Comments for Ancient & Prehistoric Fiction Blog

Comment on Ancient Connections Between Mediterranean and American Cultures by Jim

Jim — Sun, 21 Feb 2010 18:04:36 +0000

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Comment on Ancient Connections Between Mediterranean and American Cultures by Microwave ManualPsymnNeddyrem

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Comment on Evidence of Native Americans in Many Woodland Locations by Jim

Jim — Sun, 07 Feb 2010 18:25:56 +0000

It was about the money and the power. I once read that many of the religious zealots went to the Netherlands, where they could pretty much have what they wanted. Those that came to the colonies were also interested in the “free” land. Land was bought by underhanded legal tactics such as handing a passing Native a basket of fish for a plot of land that had absolutely nothing to do with his tribe. That constituted fair compensation to draw up a legal deed. But this generally put the new owner on the battlefront. So, they would tell others in England about all the free land in order to sell properties and put some distance between themselves and the front.
The French and Indian war lasted about 100 years, and it was fairly brutal. It’s barely remembered though, as there were other wars after it with the Cherokee, the Sioux, Apaches and on and on. A sort of ethnic cleansing (hmm…) in order to obtain new territories. Strange how our point of view is so different concerning others affairs, than they are about our own.
Oh, and religious freedom back in the 1600-1700’s was certainly not afforded to Catholics or the Native peoples. Guess religious freedom is a bit of a stretch.

Comment on Possible Reasons Why North America Was Not Heavily Populated When Europeans Arrived by JexyDeeri

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Comment on Evidence of Native Americans in Many Woodland Locations by Rob Sirois

Rob Sirois — Thu, 28 Jan 2010 04:17:44 +0000

I was about to agree with you, then I thought about it; I don’t need to have an idealogy to inflame me, having my pockets raided for other people’s revenue would do just fine. “What do you mean those trees with the broad arrow mark now belong to the King! They’re on my property which I stole from the Indians fair and square!”
Here in New England, spite for the Mother Country was started almost from the beginning. Fist came the religious zealots who couldn’t conform to the Kings Ideas of religion. Then more religious zealots, fleeing England after Cromwel’s failed theocratic dictatorship. After the religious zealots came, yes I must say it, even more religious zealots. This last group of zealots were the kinder more gentler zealots(new and improved?), the Quakers, who were kicked out of England because they possessed the silly notion that all men were somehow created equal.
Add to this mix hoards of dispossessed Scots and Irish cleared from their homelands to make room for sheep, and the cream of England’s prison systems; one has to wonder why trouble didn’t start earlier.
England was expanding it’s empire and often couldn’t deal with all it’s problems concerning the colonies. Often the colonies had to take it upon themselve to deal with things. During the French and Indian Wars, many of the armies were supplied by the colonies themselves.Many forts were built with colonial funds and staffed with coloial volunteers. The Crown did contribute where it could, but couldn’t do everything everywhere. The colonies had to become selfsufficient and deal with the complexity of problems. Massachusetts which started out as a haven for zealots found it had to accommmodate a wide assortment of people and came up with a document to protect them from heavy handed laws; the freedom to worship as one saw fit was paramount.
I’m inclined to believe the idealogy was grown and fostered long before the revolution, not to mention the bit of spite. When England’s problems with France seem over for a while, it moves to reassert controle over its colonies. Some of the efforts by England, if I may use the phrase again, were heavy handed.
So was it about the money? That was as big a factor then as it is now. Every one in power would do well to remember what was told to George Bush Sr.”It’s the economy stupid!”

Comment on Evidence of Native Americans in Many Woodland Locations by Jim

Jim — Sun, 24 Jan 2010 14:58:42 +0000

From what I remember reading, the British had imposed a tax on certain cargo such as rum, opium, coca and other drugs some 20 years prior, but never actually enforced it. Then, they suddenly started imposing the tax and confiscating ships that had cargo with no proof of paying the taxes. This infuriated the American shipping magnates, who took their argument to the colonists whom they had been steadily feeding incendiary news and conspiracies about the crown’s suppression of the colonies. I just find it extremely curious that like all other wars that were ramped up over idealogy, it’s really about the money and the power. Idealogy is used as a tool to inflame rather than as a way to improve lives. Would you say that’s human nature? Or just a twisted propagandist move exploited by those who tend to seek power.

Comment on Evidence of Native Americans in Many Woodland Locations by Rob Sirois

Rob Sirois — Thu, 21 Jan 2010 23:29:56 +0000

Thats a twist I never thought of – were the colonies horning in on the opium trade with the Brittish? – We certainly were after the revolution. Johhn Adams said something to the effect that men shouldn’t be confused with angels; there goes your proof.

