieces of eight for a woman's scalp. Because it was impossible for those who paid the bounty to determine the victim's sex (and sometimes the age) from the scalp alone, killing women and children became a way to make easy money.
During the French and Indian Wars and later during the war between the British and the Colonists, both the British and the French encouraged their Indian allies to scalp their enemies providing them with metal scalping knives.
The practice of paying bounties for Indian scalps did not end until the 1800's.
2,500 years ago in Siberia Scalping in Siberia
500A.D. in Wisconsin
Wisconsin skull w/scalping scrapes - 500 A.D.
Myths concerning Native Americans
Fiction: American Indians have invented a number of positive things, but they also invented scalping.
Fact: American Indians probably learned the practice of scalping from the Europeans. Although archaeologists have found a few prehistoric human remains in the Americas that show evidence of cut marks on the skulls, they disagree about whether these marks are evidence of scalping. Absolutely no evidence exists that scalping was a widespread practice in the Americas before European contact. If it was practiced, it was done by very few tribes and then very infrequently.
On the other hand, scalping was a well-established tradition for Europeans. Ancient Scythians (Russians) practiced it. Herodotus, the Greek Historian, wrote of them in B.C. 440, "The Scythian soldier scrapes the scalp clean of flesh and softening it by rubbing between the hands, uses it thenceforth as a napkin. The Scyth is proud of these scalps and hangs them from his bridle rein; the greater the number of such napkins that a man can show, the more highly is he esteemed among them. Many make themselves cloaks by sewing a quantity of these scalps together."
Much later the English paid bounties for Irish heads. Because scalps were easier to transport and store than heads, Europeans sometimes substituted scalping for headhunting. Records show that the Earl of Wessex England scalped his enemies in 11th century.
In 1706 the governor of Pennsylvania offered 130 pieces of eight for the scalp of Indian men over twelve years of age and 50 pieces of eight for a woman's scalp. Because it was impossible for those who paid the bounty to determine the victim's sex (and sometimes the age) from the scalp alone, killing women and children became a way to make easy money.
During the French and Indian Wars and later during the war between the British and the Colonists, both the British and the French encouraged their Indian allies to scalp their enemies providing them with metal scalping knives.
The practice of paying bounties for Indian scalps did not end until the 1800's.
2,500 years ago in Siberia Scalping in Siberia
500A.D. in Wisconsin
Wisconsin skull w/scalping scrapes - 500 A.D.
I'm familiar with the above web site. One has to consider the source of this statement and the political motivation behind it.
No one is saying that they invented it, only that they practiced it prior to European contact. Cannibalism was also quite common in the New England area prior to European contact, but if you speak of it today, you are labeled as racist.
Now you guys got me to thinking . I watched a program on the History channel regarding the Anasasi in New Mexico . It was an archaeology program but quite startling in some respects . Many skelaton remains have been found with specific cut marks that indicate butchering . A coprelite (sp) was found and when anaylized the dna markers were unmistakenly human . Massive cannibalisim . Some of the skulls were charred and had a hole in them drawing the conclusion that the scalp was removed and the head was thrown in the fire to cook the brains . Many leg bones showed the same charring and then breakage to get at the marrow . To my mind simple scalping would be done to claim a trophy or claim bounty so would cut marks on pre-white contact skulls indicate a tradition of scalping ?
Guest
The Shawnee had cannibal societies. They would torture their captive enemies and then eat them. :m2c:
I taped the show you speak of. The Natives that were interviewed in that story tried to write-off the investigation as just another case of racism. I can understand their unwillingness to accept the facts, but they aren't responsible for their ancestors past anymore than I am.
Guest
Even 20 years ago, when I was doing politically incorrect research papers, there was enough documentation to be overwhelming on canabilism in NA. Every tribe was known to engage in ritual canibalism in some form (sort of like Liver Eatin' Johnson) and some tribes were survival canibals.
Some Archeologists believe that the Aztec civilization obtained most of their meat protien from consumption of the sacrificial POWs in temple ceremonies. Victims were led to the alters by the thousands with the bodies thrown down the sides of the pyrimids to the waiting hands of the processers. The turkey and dog were the only domesticated animals available, and Mexico City was a densly populated area even then.
The Carib Indians of the West Indies were such fierce canibals that they avoided many of the atrocities of the other gulf tribes because the sailors refused to approach the islands. They made a special grid of green branches that they used to roast their captives. The grid was called a barbiquet, which is where we get our Spanish/American word barbique. Puts a new spin on cook outs dosen't it?
I read one acount of a Cherokee captive covered with strips of bacon so he would be well basted as he cooked. He managed to escape just before being placed on the spit and survived on the bacon as he returned to the settlements.
It wasn't just the native Americans! Almost every culture has some form of canibalism in its past. Many of the Neanderthal and Cromangon skulls from caves in Europe and asia show damage related to removal and consumption of the brain (can we say mad cow disease!).
Some Archeologists believe that the Aztec civilization obtained most of their meat protien from consumption of the sacrificial POWs in temple ceremonies. Victims were led to the alters by the thousands with the bodies thrown down the sides of the pyrimids to the waiting hands of the processers. The turkey and dog were the only domesticated animals available, and Mexico City was a densly populated area even then.
The Carib Indians of the West Indies were such fierce canibals that they avoided many of the atrocities of the other gulf tribes because the sailors refused to approach the islands. They made a special grid of green branches that they used to roast their captives. The grid was called a barbiquet, which is where we get our Spanish/American word barbique. Puts a new spin on cook outs dosen't it?
I read one acount of a Cherokee captive covered with strips of bacon so he would be well basted as he cooked. He managed to escape just before being placed on the spit and survived on the bacon as he returned to the settlements.
It wasn't just the native Americans! Almost every culture has some form of canibalism in its past. Many of the Neanderthal and Cromangon skulls from caves in Europe and asia show damage related to removal and consumption of the brain (can we say mad cow disease!).
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