Evocative post in the Kilt Accessories forum - some thoughts

[Scott Gilmore]

Oatmeal Savage (curious nick, no?) posted a question about a Sleeved waistcoat in the Kilt Accessories forum in which a very evocative image was used. To whit:

I am a historical reenactor interested in the French and Indian War, 1754-1763. ...


Story to the Painting
When the Highlander was summoned to the American frontier to fight on behalf of The Crown, he formed an instant kinship with his Native American counterpart. Tribe and clan were remarkably similar in temperament and philosophy and both cultures produced highly skillful and courageous fighters. In this scene, a Cherokee warrior and Highlander scout in advance of Grant's disastrous expedition against Fort Duquesne. Sadly, both cultures eventually crumbled beneath the oppressive weight of British expansion.

This brought to mind a very interesting book I'm reading titled simply 1491 by Charles C. Mann. (For a much better perspective on the subject of this post, I suggest following this link and reading the article.)

In it, Mann explains that the pre-Columbian Americas (as suggested by the title) were much more densely populated than previously thought. In fact, the Americas may have been more populous than Europe. It appears that disease decimated huge segments of native populations on first contact; the Inkas * by small pox, and in New England - then referred to as "Norumbega" by Europeans (the term "New England" dates to 1616) - by viral hepatitis spread by contaminated food.

He goes on to imply that had disease not been so effective at eliminating so much of the native populations almost instantly after contact with Europeans (English, French, Italian, Spanish, and Portuguese), there is very little likelihood that Europeans could have gained a foothold in the New World. "New England, the Europeans saw, was thickly settled and well defended. In 1605 and 1606 Samuel de Champlain visited Cape Cod, hoping to establish a French base. He abandoned the idea. Too many people already lived there."

When, however, about half of the population died off from disease, the existing native socio-cultural-political structure collapsed. Little wonder then that a relatively small colony of Pilgrims at Plymouth were able to effectively colonize a continent, or that Pizzaro and just 168 Conquistadors were able to defeat the Inka empire - then presiding over a huge coastal nation along the central west coast of South America (see map below) with a huge population, perhaps the largest city in the world (Cusco), and standing armies numbering well over one-hundred thousand.

These conquests had been attributed to superior technological achievements, especially in weaponry, and in the case of the Inkas, the use of horses by the Conquistadors. However, these conclusions were reached by historians who may have been a little too quick to dismiss the scale of both the number of native inhabitants at the time, and of their capabilities and achievements. Also, knowledge of some of the plagues that spread through native populations was not common.

In any event, if you're interested in a good read, pick up 1491 by Charles C. Mann. You won't regret it.


Tawantinsuyu, the land of the Inkas

*Inka is the romanized version of the name. Inca is the Spanish version.

Regards,
Scott Gilmore

[Tattoo Bradley]

Thanks for the review. I honestly am never much on Native American history. But, this is interesting. I'll be looking into this.

[LoftGuy]

Scott,

Very interesting post, indeed, and a number of additions to my reading list.

Bob

[MacWage]

I've heard very starkily different views on that book. Most seem favorable. The biggest problem is that it is by nature speculative, though as little as the author could manage. It is on my future reading list.


What strikes me in the whole matter is that vast number of diseases that are unique to a particular part of the world, yet have spread vastly through travel. The Americas has its share, but it was devastated by the ones brought by the explorers. the worst was small pox and hepititus, both of which are highly contagious and deadly. Nowadays, the home of deseases that threaten seems to be remote Africa, like Ebola.

Whatever "problems" 1491 has, it is great at noting the American natives the settlers met were shells of their former presence. It is like a foreign race had entered Europe right after the Black Death. Just imagine how they could have riden across Europe!

I wonder how much we can/should learn from the events between the explorers/settlers and those that already lived there.

Thanks for bringing it to our attention.

[Oatmeal Savage]

Oatmeal Savage (curious nick, no?), My father called me that when I was a lad.

Kevin

[Scott Gilmore]

I've heard very starkily different views on that book. Most seem favorable. The biggest problem is that it is by nature speculative, though as little as the author could manage. It is on my future reading list.

What strikes me in the whole matter is that vast number of diseases that are unique to a particular part of the world, yet have spread vastly through travel. The Americas has its share, but it was devastated by the ones brought by the explorers. the worst was small pox and hepititus, both of which are highly contagious and deadly. Nowadays, the home of deseases that threaten seems to be remote Africa, like Ebola.

Whatever "problems" 1491 has, it is great at noting the American natives the settlers met were shells of their former presence. It is like a foreign race had entered Europe right after the Black Death. Just imagine how they could have riden across Europe!

I wonder how much we can/should learn from the events between the explorers/settlers and those that already lived there.

Thanks for bringing it to our attention.

