katie wrote:
> an interesting article:
>
> http://www.ivu.org/history/native_americans.html

It's also misleading. I'm part Comanche (Penateka, which means "honey eater").
The article says Comanches didn't start living nomadic lifestyles until
Europeans arrived. This isn't true. Comanches had been roaming southward long
before Europeans arrived. Comanches were nomadic Shoshone tribes ("bands" is
more appropriate).

The article also says Comanches and others didn't hunt much before Europeans
arrived. This, too, is untrue. The role of the bison in Plains Indian life was
significant, particularly among nomadic tribes. Hunting and gathering was a very
large part of Indian life, especially among nomadic tribes like Comanches. It's
hard to be a nomad and also have a garden.

Finally, the article mentions Squanto. He taught the Pilgrims to plant corn by
using fish as fertilizer. Squanto was no vegetarian. The Pilgrims' first
Thanksgiving was not a vegetarian feast, either, as some morons suggest. Here
are the two contemporary sources existant. First, Edward Winslow's note dated
December 12, 1621:

Our corn [i.e., wheat] did prove well, and God be praised, we
had a good increase of Indian corn, and our barley indifferent
good, but our peas not worth the gathering, for we feared they
were too late sown. They came up very well, and blossomed, but
the sun parched them in the blossom. Our harvest being gotten
in, our governor sent four men on fowling, that so we might
after a special manner rejoice together after we had gathered
the fruit of our labors. They four in one day killed as much
fowl as, with a little help beside, served the company almost a
week. At which time, amongst other recreations, we exercised our
arms, many of the Indians coming amongst us, and among the rest
their greatest king Massasoit, with some ninety men, whom for
three days we entertained and feasted, and they went out and
killed five deer, which they brought to the plantation and
bestowed on our governor, and upon the captain and others. And
although it be not always so plentiful as it was at this time
with us, yet by the goodness of God, we are so far from want
that we often wish you partakers of our plenty.

The second is from William Bradford's History of Plymouth Plantation.
They began now to gather in the small harvest they had, and to
fit up their houses and dwellings against winter, being all well
recovered in health and strength and had all things in good
plenty. For as some were thus employed in affairs abroad,
others were exercising in fishing, about cod and bass and other
fish, of which they took good store, of which every family had
their portion. All the summer there was no want; and now began
to come in store of fowl, as winter approached, of which this
place did abound when they came first (but afterward decreased
by degrees). And besides waterfowl there was great store of
wild turkeys, of which they took many, besides venison, etc.
Besides they had about a peck of meal a week to a person, or now
since harvest, Indian corn to that proportion. Which made many
afterwards write so largely of their plenty here to their
friends in England, which were not feigned but true reports.

Note that the meat items were fowl (ducks and geese), wild turkey, five deer,
and fish (bass and cod). Note also some of the vegetables (peas) weren't even
gathered.

Stop revising history and start accepting the truth. The truth may hurt, but
never as much as lies.