Blankets

[Steven Maas (CUTR)]

Dennis Jones wrote:
> an old Buffy Saint Marie Indian lament, "My Country, 
> 'Tis of thy People you're Dying". I remember it well  as one of the most 
> moving I've ever listened to, every word  sung  charged with a powerful 
> mixture of sadness, anger and contempt. So I dusted it off and it sounds as 
> good as ever.

This is available on a "Best of" CD, if anyone asks I will look up the
name and the record company at home.  It is a powerful song. 

Matthew P. Wiener takes the song to task for a lack of historicity.  If
Mr. Wiener intends this as a diminishment of the song (I say "if" because,
although this seems to be his intent, I don't want to put words in his
mouth), I would only say the song makes no claim to be a history book.  An
artistic work is generally judged using other criteria.  In this case,
perhaps a criterion could be:  does the song succeed in presenting an
essentially accurate portrayal of the history of contact between Europeans
and American Indians in a powerful and unforgettable way, in the space of
a song?  I say yes it does.  (Even though some details may be, as Andrew
D. said, distorted or embellished.) 

Mr. Wiener's main point, I guess, is that there is no proof that genocide
using smallpox-infected blankets was ever successfully committed against
any Indian group.  Again, the song is not a history book; however, of
course, a lack of proof of the successful implementation of such a policy
does not prove that it did not happen.  At any rate, equally nasty
policies were, in fact, successfully implemented. 

Mr. Wiener has other specific complaints:

"the West is the wrong part of the country. . ." 

The song may refer to the western hemisphere--I forget whether this is
made clear.

"these blankets were not traded for land. . ." 

In many cases Indians were promised allotments of food and supplies
(including blankets) in exchange for moving to reservations.  I don't know
if any of these blankets were intentionally infected with smallpox. 

"Uncle Sam did not exist yet. . ."

And he still doesn't.  I guess Mr. Wiener means as a symbol, however I
think the national characteristics that Uncle Sam as a symbol is meant to
personify existed long before the character first appeared.  Presumably
the reference is to those characteristics.

"no tribes were wiped out as a result. . ."

Smallpox was a major contributing factor in the complete disappearance
(culturally speaking--it's thought there were a few survivors from various
tribes who blended in with the Seminoles when they moved into the then
mostly empty Florida) of all of the original Indian cultures in Florida.
Some of this smallpox may have been spread purposefully, the historical
record is not clear on this point.  Other cases of Indian tribes wiped out
or drastically reduced in population by smallpox and other introduced
diseases also may or may not have been brought about deliberately.

"nobody censored any history books over this incredibly minor incident..."

I don't know that the reference to censored history in the song refers
only to the particular event Mr. Wiener sets out to debunk.  As recently
as the 60s when I was in grade school history books definitely leaned
toward the European side and against the Indians.  Discussions of
attempted genocide and "ethnic cleansing" were conspicuously absent.  I
can't speak to newer textbooks.  Finally, "incredibly minor" is in the eye
of the beholder.  Even in the article Mr. Wiener posted it sounds like
attempted genocide. 

	Steve Maas