Wonderful piece by Bibliphage. My one comment is a pretty minor one. Having grown up in NJ (where we were taught their history), and having researched them and written about them myself for the magazine New Jersey History, I have to say that I’ve never seen the Delaware spelled as “Leni-Lenappe”. It’s usually Lenni Lenape, or just simply Lenape.
Regarding “Mohican”, there are a few more tribes in the NJ-NY-Connecticut area whose names sound something like “mohican” besides the two Bibliophage mentions. I keep wondering if some of them end up confused with “Mohicans”.
I opened the column wondering if the 'dark and bloody grounds" myth as applied to Kentucky would be explained. It’s been a long-standing idea that, in pioneer times, rival Indian groups didn’t make permanent settlements here, but rather had negotiated a truce that the area would be used exclusively for hunting and only temporary hunting camps would be set up.
Funny, I always supposed that the title The Last of the Mohicans referred to the workbench that the official Mohican cobbler used to make moccasins for the Mohican people.
Of course, on the recommendation of Mr. Clemens, I have never bothered to read any of Mr. Cooper’s work.
In re to information Ellen Cherry introduced,
I have seen the exact same “Dark and Bloody Ground” concept (while not called that) in official histories of Ohio Native Americans. Several websites I’ve been to also smoothly introduce it as fact when discussing pre-European Ohio history. It never even occurred to me upon reading those materials, that they might be biased in such a way. Thanks for the enlightenment!
You’re welcome, Josephine! The “Eskippakithiki” in my location refers to one such permanent Native establishment. I always wonder if anyone ever looks it up; no one here has ever asked me directly!
kaylasdad99 refers to Mr. Clemens. Other readers might also enjoy the work I’m sure he’s referring to, which is “Fenimore Cooper’s Literary Offenses” by Mark Twain (Samuel Clemens), one of the funniest works in the English language. A small sample: “Cooper’s art has some defects. In one place in “Deerslayer,” and in the restricted space of two-thirds of a page, Cooper has scored 114 offenses against literary art out of a possible 115. It breaks the record.” See http://users.telerama.com/~joseph/cooper/cooper.html
People don’t really refrain from reading the Leatherstocking Tales on account of Twain’s criticism, do they? Does nobody notice that the man is a master of satire? Is it not apparent that most of the “faults” Twain criticizes in Cooper’s works are also present, greatly magnified, in the adventures of Tom and Huck? And do some versions of Twain’s criticism leave off the first paragraph, where he exhorts anyone planning on judging a book to read the darn thing first?
I’m not sure where I got the spelling “Leni-Lenappe”. It may have been a simple typo on my part. I’ll have to check my notes.
Twain’s criticisms are entertaining, and in many cases perfectly valid, but I don’t think that should stop anyone from reading Cooper. His prose style is not to everyone’s taste, but the Last of the Mohicans is a rousing tale worth reading at least once. You can make up your own mind if you care to read some of the online e-texts.
On a slightly different note, the original article used, ‘I have spoken’ rather lightly. I don’t know how many other people are aware of it but at least the Osage (Missouri) had the custom that at least in a formal gathering, the person who had the floor could not be interrupted until he formally said he was finished, which on occasion lasted 24 hours, this regardless of whether he spoke the whole time or not. Sorry, don’t remember the name of the book but it was a thick one devoted to the Osage. Since they also had a custom of religiously bathing daily regardless of the weather, I don’t know how they balanced the needs of living with the speakers right to speak.
