Sidetrip

I am going to attempt to take a side trip to the Native American Museum in lower Manhattan. The period of the Revolutionary War and Indians is interesting and hopefully some books written by non Marxists on the Abenaki, Stockbridge and Oneida will be available.

I am a fan of the introduction to the movies on TNT. Often the introduction is more interesting than the movie. In the case of Drums Along the Mohawk the film really butchered the book by Edmonds. The book focused on the lives of the women and the Battle of Oriskany. The film lacked the substance entirely.

The author, Edmonds, did an excellent job but should have added more emphasis to the Oneida who were among the heroes of the Battle of Oriskany. Where the critic is decidedly wrong is that
the lives of the settlers were decidedly more complex than the cartoon images. Iroquois did invade the lands of other tribes. There were a surprising number of mixed race people including many famous people.

What gets lost in the rhetoric was the real Joeseph Brandt was an opportunist who had extensive family connections to the crown. His legacy is mixed at best as his actions did cause reprisals by the colonists. The abuse of Indians by the British created much ill will. Many of the leaders urged
their followers to stay out of European Wars. He was a skilled fighter, but his actions had dire consequences. He did secure land grants in Canada for his service.

What gets lost in the story is that Native Americans were not passive people. They were every bit as opportunistic as the settlers around them. All sides had heroes, ordinary opportunists, rouges and just ordinary people farming or practicing a craft.