Members of the Penobscot Nation in Maine have produced an educational film that chronicles this dark period in American history.
It was genocide
Dawn Neptune Adams, of the nation of the Penobscots, accuses one of the directors of the film titled bounty.
The film is not intended to put Americans on the defensive or blame them. The directors say they want to make sure this story is not forgotten, by promoting a greater understanding of the past.
In November 1755, the Deputy Governor of Massachusetts Bay County, Spencer Pepes, awarded To the citizens of His Majesty the King
Permission to kill Penobscots during all month long
. Each man’s scalp was worth a $12,000 reward. A woman’s value was half what she was worth. The infantile scalp was also worth the reward.
Some settlers occasionally acquired the land.
This statement is known to many Penobscots, a copy of the document is displayed in the offices of the tribe, in Indian Island, in Maine.
If every American knew the full history of this country, even its darkest, most turbulent aspects, it would help us to coexist better and understand each other better.
says Mulian Dana, another co-director.
on another level
Europeans and Aboriginal people stressed their enemies, but British authorities took the practice to another level with its reward, the directors emphasized.
The first edict authorizing scalping dates back to 1675, just a few decades after the first Thanksgiving holiday, when the first European settlers gathered with the Wampanoag, says author Chris Newell.
There are more than 70 advertisements encouraging European settlers to kill Native Americans in New England. There are another 50 in the other British colonies.
Emerson Baker, professor of history at Salem State University, says this film is characterized by strong correction
.
People realize that the natives got here first, and that the settlers did their best to steal their lands. Professor Baker says it is not known how far these settlers went. All indigenous men, women, and children were seen as targets, and sometimes even targets, by governments.
A 200-page book accompanying the film has been published for educators. Several school boards have purchased the rights to reproduce the video, and are considering using the book in the classroom.
In Portland, the scalp bonus will be part of the course content to enable the school board to comply with a 2001 law that commands students to learn indigenous history in Maine, says Fiona Huber, Wabanaki Studies Coordinator.
Students and teachers will see in bounty The permanent resistance of the citizens of the state of Penobscot.
