A 'redskin' is the scalped head of a Native American, sold, like a pelt, for cash: 50 pounds for adult male scalps; 25 for adult female scalps; 20 for scalps of boys and girls under age 12. These bloody scalps were known as “redskins” — the most offensive name one could ever call a Native American

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[–]aThievingStableboy 11 insightful - 2 fun11 insightful - 1 fun12 insightful - 2 fun -  (3 children)

4edvvaxc

[–]JasonCarswellMental Orgy 3 insightful - 2 fun3 insightful - 1 fun4 insightful - 2 fun -  (2 children)

Actually, NOT most notably by themselves. That angle has be HUUUUUUGELY pushed by Hollywood revisionism. Savagery is not limited to the First Nations, but they sure had some original ways of doing things, including harm. I've come across many stomach turning stories in my 80 or so books on the Pacific NorthWest Coast of which I'm a fan of their art and culture and ferocity, somehow largely remaining more isolated and protected over the last couple centuries.

I also don't think that's what the general meaning of "redskin" means, nor where the various uses of it originated.

/s/TIL/comments/555l/til_of_brandolinis_law_aka_the_bullshit_asymmetry/

I saw a few others today I liked, that makes it 4. I've always known that but never knew there was a term. Fantastic.

[–]aThievingStableboy 7 insightful - 1 fun7 insightful - 0 fun8 insightful - 1 fun -  (1 child)

adsfvca

[–]JasonCarswellMental Orgy 1 insightful - 2 fun1 insightful - 1 fun2 insightful - 2 fun -  (0 children)

You're lumping all the First Nations into one "Native American" group. There were MANY cultures here first and not all of them practiced scalping - yet there was an open bounty on all of theirs. 90% of 500 pales in comparison to the continental genocide.

Yes they may have been first with the practice. Yes they are most notably famous for it, not for being the first, or for the numbers, but because of the Hollywood revisionism to make people feel okay about their past and perpetuating crimes against them always taking away more and more. "Cowboys and Indians" is cultural engineering while rewriting history. But actually, American settlers were more notably savage and practiced.

You wanna hear some crazy shit? I'm deep into the "primitive" local art from Seattle to Alaska. The further North the more refined it gets. Understanding the art and craft is directly tied to understanding the culture, so I got drawn into learning about their meticulous work from spoons to masks to totem poles - and how they lived. Their culture was about pride rather than wealth, and though slaves (gained by warring on other tribes) created wealth which earned pride. In demonstrations of disdain for wealth (in order to gain more pride) they would intentionally break their nice things like their prestigious copper shields (more symbolic than functional), because they were above possessions. This extended to their slaves too, though they were never so foolish as to destroy a strong slave. So it was usually a very young or very old slave that would be "sacrificed" for their pride. There were many ways to dispatch them, but the worst unusual method I read was they'd have the slave(s) necks between two logs and dance on the top log killing the slave(s). They'd put the slaves (dead or living) into the deep holes that they'd plant their large totem poles over them. There are 4 types of totem poles, so not all of them would have this. Also, I don't recall if this might have only been an occasional custom of the Haida as there were at least a half dozen more nations just on the coast of B.C. alone. If I knew which book it was I'd cite it, but if you want to start from the heaviest earliest best source I know, then check out the https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jesup_North_Pacific_Expedition. Among my few rare books, I have an edition of this book that I should give to a museum or something. It's not an easy read so I haven't yet, but I suspect there may be much more like this in there too.