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Captives among the Indians: Firsthand Narratives of Indian Wars, Customs, Tortures, and Habits of Life in Colonial Times
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242 pages, Kindle Edition
Published January 12, 2015
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
November 26, 2020
I like reading first-hand accounts from past times, but mainly I enjoy them for the insights they can provide into the kinds of societies and cultures that existed in previous centuries. Unfortunately, I didn’t feel there was a great deal of that here. The memoirs contained in this collection are more in the style of personal stories of suffering and endurance.
There are four memoirs within the collection, which appear in the following order:
1. James Smith was captured in 1755 by the Delaware people. He was “adopted” as a member of the tribe and lived amongst the native peoples for four years before making his escape. When he eventually made it back to his family “they were surprised to see him so much like an Indian, both in gait and gesture.”
2. Fr. Francesco Bressani was a Jesuit missionary, captured by the Iroquois in 1644 whilst travelling to the mission the Jesuits had established amongst the Huron. At the time the French in Quebec had extremely poor relations with the Five Nations, and Fr. Bressani suffered horrendous torture before eventually being ransomed to the Dutch. I found this account interesting, but mainly because Fr. Bressani’s story was very similar in outline to the plot of one of my favourite novels, “Black Robe” by Brian Moore. Actually after reading this I am fairly sure Fr. Bressani’s account was part of the inspiration for Brian Moore’s novel.
3. Mary Rowlandson was captured in 1676, during “King Philip’s War”. Her account of the attack on her homestead is a sobering description of the horrors of frontier war. She was eventually ransomed, and in her account I was struck by how much interaction there was between the native people and the Europeans, even during a period of open warfare. It was also noticeable that Mary always described her people as “English”. These early settlers had not yet developed an “American” identity.
4. Mercy Harbison was captured in May 1792, around 6 months after “St. Clair’s Defeat”. I hadn’t heard of this battle before, but it is described as a significant victory for the native tribes, which left the nearby settlers unprotected. Mercy eventually escaped. Her story is one of remarkable courage and endurance.
Overall though, not really the type of book I was looking for.
There are four memoirs within the collection, which appear in the following order:
1. James Smith was captured in 1755 by the Delaware people. He was “adopted” as a member of the tribe and lived amongst the native peoples for four years before making his escape. When he eventually made it back to his family “they were surprised to see him so much like an Indian, both in gait and gesture.”
2. Fr. Francesco Bressani was a Jesuit missionary, captured by the Iroquois in 1644 whilst travelling to the mission the Jesuits had established amongst the Huron. At the time the French in Quebec had extremely poor relations with the Five Nations, and Fr. Bressani suffered horrendous torture before eventually being ransomed to the Dutch. I found this account interesting, but mainly because Fr. Bressani’s story was very similar in outline to the plot of one of my favourite novels, “Black Robe” by Brian Moore. Actually after reading this I am fairly sure Fr. Bressani’s account was part of the inspiration for Brian Moore’s novel.
3. Mary Rowlandson was captured in 1676, during “King Philip’s War”. Her account of the attack on her homestead is a sobering description of the horrors of frontier war. She was eventually ransomed, and in her account I was struck by how much interaction there was between the native people and the Europeans, even during a period of open warfare. It was also noticeable that Mary always described her people as “English”. These early settlers had not yet developed an “American” identity.
4. Mercy Harbison was captured in May 1792, around 6 months after “St. Clair’s Defeat”. I hadn’t heard of this battle before, but it is described as a significant victory for the native tribes, which left the nearby settlers unprotected. Mercy eventually escaped. Her story is one of remarkable courage and endurance.
Overall though, not really the type of book I was looking for.
January 30, 2020
A great compilation of original sources. Of the four narratives, “Colonel James Smith’s Life Among the Delawares, 1755-1759” was the outstanding tale. He presents interesting characters and anecdotes which reveal the culture of the Delawares.
I found it interesting to read the goodreads reviews of this book. One reviewer clearly identifies with the white captives, and buys into the idea that the Indians were “heathens” and “savages.” It shows that racist cultural programming is still occurring today, and the “heathen” part reveals an ugly aspect of religions like Christianity.
That, in a nutshell, is what is lacking in this book. It was published in 1915, and the editor Horace Kephart seems to have chosen sensational accounts meant to portray the Indians in the way that a white audience of those times would expect.
Much more could have been accomplished by a contemporary editor with different goals. For example:
1. these four narratives span from 1644 to 1792. How did perceptions of Indians change during that time?
2. The narratives allude to shifting alliances with other tribes and French and British soldiers. What is the context?
3. Some of the narratives seem written for the newspapers, others for books, and one is addressed to the pope. What was the culture around such testimonials and how were they received?
I found it interesting to read the goodreads reviews of this book. One reviewer clearly identifies with the white captives, and buys into the idea that the Indians were “heathens” and “savages.” It shows that racist cultural programming is still occurring today, and the “heathen” part reveals an ugly aspect of religions like Christianity.
That, in a nutshell, is what is lacking in this book. It was published in 1915, and the editor Horace Kephart seems to have chosen sensational accounts meant to portray the Indians in the way that a white audience of those times would expect.
Much more could have been accomplished by a contemporary editor with different goals. For example:
1. these four narratives span from 1644 to 1792. How did perceptions of Indians change during that time?
2. The narratives allude to shifting alliances with other tribes and French and British soldiers. What is the context?
3. Some of the narratives seem written for the newspapers, others for books, and one is addressed to the pope. What was the culture around such testimonials and how were they received?
