Beginning in the Stone Age and up through the early 20th century, there have been tribes of head-hunters in different parts of the world.
These people believed that a man’s soul was located in his head, and by capturing the heads of their enemies, they would benefit their own people, increase their cattle, and improve their crops.
While head-hunting was most widely practiced in Africa, it was also common in India, in the Middle East, and in South America. The Indians of South America not only hunted heads, but shrunk them as well to use as trophies.
The Indians of North America carried on this practice, but in a slightly different way. They only took an enemy’s scalp, believing that his soul was located in his hair. These scalps were hung on the warrior’s belt or tomahawk.
Some settlers actually encouraged scalping, by paying the Indians for scalps as souvenirs!
14 Comments
I think that the Indians scalped people because it was embarassing to the person of which the scalp came from. They belived that after you died you had to tell the big man why you were there. You would have to face him and tell him what you were doing. Some might show up there with only half a head of hair. That is also the reason why they would shoot hundreds of arrows into men also.
In 1703 Massachusetts sent a bounty hunt that for every Indian head scalped was worth 12 pounds. so many Europeans started to scalp the Indians which kinda of influences both sides to do it to each other as a hate crime. Europeans hide many of their warcrimes so they could of did it first.
Why should people still suffer today for something that was done before “us”? I’ve never harmed someone for the way they looked, what religion they practiced, ect… so why should I have to pay for the acts of long dead misguided people? History should remain in the past. Traditions and cultures are different, so don’t think I’m saying not to try and remember your ancestors. I just feel that racism, sexism, and so on should be put to rest. People need to evolve from being afraid of people that are different and having uneducated thoughts.
Native Americans should have a holiday… Even the major tribes should have a specific day to have the world/ country celebrate
Us “whites” do not deserve to be scalped, why would we still deserve to be tortured when this all happened 250 years. i have many Native, black, hispanic, asian etc. friends. you are a racist if you feel inferior towards other races.the people today can not control what happened well before our time
i agree with you. I’m no “Indian” nor am I a “Navajo” I am a Díné which means “The People”. We were here first, so why don’t we have a hoilday!!!! We would rather have a day fo a guy who killed innocent people.
the native americans did not scalp people because it was embarassing to the white it came from. My people skinned the whites because of what they did to us. My personal opinion those white bastards got what they deserve and they still deserve it today. By the way we are not indians we are not from india. we are native americans and we are from the great plains that should still be ours today.
We took your land, just as civilizations in the past took land. All is fair in love and war. We fought, you LOST. YOU DESERVED IT. Your culture didn’t advance itself enough and because of that you LOST. DEAL WITH IT. Whiney bastards!
sorry to say guys, but it is their attitude of absolute arrogance that makes most of the world despise white Americans. And then they have the gall to actually try and meddle in other country’s affairs when they were the number one offenders. They did so “well” that they wiped out an entire nation, and and stole all their land. Pat yourself on the back, you are obviously proud of your ancestors behaviour and history. Their greed and dishonesty obviously has come though to you.
You need to learn from South African practices of apology, compassion and giving land back to where it belongs.
my name is bob conley and i lived on the schurz indian reservation in nevada on the walker river. i was not too welcome at first
, but eventually i became friends with a couple of paiutes named vernon bobb , roland quartz, bob johnson and wolfie collins who i feel today were the best friends i ever had. i wasn’t too concerned about native americans at first, but when i saw what they went through off the res., i finally understood why there attitude is what it is. we, yes we have emasculated them to the point that booze and drugs are doing what the cavalry couldnt. after all thier plight, how they can still be the most spiritual people i,ve seen, is amazing.
i know that if they hadn’t been so outnumbered and infected with disease, they would still have thier lands.
may the great spirit bless them all.
Mun-yah-ke-zap,
Some of the white people are in the same situation you are today. The government is doing the same thing to us. The Indians on and some off reservations do not have to worry about this because they get health care and don’t have to pay taxes. Anonymous: how are you living today? Do you have a house or do you live in a Wee-gwham or just on the open land. Do you grow and hunt your own food? Do you use electricy and heat? Think about some of these questions.
Some points are valid and some are not. We cannot change how history was, but we can work to make it better for the future of all of our children and ancestor’s.
Ga-chin Mu-gi-zi-whas
As one Native American said : “We do not inherit the land from our ancestors we borrow it from our children” this is the opposite for this matter you have inherited problems from history so instead of moaning about it do something about it!
I was born and raised in Oklahoma. I my friend was Osage. I, sometimes, think the Native Indians would have run America better. But, it is what is is. Let’s all be American first and get along. Forget the past.
The TRUTH is when the u.s.signed papers to wipe us out.They paid the solders extra per indian killed.with no way to prove there pay, UNITED STATES only paid for what scaps he had!!!!!!!!!solders have killed eachother over scap bag.