...from http://www.understandingprejudice.org/nativeiq/
1. The Holocaust of World War II was not only one of the most tragic events of the 20th century, but of modern history in general. Close to 6 million Jews (nearly two-thirds of all European Jews) and many other people perished.
By comparison, approximately how many Indians in the Americas died within a century of Christopher Columbus' arrival?
Nearly 5 million -- roughly half the existing population
Nearly 10 million -- roughly half the existing population
Nearly 10 million -- roughly 95% of the existing population
Nearly 100 million -- roughly 95% of the existing population
The correct answer is "nearly 100 million -- roughly 95% of the population."
Within a few generations of their first encounter with Europeans, nearly all native people in the Western Hemisphere were exterminated. In terms of the number dead, the destruction of the Indians of the Americas ranks as the largest act of genocide in history.
2. Which of the following statements did Christopher Columbus make to Queen Isabella and King Ferdinand of Spain when writing about native people in the Americas?
"They would make fine servants .... With fifty men we could subjugate them all and make them do whatever we want."
"We can send from here, in the name of the Holy Trinity, all the slaves and brazil-wood which could be sold .... one Indian is worth three Negroes."
Both of the above
None of the above
The correct answer is "both of the above."
To pay back dividends to those who had invested in his voyages, Columbus and his men captured and enslaved hundreds of Indians, many of whom died at sea while being transported to Spain.
Columbus also tried to amass as much gold as possible. For example, in the province of Cicao on Haiti, Columbus and his men ordered all persons 14 or older to collect a certain amount of gold every three months. Indians who failed to find enough gold had their hands cut off and bled to death.
After Columbus discovered Puerto Rico and a Spanish governor was appointed, King Ferdinand thanked the governor for "branding with the letter F on the brow the Indians captured in war, enslaving them, and selling them to the highest bidder, reserving a fifth part of the proceeds for me."
3. The practice of scalping:
Dates back to ancient Greece
Was introduced in America by the Dutch
Was done occasionally by U.S. soldiers in World War II
All of the above
None of the above
The correct answer is "all of the above."
Even though scalping is often portrayed as an Indian activity, it was practiced in ancient Greece, introduced to America by the Dutch, and encouraged by bounties for Indian scalps. In 1755, for instance, the Massachusetts legislature offered the following bounty: "For every scalp of a male Indian brought in ... forty pounds. For every scalp of such female Indian or male Indian under the age of twelve year that shall be killed ... twenty pounds."
During World War II, U.S. soldiers in the Pacific occasionally carved Japanese bones into letter openers or used Japanese skulls as table ornaments. At the time, it was well known that some U.S. soldiers collected "battlefield trophies" such as Japanese scalps, gold teeth, ears, and bones. For example, the photograph on this page appeared as "Picture of the Week" in the May 1944 issue of Life magazine, with the caption "Arizona war worker writes her Navy boyfriend a thank-you note for the Jap skull he sent her."
4. How does the U.S. Declaration of Independence refer to American Indians?
As "merciless Indian Savages"
As "the Native inhabitants of this land"
It does not mention the existence of American Indians
None of the above
The correct answer is "merciless Indian Savages."
More fully, the Declaration of Independence refers to Native Americans as "the merciless Indian Savages, whose known rule of warfare is an undistinguished destruction of all ages, sexes, and conditions."
Several early U.S. presidents shared this view of Native Americans. For example, George Washington referred to them as "ignorant Savages" and "beasts of prey," John Adams referred to them as "poor, ignorant savages" with "an aversion both to civilization and Christianity," and Thomas Jefferson confided to James Monroe: "I hope we shall drub the Indians well this summer & then change our plan from war to bribery."
So...besides getting together with family and celebrating thanks for whatever it is we've got in life...and butchering turkeys and pigs and game hens and such...
WTF are we celebrating?!?!
I just love how our eductional system brainwashes kids (me included, until a later age when I started to "know better") to make pretty little turkeys out of tracings of their hands, to put on little Pilgrim hats made out of construction paper, and talk about how wonderful the lovely exploring murderers from Spain, and in decades and centuries following the Pilgrims and Colonists, and whatever other raving madmen decided this should be their land, and such, were to the First Nations of this continent before practically erasing their race from the planet.
How do they tell it in other countries? Europe? Does anyone even talk about the facts? I wonder what they tell in the schools on the reservations here in the U.S....whether they celebrate the genocide of their collective nations with genetically-modified hormone-pumped turkeys and cans of refined bleached sugars passing off as something that used to be cranberries.
huh. and why is it that my ignorance to the universe lasted this long? but that's another question for another day.
