Cultural background Treatment applied to European captives taken in wars or raids in North America varied according to the culture of each tribe. Before
European colonization, the
indigenous peoples of the Americas had developed customs for dealing with captives. Depending on the region, captives could either be killed, tortured, kept alive and assimilated into the tribe, or enslaved. When indigenous tribes came into contact with European settlers, they applied longstanding customary traditions for dealing with indigenous captives to the
white colonists. Conflicts between indigenous tribes and European settlers resulted in captives being taken on both sides; while the
westward expansion of the United States and subsequent conflicts with Native Americans also resulted in many white and Indian captives being taken.
Captivity narratives were often written by
European-Americans and
European-Canadians who were ransomed or escaped from captivity.
King Philip's War In
King Philip's War, a three-year conflict between indigenous peoples of New England and New England colonists, captured
Native Americans were frequently sold into slavery in the
West Indies by the colonists. Many
friendly Native Americans were enslaved and sent to the West Indies as well.
Cultural differences Contrary to depictions in media, the Indigenous people of North America did not generally torture captives to death ritualistically; in fact, according to American historian and anthropologist
Frederick Webb Hodge not only was human sacrifice rarer in North America than in the rest of the world, even the ritualistic sacrifice of animals was infrequent: In contrast to the Eastern Woodlands tribes, peoples of the Northwest Coast (encompassing the coastal regions of Oregon, Washington,
British Columbia, and southeastern
Alaska), enslaved war captives. Slaves were traded and were a valuable commodity. More importantly, enslaved captives were given as gifts during a
potlatch ceremony to enhance the prestige of the gift giver. Some scholars believe that slaves performed major economic roles in this region and comprised a permanent social class and a significant proportion of the population, though this has proved to be controversial.
Pontiac's War Henry Bouquet set out from Fort Pitt on October 3, 1764, with 1,150 men during the chaos of
Pontiac's War. After that, treaties were negotiated at
Fort Niagara and
Fort Detroit; the Ohio Natives were isolated and, with some exceptions, ready to make peace. In a council which began on 17 October, Bouquet demanded that the Ohio Natives return all captives, including those not yet returned from the
French and Indian War.
Guyasuta and other leaders reluctantly handed over more than 200 captives, many of whom had been adopted into Native families. Because not all of the captives were present that day, the Natives were compelled to surrender hostages as a guarantee that the other captives would be returned. The Ohio Natives agreed to attend a more formal peace conference with
William Johnson, the Superintendent of Indian Affairs, which was finalized in July 1765. == See also ==