You are absolutely correct - and I don't think Mann would argue the point. His contentions are speculative (as are those of all historians who were not immediately present at the historical moment). What he might argue - and with some merit - is that other "modern" views of pre-Columbian events are also equally speculative. He might say that his speculations are - based on a broader base of sources and study - better speculation.

In a most illuminating passage, Mann states: "Smallpox not only killed Wayna Qhapaq, it killed his son and designated heir -- and his brother, uncle, and sister-wife. The main generals and much of the officer corps died, wrote the Inka chronicler Santacruz Pachacuti Yamqui Salcamayhua, 'all their faces covered with scabs.' So did the two regents left in Qosqo (Cuzco) by Wayna Qhapaq to administer the empire. After the dying Wayna Qhapaq locked himself away so that nobody could see his pustulous face, Salcamayhua reported, he was visited by a terrifying midnight vision. Surrounding him in his dream were 'millions upon millions of men.' The Inka asked who they were. 'Souls of the lost,' the multitude told him. All of them 'would die from the pestilence,' each and every one.

The story is probably apocryphal, but its importance isn't. Smallpox has an incubation period of about twelve days, during which time sufferers, who may not know they are sick, can infect anyone they meet. With its fine roads and great population movements, Tawantinsuyu was perfectly positioned for a major epidemic. Smallpox radiated throughout the empire like ink spreading through tissue paper. Millions of people simultaneously experienced its symptoms: high fever, vomiting, severe pain, oozing blisters everywhere on the body. (Emphasis mine) Unable to number the losses, the Jesuit Martin de Murúa said only that the toll was 'infinite thousands.'"

Were an equivalent catastrophe to occur in today's United States, approximately one-hundred and thirty million human beings would die a horribly painful death. That would most assuredly cause disruption to our ability to maintain a state, much less defend it from incursion. Half our government, army, police, civil servants and private sector work force would disappear within a fortnight and a half - a virtual blink of an eye. Poof!

The vulnerability of the Inkas is further clarified when it is understood that (according to the author) smallpox evolved from a cattle virus called cowpox, a now-extinct equine virus responsible for horsepox, or perhaps the camelpox virus, which affects camels, as the name suggests. People who survive the virus become immune to it (hence the vaccine). "In Europe, the virus was such a constant presence that most adults were immune. Because the Western hemisphere had no cows, horses, or camels, smallpox had no chance to evolve there. Indians had never been exposed to it -- they were 'virgin soil,' in epidemiological jargon. (Again, emphasis mine.)

... It is like a foreign race had entered Europe right after the Black Death. Just imagine how they could have riden across Europe!

You belie your cognitive skills, my friend. Mann himself states most tellingly in his narrative--borrowed from Alfred Crosby--, if "Genghis Khan had arrived with the Black Death, this book would not be written in a European language."

The upshot is that it is clear to me that the scale of events that lead to the domination of the Western Hemisphere by European-Americans is clearly the subject of fascinating and as-yet unsettled study. Personally, historical subjects that are still open to discussion interest me more intensely than "settled" historical issues. I apologize if my layman's enthusiasm spills over a bit abundantly into this forum, which deals only very peripherally with historical issues of this nature. I suppose this reflects my affection for the nature of the community that has developed here.

Regards,
Scott Gilmore

[Scott Gilmore]

Oatmeal Savage (curious nick, no?), My father called me that when I was a lad.

Kudos to Dad. I can just imagine the thrusting and flinging of oatmeal flecks and chunks hither and thither with great and energetic abandon. Good nick.

Regards,
Scott Gilmore

[Andrew Green]

Interesting. I have only scratched the article... but it seems like a good read. like others on here, I am also interested in aspects that we do not know. It's more fun to speculate sometimes.

[pdcorlis]

As always Scott, you've given us some interesting history to consider - THANKS!

[MacWage]

Scott,

I had not read the article yet (or book), but have read a number of reviews and talked to a few who had read it. It is definately interesting. In general, I try to hold judgement (pro or con) until I actually read it (or see it, for documentaries). The "specualtive" statement is from several of the reviews (by professional historians). I had not heard the Genghis Khan reference before, but have recognized the same point previously.

I too love reading about "unsettled" history, particularly King Arthur, Atlantis (Thera/Santorini), the Celtic Church and early Irish/Scottish history, MacBeth, and the many Biblical-related matters. Pre-Columbus Americas is more on the periphory of my interests, but "1491" intrigues me. By nature, the historical topics that have the most question marks (either by a marked lack of primary sources or enormous legends and myths layed above the actual history) leads to the most speculative history. I am always interested in what sources and arguements are used to make a point. Mann tries to limit the speculation, though eliminating it is impossible, especially for the topic. Cahill's "How the Irish Saved Civilization" suffers from the same problem, lack of primary sources (Cahill by the destruction of the Viking raids and Mann by the lack of readable native writings and the level of the disease induced destruction) and attempts to make up for that by archeology and other fields.

Thanks for bringing up the article!!