1. The Holocaust of World War II was not only one of the most tragic events of the 20th century, but of modern history in general. Close to 6 million Jews (nearly two-thirds of all European Jews) and many other people perished.
By comparison, approximately how many Indians in the Americas died within a century of Christopher Columbus' arrival?
Nearly 5 million -- roughly half the existing population
Nearly 10 million -- roughly half the existing population
Nearly 10 million -- roughly 95% of the existing population
Nearly 100 million -- roughly 95% of the existing population
The correct answer is "nearly 100 million -- roughly 95% of the population."
Within a few generations of their first encounter with Europeans, nearly all native people in the Western Hemisphere were exterminated. In terms of the number dead, the destruction of the Indians of the Americas ranks as the largest act of genocide in history.
2. Which of the following statements did Christopher Columbus make to Queen Isabella and King Ferdinand of Spain when writing about native people in the Americas?
"They would make fine servants .... With fifty men we could subjugate them all and make them do whatever we want."
"We can send from here, in the name of the Holy Trinity, all the slaves and brazil-wood which could be sold .... one Indian is worth three Negroes."
Both of the above
None of the above
The correct answer is "both of the above."
To pay back dividends to those who had invested in his voyages, Columbus and his men captured and enslaved hundreds of Indians, many of whom died at sea while being transported to Spain.
Columbus also tried to amass as much gold as possible. For example, in the province of Cicao on Haiti, Columbus and his men ordered all persons 14 or older to collect a certain amount of gold every three months. Indians who failed to find enough gold had their hands cut off and bled to death.
After Columbus discovered Puerto Rico and a Spanish governor was appointed, King Ferdinand thanked the governor for "branding with the letter F on the brow the Indians captured in war, enslaving them, and selling them to the highest bidder, reserving a fifth part of the proceeds for me."
3. The practice of scalping:
Dates back to ancient Greece
Was introduced in America by the Dutch
Was done occasionally by U.S. soldiers in World War II
All of the above
None of the above
The correct answer is "all of the above."
Even though scalping is often portrayed as an Indian activity, it was practiced in ancient Greece, introduced to America by the Dutch, and encouraged by bounties for Indian scalps. In 1755, for instance, the Massachusetts legislature offered the following bounty: "For every scalp of a male Indian brought in ... forty pounds. For every scalp of such female Indian or male Indian under the age of twelve year that shall be killed ... twenty pounds."
During World War II, U.S. soldiers in the Pacific occasionally carved Japanese bones into letter openers or used Japanese skulls as table ornaments. At the time, it was well known that some U.S. soldiers collected "battlefield trophies" such as Japanese scalps, gold teeth, ears, and bones. For example, the photograph on this page appeared as "Picture of the Week" in the May 1944 issue of Life magazine, with the caption "Arizona war worker writes her Navy boyfriend a thank-you note for the Jap skull he sent her."
4. How does the U.S. Declaration of Independence refer to American Indians?
As "merciless Indian Savages"
As "the Native inhabitants of this land"
It does not mention the existence of American Indians
None of the above
The correct answer is "merciless Indian Savages."
More fully, the Declaration of Independence refers to Native Americans as "the merciless Indian Savages, whose known rule of warfare is an undistinguished destruction of all ages, sexes, and conditions."
Several early U.S. presidents shared this view of Native Americans. For example, George Washington referred to them as "ignorant Savages" and "beasts of prey," John Adams referred to them as "poor, ignorant savages" with "an aversion both to civilization and Christianity," and Thomas Jefferson confided to James Monroe: "I hope we shall drub the Indians well this summer & then change our plan from war to bribery."
So...besides getting together with family and celebrating thanks for whatever it is we've got in life...and butchering turkeys and pigs and game hens and such...
WTF are we celebrating?!?!
I just love how our eductional system brainwashes kids (me included, until a later age when I started to "know better") to make pretty little turkeys out of tracings of their hands, to put on little Pilgrim hats made out of construction paper, and talk about how wonderful the lovely exploring murderers from Spain, and in decades and centuries following the Pilgrims and Colonists, and whatever other raving madmen decided this should be their land, and such, were to the First Nations of this continent before practically erasing their race from the planet.
How do they tell it in other countries? Europe? Does anyone even talk about the facts? I wonder what they tell in the schools on the reservations here in the U.S....whether they celebrate the genocide of their collective nations with genetically-modified hormone-pumped turkeys and cans of refined bleached sugars passing off as something that used to be cranberries.
huh. and why is it that my ignorance to the universe lasted this long? but that's another question for another day.
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