V-2nd Dopplegangers

[Monte Davis]

Rich sez:

> let's not overemphasize how integrated and united these "primitives"
are/were. I think Pynchon gets all hung up on his romantics at times,
particularly w/r/t to native americans. that was a strong vibe in the 60s in
leftist circles for sure... I can't say ultimately that some huge and
beautiful perfect society was laid waste...

If so, its beauty incorporated widespread slave raiding, Mexica (Aztec)
capture for mass sacrifice, and some peculiarly nasty refinements of torture
among the Five Nations. And, of course, as far as most of those around the
fringes of the Great Plains were concerned, the 17th->19th century
Sioux/Cheyenne and Comanche -- recently mounted -- were a scourge very much
like the Scythians, Mongols et al in Eurasia.

It's always good to remember that when the Cherokee were driven onto the
Trail of Tears, their  African (and assorted Chickasaw etc.) slaves went
with them. OK, they hadn't had the technology to import from the Bight of
Benin, or to really pump up death rates on sugarcane islands, but hey --
they did what they could.  

-Monte