Bob’s deliv­ery of his given script, despite his reg­u­lar lapses into blood-curdling screams and ago­niz­ing groans, is so sim­i­lar to his own “real” con­ver­sa­tion, it is often hard to tell where one ends and the other begins.

cap­i­tal­iz­ing on the deaths of the accused and iron­i­cally rein­scrib­ing dev­il­ish afflic­tion back onto the his­tory of Salem, a his­tory that had been wiped clean of actual witch­craft by the cen­turies of cura­tive accounts of the type first launched by Robert Calef. But in some ways, the haunted houses sim­ply make explicit many of the tech­niques used by more “edu­ca­tional” sites to attract tourists and cap­i­tal­ize on Salem’s past.

attempts to strip away any lay­ers of enter­tain­ment sur­round­ing Salem’s witch­craft past, there are also sites in Salem that strip away all edu­ca­tional impulse

Hella and her friends in the Vil­lage were designed to thrill and scare tourists; one month a year, that’s just what they do. But the rest of the year, with very lit­tle alter­ation to the site, the Vil­lage claims to be an edu­ca­tional expe­ri­ence.

gift shop

didac­ti­cism

Thus, the gothic “revival” revives Salem’s mythic past — caught up as it is with tales of witches, vam­pires, and hor­ror — and not its his­tor­i­cal past

As opposed to being the actual cells, these repro­duced cells can only claim authen­tic­ity by way of copy­ing or com­par­ing; they gain their authen­tic­ity pre­cisely because they are like the orig­i­nals but not the orig­i­nals

Dun­geon takes even its most “orig­i­nal” object and places it securely into the land­scape of its own performance

the Salem tourist indus­try func­tions to con­struct alter­na­tive “orig­i­nals” that usurp the pri­mary source posi­tions and add cred­i­bil­ity to the deriv­a­tive tourist attrac­tions

part of a rep­re­sen­ta­tion of the past         rather than as the past itself.

The library seems to imply that their hold­ings will be pro­tected more by assur­ing that they are viewed by the appro­pri­ate peo­ple than by leg­is­lat­ing con­tact pre­cau­tions that would be taken by all patrons.

encour­age schol­arly research inter­ests

The items were prob­a­bly less than two feet from the desk atten­dant. The museum seems inten­tion­ally and actively to try to erase this col­lec­tion from the pub­lic view, even when the col­lec­tion itself is fully exposed

tourism sup­planted all indus­trial, mer­can­tile, and fish­ing busi­nesses as Salem’s num­ber one money-maker

natives

On the one hand, edu­ca­tional and high art muse­ums and sites bat­tle to de-emphasize Salem’s witch past, which gets marked as enter­tain­ing, tacky, and triv­ial. At the same time, how­ever, the city is witch crazy; tourists are obsessed with witches, the Wic­can com­mu­nity is thriv­ing, and witchcraft-related attrac­tions con­tinue to draw the great­est crowds in Salem

“Hang her!” one man shouted from the audi­ence at the end of the show.

not only the past, but also the very means by which we access — or rein­vent — this past

“alive,”

dynamic sys­tem in which “facts” are cre­ated by the inter­ac­tion between site, viewer, and a neb­u­lous char­ac­ter called “the past.”

actions and words of per­form­ers

But cutting off the Scalps of the Ten Wretches

he thought she was not Forbidden by any Law to take away the Life of the Murderers,

She heartened the Nurse, and the Youth, to assist her in this En- terprize; and all furnishing themselves with Hatchets for the purpose, they struck such Home Blows, upon the Heads of their Sleeping Oppressors

they dash'd out the Brains of the Infant

he arrived safe with them all

Hannah Dustan

Salvages

“It is good for me that I have been afflicted.”

One hour I have been in health, and wealthy, wanting nothing. But the next hour in sickness and wounds, and death, having nothing but sorrow and affliction.

squaw

My sister’s son was redeemed for four pounds

it

I was not before so much hemmed in with the merciless and cruel heathen, but now as much with pitiful, tender-hearted and compassionate Christians.

So I took my leave of them, and in coming along my heart melted into tears, more than all the while I was with them, and I was almost swallowed up with the thoughts that ever I should go home again. About the sun going down, Mr. Hoar, and myself, and the two Indians came to Lancaster,

He preserved Daniel in the lion’s den; or the three children in the fiery furnace. I may well say as his Psalm 107.12 “Oh give thanks unto the Lord for he is good, for his mercy endureth for ever.” Let the redeemed of the Lord say so, whom He hath redeemed from the hand of the enemy,

horses

f I went to another wigwam they would be angry

Hearing that my son was come to this place

which I did, for which he gave me a shilling

make a shirt for his boy

sucking a stinking tobacco-pipe.

And here I may take occasion to mention one principal ground of my setting forth these lines: even as the psalmist says, to declare the works of the Lord, and His wonderful power in carrying us along, preserving us in the wilderness, while under the enemy’s hand, and returning of us in safety again. And His goodness in bringing to my hand so many comfortable and suitable scriptures in my distress.

