The True Story: Held Captive

Mary Rowlandson was captured by Indians and then later returned to her family. What happened to other people who were captured by Indians? Were they also released or were they killed?

                Many Native American tribes captured women and children as a way to increase their numbers after losing tribe members to warfare or disease. The prisoners were given to families that had lost relatives in the war, and the families could do with the prisoners as they wished by either adopting them into the family or killing them. Unless they had just found out that their family member was dead or they were especially bitter about the killing, most Indians adopted the prisoners (http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/WWscalping.htm).  

                Some Indians, however, had been abused when white people took their land and stole their horses.  These vindictive Indians would kill and scalp some colonists that they happened upon, even if those particular colonists had not hurt those Indians. One member of the Cheyenne tribe had 1,000 scalps that he liked to show off (http://www.academicamerican.com/recongildedage/topics/indian.html).

                Many colonists were scared of being scalped, but in reality, scalping was not as common as people believed. It was not until the French and Indian War that scalping became more common. During the French and Indian War, French military leaders claimed that they would pay money for scalps of the British. Some colonists who had been captured were scalped because the Indians wanted this money (http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/WWscalping.htm).

                Other white people, like Mary Rowlandson were taken captive to be sold back for ransom. Some women were also held for sexual favors. Often, when women were rescued, they were not rescued by members of their own community but by various white communities that happened to be in the area or passing by (http://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/bxi01). More often than not, the Indians treated women kindly and really liked children (http://www.academicamerican.com/recongildedage/topics/indian.html).

                The children who were captured often did not want to return to their previous life and wanted to stay with the Indians because they liked this new life so much. They were assimilated into Indian culture and often married Indian chiefs and warriors when they grew up (http://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/bxi01).

                Many people believed that Indians were savage and brutal, but this was grossly over exaggerated.  Yes, some Indians cold heartedly killed white people that did not deserve it, but as a whole, most Indians treated their captives with kindness or as part of the family. One must remember that the Indians were living peacefully until settlers came and took their land and killed their people instead of taking unclaimed land or asking for help and claiming neutrality.

For more information on Native American stereotypes see this video: