![]() Sometimes the torture lasted for several days.”Īfter European contact, French, British, and Spanish captives were subject to the same possibilities. Throughout it the victim was expected to sing a death song. His scalp was taken to relatives of slain Natchez, and they used it to ‘wipe tears from their eyes.’ (The now-conscious captive) was then tortured with torches of burning cane applied to various parts of his body, all this being done in the spirit of revenge. He was then scalped and tied to the frame, with his wrists and ankles at the four corners of the frame, forming an X. ![]() ![]() Everyone then assembled and the man who captured the victim uttered a death cry and struck him at the base of his neck with a war club, knocking him unconscious. The victim was tied to the foot of the frame and was fed his last meal. A crosspiece was then tied between the poles about two feet above the ground and another crosspiece was tied about five feet above this, forming a square frame. “When the Natchez decided to torture a captive to death, they first constructed a framework made of two poles about 10 feet long, set into the earth about five feet apart. The Natchez tribe, situated in what is now southeastern Mississippi, elevated torture to another level, as described by Dr. Still other captives were executed brutally or tortured to death.Ī common method of torture was used throughout North America - the ritual burning of the captive at a stake in the middle of the village. In The Southeastern Indians (University of Tennessee Press, 1976), University of Georgia anthropologist Charles Hudson describes captives of this sort as “a sort of living scalp ” that is, he enhanced the prestige of the captor. He became part of that person’s household and performed menial duties. Some were enslaved in the sense that he belonged to the man who captured him in war. Not infrequently, other Indians were adopted and treated as kinsmen. One topic that surfaces quite often is the manner in which these Indians treated enemies captured in warfare or by chance. Campbell Folk School for two full weeks a year and for various Elderhostels throughout the year. I conduct workshops on Southeastern Indian history and culture at the John C.
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