God did not give them courage or activity to go over after us. We were not ready for so great a mercy as victory and deliverance.

“When thou passeth through the waters I will be with thee, and through the rivers they shall not overflow thee” (Isaiah 43.2).

bier

I was glad of it, and asked him, whether he thought the Indians would let me read? He answered, yes.

emembered how careless I had been of God’s holy time; how many Sabbaths I had lost and misspent, and how evilly I had walked in God’s sight; which lay so close unto my spirit

Wenimesset

God

wound

Lord renewed my strength

inhumane creatures

Mary Rowlandson

those black creatures in the night, which made the place a lively resemblance of hell. And as miserable was the waste that was there made of horses, cattle, sheep, swine, calves, lambs, roasting pigs, and fowl (which they had plundered in the town), some roasting, some lying and burning, and some boiling to feed our merciless enemies

England until the ordinary time for shipping to set forth for these parts, and then returned

so full of humanity are these infidels before those Christians

set mine Host upon an Island

A conclusion was made and sentence given that mine Host should be sent to England a prisoner.

the enchanted Castle

worthies

Trojans

And because they answered they would not tell him

and they charged him, (because they would seem to have some reasonable cause against him to set a gloss upon their malice,) with criminal things

conspired together against mine host especially, (who was the owner of that Plantation) and made up a party against him

This harmeles mirth made by younge men, (that lived in hope to have wifes brought over to them, that would save them a labour to make a voyage to fetch any over,) was much distasted of the precise Separatists…

…

Plimmoth

A bifket cake given to one, that one breakes it equally into fo many parts

many commodities of our Nation, yet they keepe but fewe, and thofe of fpeciall ufe

Englishman ; and then he would be a good man.

And they are persuaded that Kytan is he that makes corn grow, trees grow, and all manner of fruits.

let in the sea upon them, and drowned the greater part of them

salvages

as Sir William Alexander has well observed

This mean and unrefinéd ore of mine Will make your glistening gold but more to shine.

Let poets and historians

And oh, ye high flownquills that soar the skies, And ever with your prey still catch your praise

Anne Bradstreet

Horrible [249] it is to mention, but ye truth of ye historie requires it.

Satane hath more power in these heathen lands, as som have thought, then in more Christian nations,

odomie and bugerie,

Rock christ Jesus

They have the same God, the same Christ, the same word; they only interprett it one way, wee another. This hath sometimes stuck with me, and more it would,

Have I not found that operation by it that no humane Invention can work upon the Soul?

concerning the verity of the Scriptures,

I have not found that constant Joy in my Pilgrim age

It pleased God

condition

carnall

I could not be at rest till by prayer I had confest it unto God. I was also troubled at the neglect of Private Dutyes, tho: too often tardy that way. I also found much comfort in reading the Scriptures, especially those places I thought most concerned my Condition, and as I grew to have more understanding, so the more solace I took in them.

Glory of God

Here sleeps T H E Queen, this is the royal bed O' th' Damask Rose, sprung from the white and red, Whose sweet perfume fills the all-filling air, This Rose is withered, once so lovely fair: On neither tree did grow such Rose before, The greater was our gain, our loss the more.

She rack't, she sack'd, she sunk his Armadoe

Spain

great Queen

Earth hath enough of what you will. Then let not go what thou maist find For things unknown only in mind."

The Flesh and the Spirit

sisters

I wash'd thy face, but more defects I saw, And rubbing off a spot, still made a flaw.

My rambling brat (in print) should mother call.

hey gave the prays therof to God, who had wrought so wonderfuly for them, thus to inclose their enimise in their hands, and give them so speedy a victory over so proud & insulting an enimie…

were stranegers and begane to overspred their countrie,

Morton they brought away to Plimoth, wher he was kepte, till a ship went from ye Ile of Shols for England, with which he was sente to ye Counsell of New-England

They som̅aned him to yeeld, but he kept his house, and they could gett nothing but scofes & scorns from him; but at length, fearing they would doe some violence to ye house, he and some of his crue came out, but not to yeeld, but to shoote

take him by force

joyntly to write to him, and in a freindly & neigborly

suppress Morton & his consortes before yey grewe to further head and strength.

before their collonies in these parts be over throwne by these barbarous savages, thus armed with their owne weapons, by these evill instruments, and traytors to their neigbors and cuntrie

or others, changed ye name of their place againe, and called it Mounte-Dagon.

This had very good success; for it made all hands very industrious, so as much more corne was planted then other waise would have bene by any means ye Govr or any other could use

civill body politick

a voyage to plant ye first colonie in ye Northerne parts of Virginia

ye first foundation of their govermente in this place; occasioned partly by ye discontented & mutinous speeches that some of the strangers amongst them had let fall from them in ye ship—That when they came a shore they would use their owne libertie; for none had power to com̅and them,

brethren at Leyden

hey had now no freinds to wellcome them, nor inns to entertaine or refresh their weatherbeaten bodys, no houses or much less townes to repaire too, to seeke for succoure.

