mary rowlandson

What was it like to be held in captivity by the Native Americans?

http://his-story.tumblr.com/

In all wars, there are people who are captured and are tortured, held at ransom, and interrogated. For example, when United States service men and women are captured in war, they are beaten, asked for information in some imaginable ways, and are used for ransom's. When looking at this, made me think of how did the Native Americans treat the people they were holding captive. Some people argue that the Native Americans were savages, and some argue that they were peaceful people. The following is going to include how the Native Americans treated their captives good, how they treated them bad, and my overall feeling of the information.

In some account of people being captured by Native Americans, the women captured didn't want to leave.  At first they were scared and out casted in the society, but once they got a little comfortable, they wanted to stay. They weren't beaten or anything of that nature. They were just in the wrong place at the wrong time and got captured. They liked the living style that the Native Americans lived. They helped out the tribe by preparing meals, getting water from rivers, and even making clothes. They took time to have relationships with the Native Americans and even learned the language of that specific tribe.

http://litstudies.wordpress.com/category/literary-analysis/page/2/

In other accounts, they were not treated as well. Since the native Americans were angry, and felt their land was being invaded when the Puritans and Pilgrims just wanted to start a new life on an new free land the Native Americans were protective of what they thought was theirs and they took many white men, women, and children captive as they traveled throughout the land. The Native Americans killed innocent white men, women, and children and forced them to live under the force and control of their own kind. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G6Mq2tA5UMc

Many white people throughout this struggle, like Mary Rowlandson, relied heavily and completely on God. They often felt as if they were living in hell and the only way to survival was the guidance and faith in the Lord. The Native Americans traveled even throughout the cold and miserable nights forcing the Puritans to eat, sleep, and live in what was a very miserable and uncomfortable living situation. The Puritans, especially women and children, became very sick and often died. Most Native Americans didn't care about the Puritans health or lives and didn't stop their travel for food and their goals. Most Puritans refused to think about their lives after captivity because they couldn't fathom to accept their families were destroyed, dead and future lives were shattered. They prayed for freedom but feared their future. 

In conclusion, these two examples show how different Native Americans responded differently to the Puritans living on their land. History proves that certain people handle certain situations differently and not all history books are accurate. We know that Puritan people treated the Native American's poorly as they beat, killed, and stole land that wasn't theirs. Now after reading Mary Rowlandson's captivity letters we know how the Native American's also acted in violent ways angrily and aggressively responding to the Puritan's settlements.