The term,"White Indian" is generally applied to those Whites living with or very closely associated with Indians.It doesn't refer to adopted Whites since once adopted their status is as if they had been born into the tribe.Many tribes,particularly those of the Six Nations {the Iroquois Confederacy}used capture and subsequent adoption to replace lost members of the various nations.Adoption was not forced upon adult White captives but many including some White women chose the Indian way of life.Two notable examples were Mary Jemison and Eunice Williams.Mary Jemison who chose to live among the Seneca and was known as the old white woman of the Genesee married and had several children. Eunice Williams was captured in the 1704 Deerfield raid at the age of seven and taken to Caughnawaga in Quebec by her Mohawk captors. By age nine she spoke no English and married at about 16. She converted to Catholicism and changed her name to Marguerite.she had several children by her husband, Arosen and died at age 95 among the Mohawks of Caughnawaga.
White captivity stories,especially those of women, make fascinating reading and there were those Whites both men and women who after capture preferred to remain as Indians.They became part of the tribe and women were not treated as forced concubines but rather became valued members of the tribe and usually married within the tribe.
Tom Patton
White captivity stories,especially those of women, make fascinating reading and there were those Whites both men and women who after capture preferred to remain as Indians.They became part of the tribe and women were not treated as forced concubines but rather became valued members of the tribe and usually married within the tribe.
Tom Patton