God

Cape Cod

they

hey thus lay at hull

just hand of God upon him.

Cape Cod

I must begine at ye very roote & rise of ye same. The which I shall endevor to manefest in a plaine stile, with singuler regard unto ye simple trueth in all things, at least as near as my slender judgmente can attaine the same.

wanted all the young girls to be brought to him when they were about thirteen or fourteen years old. They had to live with the priest. He told the people they would become better women if they lived with him for about three years.

Now during this time the men would go out pretending they were going on a hunting trip and they would go to some hiding place, to make their prayer offerings.

He called it idol worship and burned up all the ceremonial things in the plaza.

slaves

Shung-opovi, passing Walpi

BUILT A MISSION

What grieved us most were the dreadful flames from the church and the scoffing and ridicule which the wretched and miserable Indian rebels made of the sacred things

above all we suffered from thirst, as we were already oppressed by it

Francisco

spoke

to the effect that he and the rest of his followers were Catholic Christians, asking how they expected to live without the religious; and said that even though they had committed so many atrocities, still there was a remedy, for if they would return to obedience to his Majesty they would be pardoned;

two banners

fourteen or fifteen soldiers, along with all the families of the inhabitants of that valley,

estancias

on the road the certain notice of the deaths of the religious who were in that convent, and of the alcalde mayor, some other guards, and six more Spaniards whom they captured on that road

Spaniards and natives

miserable kingdom

plot for a general uprising of the Christian Indians

His divine Majesty having thus permitted it because of my grievous sins.

Church

rest to the Christians

without daring to have houses or till the earth for fear of Christians. The sight was one of infinite pain to us

When they dispute and quarrel in their towns, they strike each other with the fists, fighting until ex- hausted, and then separate.

Christians

There we made fire, parched some of the maize we brought, and found rain water.

not a single one who went, having a know- ledge of navigation.

In the boat of the Governor went forty-nine men ; in another,

the greater part being ill, and those were few who could be on duty

considering the power and skill with which the Indians are able to project them.

for when we wished to fight them they retired immedi- ately into the lake, whence they continued to wound our men and beasts.

On reaching the middle of it we were attacked by many Indians from behind trees,

king for their women and children, whom we re- leased ; but the detention of a cacique by the Governor produced great excitement, in consequence of which they returned for battle early the next day,

for some persons difficult to believe, nevertheless they may without hesitation credit me as strictly faithful

as I have said, from this country being the most elevated in the world and the nearest to the sky

Ptolemy and the others who have written on the globe had no information respecting this part of the world, which was then unexplored

I have now seen so much irregularity

diversity

I named it Isabela

I endeavored to purchase it of them in order to ascertain what sort of money it was but they refused to part with it

Indians

more decent, the women wearing a slight covering of cotton over the nudities.

I set sail in that direction

as your Highnesses will see by those seven which I have ordered to be taken and carried to Spain in order to learn our language and return, unless your Highnesses should choose to have them all transported to Castile, or held captive in the island

Come and see the men who have come from heavens. Bring them victuals and drink.

This traffic I forbade, and suffered no one to take their cotton from them

I was very attentive to them, and strove to learn if they had any gold

ingenious, and would be good servants

signs

Presently they descried people, naked

representing the profits they were about to acquire

1 October

gave five hundred and eighty-four, but the true one which he kept to himself was seven hundred and seven leagues.

“the rising of the sea was very favorable to me, as it happened formerly to Moses when he led the Jews from Egypt.

“where I hope that high God in whose hand is all victory will speedily direct us to land.”

Admiral

1492

Your Highnesses, as Catholic Christians, and princes who love and promote the holy Christian faith, and are enemies of the doctrine of Mahomet, and of all idolatry and heresy

He sent for Glooskap, who replied, “I do not want to see your king. I came to this country to have my mother baptized as a Catholic.”

“Whenever you wish to kill anything, though it were half a mile off, point this stick at it.” She pointed it at the deer; it fell dead.

The assembly then began to devise and name various diseases, one after another, and had not their invention finally failed them not one of the human race would have been able to survive

votes

Thus it is that snake and fish dreams are accounted for.

We can also trace some ideas of the mystery of the Incarnation of the Son of God in the womb of the Blessed Virgin Mary, mixed with fables, superstitions, and pagan errors.

It will be seen that this feeble, impotent conclusion utterly spoils the manifest meaning of the whole legend.

Nothing is so contemptible in Indian eyes as a want of dignity and idle, loquacious teasing; therefore it is made in the myth the sin which destroyed their race.

And since that day the Indians, who should have been great, have become a little people.

Ye

followers of this medicine

Winnebago

To God living up above, our Father,

younger members who have been strongly permeated with Christian teachings

baptism

parts of the Bible

may well be among the first manifestations of a new era in Native American literary expression

It may misleadingly appear, like much oral literature when transcribed, simple and straightforward; the non-Kiowa reader who approaches this work in isolation will, unfortunately, miss much of its depth and hence most if its real beauty and signifi- cance.

Abel is not "every Indian"-or maybe even "anylndian."