Scalping, Torture, Cannibalism and Rape: An Ethnohistorical Analysis of Conflicting Cultural Values in War
Abstract
All warfare involves rules which limit the violence inflicted upon the enemy. When combatants differ in culture, initially each side will observe its own set of rules. Conflict between Indians and Europeans in eastern North America is examined here. The Indian practice of scalping was soon adopted by Europeans. Both cultures had traditions of public torture, but Europeans never adopted the associated practice of cannibalism. Rape of females was found in European war; Indians did not rape. The failure of some practices of war to cross cultural boundaries allows each side to classify enemy behaviour as barbaric.
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