Information wanted

Fran Flavin (flavin@ucsvax.ucs.umass.edu)
Sat, 24 Oct 1992 23:17:27 -0400

I am interested in finding out some information which might help
me clarify a couple of questions concerning Native American
history.
The first question has to do with "scalping" - what's the history
behind it? Who invented it? Who taught it to whom? Why was it
practiced and when was it practiced?
The other question deals with a subject that came out of the
French and Indian War. Apparently, Lord Jeffrey Amherst suggested
giving blankets contaminated with smallpox to the Native Americans
as an "inexpensive" way of eliminating them. Again, I'd be
interested in the history of this event as well as other questions
as to whether or not this was the first time or last time that this
was done, or if this was the only "questionable" military tactic
that Jeffrey Amherst used during his career.
If anybody has information that might be useful to me, I would be
very grateful for any responses.
My internet address is in%"flavin@ucsvax.ucs.umass.edu"

Thank you very much for your time.

Fran Flavin

[ Actually, the address Fran gives will not work from anything except
DEC VAX/VMS hosts. People on Internet should just use the address
"flavin@ucsvax.umass.edu" - Since you're at UMass, Fran, I suggest
you track down my buddy Prof. Peter d'Errico in Legal Studies (who
is on this mailing list - he's at "derrico@titan.ucc.umass.edu" and
his office phone is 413-545-2003). I heard him give a talk at the
"From the Arctic to Amazonia" conference at Smith College in North-
ampton where he compared Lord Jeffrey Amherst to Hitler, and said it
was abominable that a town should still bear his name. --Gary ]