Feb 25, 1898 - The Origin of Scalping (Not really... but it's this woman's theory)
At the annual meeting of the Folk Lore society Miss Alice C Fletcher gave an interesting contribution in a paper entitled "The Significance of the Scalp Lock; a Study of the Omaha Tribe."The Omaha Indians, like many other tribes, have peculiar ideas regarding a continuity of life and a kind of spiritual link between animate and inanimate objects. They believe a piece of any article connects them with the entirety. The hair is thought to have a close connection with life, and one possessing it may work his will upon whoever or whatever the hair belonged to. From this idea came the custom of scalping enemies -- Boston Transcript
1898 Feb 25, The Paducah Evening Sun |
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