Not sure about incest and cannibalism. I've never heard of these things being prevalent.
In any event, my point is that, in this sense, idyllic is relative. I never said that the New World was a peaceful paradise prior to the arrival of whites. My view is that they were better off no matter what was going on prior to colonization. And any harping about what WAS going on is an attempt (in my view) to denegrate their prehistory. A way leveling the playing field by saying they were no better than anyone else. Why else bring it up? That their "true" history is not the "stuff of storybooks" means nothing to me. I don't believe in storybooks, only what I've studied and read about. And believing that they had a remarkable society is not simply buying into fairytales. It comes from understanding history. -Brendan -Brendan --- [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: > Rape, incest, torture, and cannibalism are nothing? > Sorry, but the view of the native American world as > idyllic is the stuff of storybooks. > Paul > > -------------- Original message > ---------------------- > From: Brendan MacRae <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > > Well, maybe not explicitly, no. But "idyllic" is > what > > most tribes would consider their existance prior > to > > arrival of whites. They may have had their > internal > > struggles but it was nothing compared to the > onslaught > > of white aggression. > > > > It just seemed like that was where that notion was > > heading. If not, my bad. > > > > ;-] > > > > -Brendan > > --- [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: > > > > > No one suggested anything of the kind. My > original > > > post was in response to a suggestion that life > in > > > North America was idyllic before the arrival of > > > Europeans. > > > Paul > > > -------------- Original message > > > ---------------------- > > > From: Brendan MacRae > <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > > > > > > > > --- William Robb <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > wrote: > > > > > > > > > > > > > > ----- Original Message ----- > > > > > From: "Paul Stenquist" Subject: Re: PESO - > > > American > > > > > Fence > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > But the New York Times is probably the > most > > > > > liberal daily newspaper in > > > > > > the U.S. They always take the side of the > > > > > oppressed minority if they > > > > > > can. On the other hand, they don't ignore > > > > > inconvenient facts. > > > > > > Considering the source I wouldn't call > this > > > > > "history rewritten by the > > > > > > victors." The article about the violent > > > cultures > > > > > of the native > > > > > > Americans appeared in the science section. > In > > > > > truth, it's history > > > > > > rewritten by archaeologists. > > > > > > > > > > My father was a student of local history. > His > > > take > > > > > on pre-European life in > > > > > North America pretty much jives with what > you > > > are > > > > > saying. His take on > > > > > post-European life from the Aboriginal point > of > > > view > > > > > was that the vilence > > > > > shifted from internal to external and they > > > really > > > > > weren't any better off for > > > > > the European invasion. > > > > > > > > > > William Robb > > > > > > > > > > > > > While slavery, copious killing, rape and > virtually > > > > every other form of barbarism was prevelant > among > > > the > > > > tribes of North America, it was still the > > > intrusion of > > > > Europeans which caused their near total > > > extinction. To > > > > suggest that they themselves were at times > brutual > > > > toward one another is no defense for their > > > wholesale > > > > slaughter at the hands of whites. > > > > > > > > -Brendan > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > ________________________________________________________________________________ > > > > ____ > > > > Any questions? Get answers on any topic at > > > www.Answers.yahoo.com. Try it now. > > > > > > > > -- > > > > PDML Pentax-Discuss Mail List > > > > PDML@pdml.net > > > > http://pdml.net/mailman/listinfo/pdml_pdml.net > > > > > > > > > -- > > > PDML Pentax-Discuss Mail List > > > PDML@pdml.net > > > http://pdml.net/mailman/listinfo/pdml_pdml.net > > > > > > > > > __________________________________________________ > > Do You Yahoo!? > > Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam > protection around > > http://mail.yahoo.com > > > > -- > > PDML Pentax-Discuss Mail List > > PDML@pdml.net > > http://pdml.net/mailman/listinfo/pdml_pdml.net > > > -- > PDML Pentax-Discuss Mail List > PDML@pdml.net > http://pdml.net/mailman/listinfo/pdml_pdml.net > ____________________________________________________________________________________ Yahoo! Music Unlimited Access over 1 million songs. http://music.yahoo.com/unlimited -- PDML Pentax-Discuss Mail List PDML@pdml.net http://pdml.net/mailman/listinfo/pdml_pdml.net