May 5, 2017
Four interesting 17th and 18th century tales of whites being taken captive by Native Americans and held captive. Matter of fact narratives of extreme hardships. Very understated. But interesting none-the-less.
March 20, 2015
This is one of those non-fiction books that one reads with a morbid curiosity. I knew that Red Indians used to exact some terrible cruelties on white prisoners but until reading this short volume I didn’t realise the full extent of their barbarities.
The first narrative greatly differs from the deplorable accounts of the others. In this case a man is forced to *become* a member of the Delaware Indians. He at least is treated as an equal but he was hardly delighted with the situation that lasted some time.
The most horrific accounts come from the second of the four first-hand narratives. A Jesuit man in his early thirties endured immense torture and witnessed similar horrors being exacted on others.
This took place for about a month during 1644. The Indian tribe were the Iroquois. They had no mercy or empathy for their prisoners. Some of their actions go beyond horror, including burning or biting people’s fingernails completely off.
The third and fourth narratives are accounts given by women. Neither suffered like the man mentioned above, but they still suffered unthinkable atrocities, such as one of the women watching her two sons – aged three and five – murdered in front of her.
Not one for the faint hearted.
The first narrative greatly differs from the deplorable accounts of the others. In this case a man is forced to *become* a member of the Delaware Indians. He at least is treated as an equal but he was hardly delighted with the situation that lasted some time.
The most horrific accounts come from the second of the four first-hand narratives. A Jesuit man in his early thirties endured immense torture and witnessed similar horrors being exacted on others.
This took place for about a month during 1644. The Indian tribe were the Iroquois. They had no mercy or empathy for their prisoners. Some of their actions go beyond horror, including burning or biting people’s fingernails completely off.
The third and fourth narratives are accounts given by women. Neither suffered like the man mentioned above, but they still suffered unthinkable atrocities, such as one of the women watching her two sons – aged three and five – murdered in front of her.
Not one for the faint hearted.
September 4, 2016
Captives of the Indians; First hand accounts
Firsthand accounts of white captives taken in battle and their will to survive.
The cruelty of the Indians to their captives is difficult to comprehend, not alone to white people, but to other Indian tribal peoples. The first settlers in our country experienced suffering to a degree that we moderns can hardly understand.
The Indians fought by their traditional methods for the land they considered theirs with a violence that eventually destroyed themselves.
The overwhelming waves of settlers was impossible to conquer and the Indians lost their land and their freedom.
Firsthand accounts of white captives taken in battle and their will to survive.
The cruelty of the Indians to their captives is difficult to comprehend, not alone to white people, but to other Indian tribal peoples. The first settlers in our country experienced suffering to a degree that we moderns can hardly understand.
The Indians fought by their traditional methods for the land they considered theirs with a violence that eventually destroyed themselves.
The overwhelming waves of settlers was impossible to conquer and the Indians lost their land and their freedom.
May 5, 2016
Excellent reading
I gave this book 4 stars as I think it was a very good read but not enough detail was included in some of the stories. Other than that , a very satisfying read
I gave this book 4 stars as I think it was a very good read but not enough detail was included in some of the stories. Other than that , a very satisfying read
October 24, 2021
I am thankful that Mary Rowlandson recorded her life in this book, so we could read about her. Interesting story.
October 17, 2018
Mary Rowlandson's A Narrative of the Captivity and Restoration of Mrs. Mary Rowlandson (1682) was the first book of prose published by a woman in the Americas. In 1676 Algonquian natives held Mrs. R. Mrs. Rowlandson for three months. Nowadays, her story appears in Kephart, Horace, (ed.). Captives Among the Indians: First-hand Narratives of Indian Wars, Customs, Tortures, and Habits of Life in Colonial Times. (NY: Outing Publishing Co., 1915, 148-209).
"Perhaps," writes Micah Perks, "it's there where American literature originates, between the many-petaled onion and the tears. There you narrated a tale of whiteness, a whiteness defined by hostility to others and the constant threat of the hostile order. A whiteness that believed itself was chosen by God. At the same time, it's also the story of a female other struggling to describe hunger and grief between thick voices of white men trying to control all meaning. Your story is complex and uncomfortable, a clash of voices, and maybe that's a good place to start." On Mary Rowlandson's A Narrative of the Captivity and Restoration of Mrs. Mary Rowlandson, Micah Perks. Tin House, 18/3, 101-104.
Micah Perks is an American fiction writer and memoirist. Her three books, We Are Gathered Here (St. Martin's Press 1997), Pagan Time (Counterpoint Press 2001), and What Becomes Us (Outpost19 Books 2016) examine the utopian impulse in U.S. history - thanks to Wikipedia.
"Perhaps," writes Micah Perks, "it's there where American literature originates, between the many-petaled onion and the tears. There you narrated a tale of whiteness, a whiteness defined by hostility to others and the constant threat of the hostile order. A whiteness that believed itself was chosen by God. At the same time, it's also the story of a female other struggling to describe hunger and grief between thick voices of white men trying to control all meaning. Your story is complex and uncomfortable, a clash of voices, and maybe that's a good place to start." On Mary Rowlandson's A Narrative of the Captivity and Restoration of Mrs. Mary Rowlandson, Micah Perks. Tin House, 18/3, 101-104.
Micah Perks is an American fiction writer and memoirist. Her three books, We Are Gathered Here (St. Martin's Press 1997), Pagan Time (Counterpoint Press 2001), and What Becomes Us (Outpost19 Books 2016) examine the utopian impulse in U.S. history - thanks to Wikipedia.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews