Savagery and the American Indian
First of a two-part programme. Wilderness
Historians and archaeologists have started to reassess some of the ingrained myths of American history. It is now clear that the image of the Indian as a simple savage is completely inaccurate.
American Indians lived in sophisticated societies and many more died as a result of the European settlement of North America than has so far been imagined. In less than 400 years the native population had fallen from a combination of disease, alcohol, starvation and murder, from more than five million to less than 250,000. Andrew Sachs narrates the story of how Puritan prejudices helped to generate false views of Indians.
Producer Ken Kirby
Series editor Roy Davies (Part 2 next week)
* DOCUMENTARY: page 8 : PICTURE STORY: page 69