Indian Comics Irregular #184

Some quotes and comments from my Newspaper Rock coverage of PBS's "We Shall
Remain" series:

"After the Mayflower"

The Indians were aware that their way of life was at risk. They knew that the
English had wreaked havoc before. Although Massasoit made a reasonable
choice--to accommodate the English--the other Wampanoags were ultimately right.
They would've been better off if they had eliminated the colonists from their
shores.

The narrator concludes this documentary with something like, "It's hard to see
how the conflict could've been avoided and outcome could've been different."
No, actually, it's easy to see. If the Mohawks hadn't ambushed their fellow
Indians, King Philip's confederacy might well have won the war.

"Tecumseh's Vision"

The influx of settlers kept the Indians on a constant war footing. The loss of
Indian men led to broken homes and communities. Having twice as many women as
men put kinship systems under stress. Diseases flourished and spread under
these conditions.

As one historian noted, Tecumseh had a much tougher job than the Founding
Fathers. They had to unite 13 colonies with central governments and a common
language and heritage. He had to unite dozens of tribes with different cultures
and languages.

In his 1810 confrontation with Harrison, Tecumseh did something never done
before, according to one historian:

"He stood up, defended Indian land, and said he represented every Indian on the
continent.

"He understood that Native American peoples were in a particular historical
predicament, and he was articulating that predicament, and was doing it for all
of them."

"Trail of Tears"

After the Revolution, missionary organizations visited the Cherokees to teach
them how to be Anglo-Americans. Among the "lessons" were to eat meals at
regular times, instead of when they were hungry, and to pray in church at
designated times, instead of when they were moved to.

Wikipedia: "The first large-scale confinement of a specific ethnic group in
detention centers began in the summer of 1838, when President Martin Van Buren
ordered the U.S. Army to enforce the Treaty of New Echota (an Indian removal
treaty) by rounding up the Cherokee into prison camps before relocating them."

I can see why people call John Ross the Cherokee Moses. Seems to me he was on
the right side in most of the conflicts. He fought for Cherokee sovereignty and
was willing to fight for the land. When removal was forced upon the Cherokees,
he took over and made it work. He kept the tribe together through decades of
dissension. When the Civil War loomed, he sympathized with the anti-slavery
North.

"Geronimo"

Two quotes by historians: "By the 20th century, Geronimo comes to stand for
some of the values we hold most dear in America. The lone battler, the champion
of his people, the guy who never gives up, the ultimate underdog."

"Geronimo adopting, or seen to adopt, American culture represents a major
symbolic victory. American civilization has arrived. Even Geronimo is now
embracing it."

People should remember Geronimo for what he represents: the never-say-die
fighting spirit that drove him to challenge the US again and again. We can
honor that spirit even as we condemn the man for his moral failings. We should
encourage people to challenge the powers-that-be, to rise up against authority,
whenever truth and justice demand it.

Rob Schmidt
Blue Corn Comics