CHAPTER 1: The First Warriors Ritual Acts Of Retribution
Judicial torture at a 16th century Inquisition tribunal (Click
image to enlarge) Although, among some Amerindian peoples,
simply "touching" one's enemies without killing them was
sufficient to prove a combatant's courage, one of the main
objectives of war was to capture warriors from other camps and
bring them back alive. The captives knew what awaited them and
stoically bore their torments, sometimes for several days.
Torture was considered by most Amerindian societies to be a
ritual act of retribution, and as such, was utterly beyond the
comprehension of seventeenth-century Englishmen and Frenchmen.
The torture of their captives by Amerindians has been the
subject of countless tales for 500 years - tales that are
usually unbearable to read due to their outstanding cruelty. Did
not the Iroquois and Sioux go so far as to crucify captive
children? Once again, distinctions have to be made. Even among
the Iroquois, where ritual torture was most widespread,