Just A Few Thoughts From Abenaki Country
By Mike Plant, Roger & Tory Longtoe
The following essay was originally printed online forum called Frontier Folks. It was in response to people doing
Native Re-enacting and Living History and queries as to why Native Interpreters and Re-enactors don’t have the
“Historical Native Look.”
A few of us have been lurking, and been flushed out by these thoughts
Many good things have been said, but we have some concerns...
First is the expectation of appearance:
Historical Accounts:
Living History Today:
© 2006 Elnu Abenaki Tribe
By Mike Plant, Roger & Tory Longtoe
The following essay was originally printed online forum called Frontier Folks. It was in response to people doing
Native Re-enacting and Living History and queries as to why Native Interpreters and Re-enactors don’t have the
“Historical Native Look.”
A few of us have been lurking, and been flushed out by these thoughts
Many good things have been said, but we have some concerns...
First is the expectation of appearance:
- A quarter of the worlds population has the look - Jim Northrup (Anishnaabe), in his column 'Fond-du-lac follies'
describes being mistaken for a local in many countries he has visited.
- 'The Look' is not an assurance of ancestry - Many Western Abenakis, Lorette Hurons and Akwesasne Mohawks
accepted by their people do not have the 'Robert Griffing Look' - no insult is meant, this is the result of a
population that is one of the fastest marrying out, and after 400 years, may have the traditions, but not the
expected look - we are not the people our ancestors were 400 years ago.
- Look through a copy of 'Akwesasne Times', Modern Indians pictured appear anywhere from straight off the boat
at Ellis Island, to straight off the set of 'Dances With Wolves'. The same can be said about Odanak and the
Narragansett communities in Rhode Island
- Ever since the release of 'Last of the Mohicans' and the Ohio woodland Conferences, there has been a drive
toward the perfect 'Magua' look. Are we returning to stereotypes we have tried so hard to dislodge? Period
accounts often ignored because they do not represent 'The Ideal' and describe a great variance in color.
Historical Accounts:
- Peter Kalm, 1750,1751 - Almost all the Indians have straight black hair, However, I have met with a few whose
hair is quite curly. But it is to be observed that it is difficult to judge the true complexion of the Canada Indian,
their blood being mixed with the European, either by the adopted prisoners of both sexes, or by the Frenchmen
who travel in the country often contribute their share towards the increase if the Indian families, to which the
women, it is said, have no serious objection.
- Cadillac, on the Miami, "They are not as swarthy as the others, and if they did not grease themselves, would be
whiter then the French"
- Pouchot, on the late war in North America, pg 439 - "their skin is normally copper colored though they usually
seem darker then that because they are brought up naked & because of their habit of rubbing grease, clay or
brown dye into their skin"...."There are certain nations in the area of the Chaouanons who have a lighter skin;
some of them are even as fair as Germans. that is very rare, however"
- Isaac Weld, "Travels through the states of North America", pg 224 - "In general their skin is of a copper cast; but
a most wonderful difference of colour is observable amongst them: some in whose veins there is no reason to
think that any other then Indian blood flows, not having dark complexions then natives of the south of France or
Spain, whilst others, on the contrary, are nearly as black as negros"
- William Biggs, "Narrative of the captivity among the Kikapoo Indians", pg 27 - "She was a very handsome girl
about 18 years of age, a beautiful full figure and handsome featured, and very white for a squaw. She was
almost as white as dark complexioned white women generally are. Her father and mother were very white
skinned Indians."
- Journal of captain John Knox, 1757, "The old garrison embarked to-day for Halifax, and with them two Indian
captives, a brother and sister, who passed by the names of Claire and Anselm Thomas; they are of the Mic-mac
nation; she is comely and not disagreeable; her complexion was not so fair as the British, nor yet so dark as the
French in general are"
- Andrian Van Der Donck, 1641 - "We see some of them with fine skin and they are mostly born with good
complexions, otherwise they have a yellowish color like the tartans or heathen we see in Holland, or like the
outlanders, who keep in the fields and go uncovered as they do"... "Although the yellowness of the skin of the
skin appears more or less on all this race, still we find many fair men and women among them"
- Many coastal New England Indians, including Wampanoags, Nipmucs, Narragansetts, Pequots, Shinnacocks,
Lumbees, Scatacooks and Ramapoes have African and European traits.
- Period portraits often back this as well, Joseph Brant is pictured as light skinned, with reddish hair visible under
his Gustawah, and Corn Planter is pictured as light skinned as well. His father was white.
Living History Today:
- Is there is an expectation of hair dye, colored contact lenses and skin darkening? Try telling a Wampanoag
applicant to Plimouth he was rejected over a Hopi as an Interpreter because he 'didn't’t have the right look'
Should a modern Indian interpreter be denied an opportunity to explain his appearance as well?
- Natives portraying their own ancestors seem to be a rarity in the Ohio Valley; This is not so much the case in the
northeast.
- 250 years ago, an individual would not have been shunned because of light skin, hair or blue eyes, they would
have fit in as best as they could through dress and adornment, why does it make a difference now?
- Then there is the 'R' word...
- European culture went out of its way to separate religion to its own time and place, Native culture was not so
regimented.
- This is not talking about doing private ceremony at public events, rather that there is often meaning behind
patterns and procedures, and even a simple greeting often translates to 'god bless' or other recognition of the
spirit of a person.
- Material culture types often avoid having to deal with the fact many accoutrement patterns and body adornment
has religious significance as well as tribal identity.
- Many non-natives focusing on the material culture are feeling threatened
- And then there is the word 're-enactor' - Many natives view this as a red flag for a 'wannabe' or other non-
native. Convincing other abenakis on this has been an uphill battle, but we have been making progress.
© 2006 Elnu Abenaki Tribe
| Joseph Brant Mohawk Chief painted by Gilbert Stuart in 1786 |
| Cornplanter Seneca Chief Portrait by F. Bartoli, 1796 This painting is part of the Henry Luce III Collection at the New York Historical Society |
ELNU Abenaki |
