Tom
Re: Scalping
Tue Jul 24 10:00:38 2001


I find this thread very interesting. I too have heard the stories that Indian CSA soldiers (Watie's Cherokees I believe)took a few scalps after one battle. Personally, without knowing for sure if it's true or not, I don't have a problem with this.

It's been a standard practice in war for many years to take steps to break down the morale of the enemy (reference U.S. Special Forces in 'Nam playing Vietnamese funeral songs throughout the night). Certainly seeing your buddies scalped would be tough on your morale.

Keep in mind that scalping as a whole was not an Indian idea. The practice originated in the U.S. as a direct result of the bounty on Indians. Dead Indians were worth money in varying amonuts for men, women, and children. Lots of folks took advantage of this and after a while it became problematic to deal with all these dead Indians. This was taken care of by requiring, instead of the whole body, a "redskin" (scalp) to prove one's claims.

Yes, that's also the origin of the name of our Nation's capital's football team but that's a whole different subject.

Tom