Comment on Evidence of Native Americans in Many Woodland Locations by Jim

Jim — Mon, 18 Jan 2010 21:53:11 +0000

Thanks for your excellent comments, Rob. Yes, it’s just as easy to get lost in non-fiction as fiction. Yes, there were Indian forts in Maine. There were also as many as 50 settlements throughout New England prior to the pilgrims landing in 1620… there goes that long-lived slab of “historical” baloney.
Have you read Kenneth Roberts books? Arundel, Oliver Wiswell and others were written mostly in the 1930’s. According to Harvard historians (I read that somewhere), Kenneth Roberts’ novels were closest to the actual historical facts. Quite interesting, particularly the portrayal of Benedict Arnold leading an army up the Penobscot River on a catastrophic mission to take Montreal from the British. Later he organized the building of a navy on Lake Champlain to confront the British Navy and prevent them from dividing the colonies in two by attacking and taking New York. Oliver Wiswell is another of his novels, but from the loyalists’ point of view. Extremely interesting. I particularly like Kenneth Roberts because he was blackballed by the media and publishing industry for his unconventional and blatant portrayals of the Revolutionary War.

His views about the true causes of the war are incredibly enlightening if true. Same as it ever was. Drugs and money… the British started taxing and confiscating ships carrying rum and narcotic drugs such as opium and coca. That was the last straw. Hmm… sound familiar?

At any rate, I did get a bit preachy in Shadow of the Serpent, but what the heck, it’s just another melodrama with a different point to make.

Comment on Evidence of Native Americans in Many Woodland Locations by Rob Sirois

Rob Sirois — Mon, 18 Jan 2010 20:24:16 +0000

I think I’ve been looking for you;
I must confess, I don’t read much fiction anymore. It seems too often to be too contrived, formulated, or preachy. I tend to escape into nonfiction, history in particular, for all the same reasons I should be reading fiction; drama, intrigue, and beleive it or not humor.
(The French left some men overwinter to build a fort and start a colony. When they came back in the Spring; there they were – gone! The fort was half finished, tools left lying about, guns and provisions missing. A few freash graves, but nothing to account for the balance of men – no bodies to be found. What happend? Pirates? The English? The Indians? The French left on good terms with the local inhabitants in the Fall, so there was no reason to jump to conclusions. When they went to the native village to make enquiries, they went well armed just in case.At the village, they were greeted quite warmly by the Indians and somewhat warmly by thier own men.It turned out that as Winter wore on, the men lacked enugh food, provisions, and – from the onset – women. The natives were more than gracious in sharing all of these needs.
I imagine the poor men had to be grudgingly dragged back by thier ears to finish the fort.)
As for drama, I suggest two blogs I came across; Norumbega Reconcidered:Mawooshen and the Wawenoc Diaspora – and – Remembering the Tarratines and Nanapashemet.
I like to look for tangible connections to History.I don’t dig,I just take pictures and leave footprints(size 13s). This is what lead me to your blog site. I’ve been searching the internet looking for places colonial and precolonial. I’ve known of a few Indian forts in Maine, and John Goff’s blog – Remembering the Tarratines and Nanapashemet – has made me realize that there was more than just the few. I hope to discover more of these sites along with sacred sites not just to touch history, but to somehow preserve it.
Now for the fiction. There is a great dramatic story in the Tarrantine Wars, the facts just need to be teased out a little more. Part of the problem with history is that most of the people living it, didn’t write it down. Those that did, wrote only what pertained to their perspective. History is often forgotton or revised with facts tossed out because sources are thought to be unreliable.
I digress, the Tarrantine Wars was a time of nexus when the age of exploration was coming to an end, and colonization about to start.It was a time of a clash of cultures wich reverberates to this day. Europeans stood by as native tribes practiced ruthless horrors on eachother – they’ve seen this played out befor on thier own home soil. I doubt either side realised what horrors nature had in store.
I hope you as writer can help honer these folks by telling thier story.

Comment on Possible Reasons Why North America Was Not Heavily Populated When Europeans Arrived by Jim

Jim — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 21:44:13 +0000

Sorry, Wandering. I accidentally deleted your post, but luckily, I had a copy in my email. It is very interesting that this is the 199th anniversary. I’ve heard that the New Madrid earthquake may occur about every 600 years as well as the 200 year figure. Since no one can really predict them, I guess it’s really just a number. It is interesting that you’ve been following this, and they haven’t had any tremors in 8 days. Are there always tremors somewhere along the fault?

BTW, some old stories also suggest that Tecumseh was a powerful “medicine man”, and that he actually caused this earthquake as the start of a curse against the US that supposedly affected presidents every 20 years, generally by death. Reagan’s presidency apparently was the end of that curse/superstition. Just a curious side note I’ve come across in my readings over time.