Culture Conflicts & The Muskrat StoryThe Muskrat StoryAugust 1997 |
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Research by Nancy Lecompte - "Canyon Wolf"
There are two people from the past who have written a great deal about the Androscoggin Abenaki. There are many others who have written articles for the local papers and a few who researched a particular event or person. We are indebted to all those ancient writers who recorded first hand stories and local legends which would be lost to us today, if not for their efforts. However, these same people often mislead us, a few have misquoted source documents, and many have crafted fantasy from fiction. It is a challenge to weed this garden and harvest the fruit. The first man to write about the Androscoggin Abenaki was Dr. Nathaniel Tuckerman True (1812-1887) of Bethel. He wrote a great many articles which were published in local papers during the 1850's & 60's. I share common ancestry with Mr. True. Our True ancestor came to No. Yarmouth in the 1750's, but many neighbors had family there in 1675 when the Indian war's began. North Yarmouth was an early English settlement raided many times by the Abenaki. Growing up in that place, Mr. True probably heard stories about the raids by the "savage Abenaki". His writing was shaped by this home town history and his Christian upbringing. The second man was Charles M. Starbird (1898-1969). Mr. Starbird wrote a book published in 1928 titled "The Indians of the Androscoggin Valley" and an unpublished manuscript about the Kennebec Indians. At times he seems to have a grasp on Indain reality, but then he adds a personal comment that shows he really doesn't have a clue. He misquotes (or rewrites?) historical materials at will. And yet, Abenaki descendants should read his material. He shows us the reality of the world our Abenaki grandparents and great-grandparents faced. By reading Starbird and True, we can begin to understand why our ancestors hid their identity. And we can begin the process of forgiving them. Social attitudes and historical backgrounds will always color a person's writing. And popular writers will always color the public's view of other people and events. As an example, I give you a simple story told by Mr. True and repeated by many others. Mr. True used this story in 1864 to demonstrate that Indians were beggars and thiefs with no social manners. Mr. True writes;"...an article once in their possession, it did not concern them how it was obtained. They understood nothing of borrowing, but took whatever tools or other articles they wanted for their present use. A party of Anasagunticooks once came down the Androscoggin and finding a muskrat den on the shore proceeded to the home on one of the early settlers, took his hoes without permission and dug out the animals, and then returned the implements without a word of apology."This simple story shows me that Mr. True was not able to see any reality except his own. I hope my readers are open minded enough to view a wider picture. The reality of this story just depends on your perspective. The idea of using an available tool to solve a current need is perfectly acceptable in Native culture. There is no need to be concerned about ownership. Tools are a gift from The Creator to assist people in their work, to be used and shared, not to be hoarded by one. It was not sensible to dig the muskrats by hand when perfectly good tools for the job were readily available. The settler was not using the tools at the time, therefore, he had no current need of them. Why shouldn't they use the tools and why should they apologize for being smart. Mr. True considered this event a theft - but he states that the tools were returned - where's the problem? It's an age old problem that continues today. People are afraid of things that are different or foreign to their way of thinking. Instead of trying to understand why something is different, we try to justify our fear by turning the object of that fear into something evil. We must teach our children that different it not bad - just different !!! We don't have to agree but we do need to respect everyone's right to view the world in their own way. Personally, I feel that a piece of this story is missing. The Indians probably left the settler a gift. I'll bet he had a muskrat for his next meal! ... and he probably didn't even thank them! If you want to understand history, please, learn about the writer, learn about the environment that the writer lived in, read original source materials whenever possible, read between the lines, and form your own opinions. This applies to any type of research you are doing. This also applies to my writing! I should be criticized. I seldom site my source materials. I do add personal comments. I do have personal motivations and my own reality!
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