150 years ago...from the Dakota War of 1862....we remember this...

[hfojvt]

30. yes, let's

"The Pequots replied with a typical show of bravado, saying: 'We are Pequits, and have killed Englishmen and can kill them as mosquetoes, and we will go to Connectecott and kill men, women, and children, and we will take away the horses, cows, and hogs.'" (TESW p 88)

"the Prophet's (Tecumseh's brother's) instructions: 'War now. War forever. War upon the living. War upon the dead; dig up their corpses from the grave; our country must give no rest to a white man's bones.' " (TESW p 156)


"It is important for us, my brothers, that we exterminate from our lands this nation that seeks only to destroy us...." Pontiac 8 May 1763


One of the tragedies of war, it seems to me, is that these people were, or could be, getting along. I need to dig up the quote, which I apparently did not copy, but still remember reading. One brave said something like "When the news came that we were attacking I and many others quickly ran to the village to try to save our friends and often watched in horror as our friends were killed by other Indians".

It seems to me like Dakota A was friends with Farmer X and Dakota B was friends with farmer Y and Dakota C was friends with Farmer Z, but that once war was declared warrior B had no compunction against killing Farmers X and Z and so on. Whereas if not for war, they all could have been friends.

I also recently happened along some distant relatives who are (part) Cherokee. Dr. Milo Hoyt on 24 Feb 1820 married Lydia Lowrey, daughter of George Lowrey, a Cherokee chief whose father was born in Scotland. They had ten children and many descendants who are listed in the 1900 and 1910 censuses as Native Americans. Presumably their descendants consider themselves Cherokee today.