How Personal Background Affected the Treatment of Captives

by Matthew Tiszenkel

Throughout early American history many Europeans were held captive by Native people

for various reasons. Oftentimes, these captures were the result of a conflict between the

Natives and Europeans over land rights or poor treatment of the Native people by Europeans.

Interestingly, not all captives shared the same experience. Some were treated with respect and

found their place in Native society, while others were tortured and treated worse than animals.

For instance, Alvar Nuez Cabeza de Vaca, Father Isaac Jogues, S.J., and Mary Rowlandson were

all held captive by Natives during 16th and 17th centuries, but the three had very different

accounts of their treatment by their captors. While it is difficult to pinpoint exactly why there

was such a disparity between the different reports of European captives, it is safe to assume

that their personal background played a substantial role in how they were treated and

impacted their ability to integrate into Indian society.

Timing was clearly a big factor in understanding why some Europeans were treated with

hostility while others were met with some kindness. Cabeza de Vaca, a Spanish sailor, landed in

Tampa Bay in April 1528. While he was immediately met with hostility from Native people, this

was still fairly early in the relationship between Indians and Europeans. Thus, there was not

likely a preexisting history of disdain toward Europeans and European culture by the Native

people. While in captivity, Cabeza de Vaca was able to win some trust from the Native people

by incorporating his own religion and rituals into the Native rituals for healing (Pg. 34, Para. 3).

Had Cabeza de Vaca ended up in captivity much later, after the Native people grew a hatred for

Europeans, it is probable that they never would have tried to incorporate him into their
community. Thus, he never would have been afforded the opportunity to prove his usefulness.

Sadly, this was the case for Father Isaac Jogues, a French Catholic missionary in Canada. Jogues

was taken captive by the Mohawks while traveling with a group of Indian converts. Jogues

account does not clearly state why the Mohawks captured him but timing must have been an

element. It is likely that the Mohawks were at war with the Huron Indians because Jogues

states that at the time of their capture there were, three Hurons killed on the spot (Pg. 36,

Para. 2). Additionally, he states that they met two hundred Hiroquois, who were coming in

pursuit of the French and Savages, our allies (Pg. 37, Para. 1). This illustrates that the timing of

his capture was very unfortunate as he was captured by people who were at war with his

people, the French, and their Native allies. Lastly, in the case of Mary Rowlandson, a Puritan

woman captured by Native Americans during King Philips war, timing was everything. Initially,

she was treated poorly, being told they would break her face if she refused to work on the

Sabbath (Pg. 41, Para. 1). Clearly, she fell subject to timing as these Indians were at war with

her people and thus had a personal involvement in her mistreatment. Toward the end of her

captivity, when the Indians were negotiating the terms of Rowlandsons release, they started to

treat her better. Rowlandson recounted, The Squaw laid a Mat under me and a good Rugg

over me; the first time I had any such kindness shewed me. I understood that Wettimore

thought that if she should let me go and serve with the old Squaw, she would be in danger to

lose not only my service but the redemption-pay also (Pg. 41, Para. 2). Evidently, the Indians

wanted to treat her well towards the end of her captivity so they would be paid the ransom for

her return. Additionally, there was probably hope that if they treated her well, it could help

avoid continued conflict with her people after she told them about her time in captivity.
Through the stories of Cabeza de Vaca, Jogues, and Rowlandson, it is made very clear that

timing had much to do with how someone with their respective backgrounds was treated by

their Native captors.

Presentation is another important component of ones background and plays a very

large part in how people interact with and perceive each other. This was very much the case for

Europeans held captive by Native people. Cabeza de Vaca, for example, was a successful

Spanish explorer. It is likely that he was a confident, educated and strong man. Yet, he managed

to convey to his captors that he was not a threat to them. They could have killed him or cast

him away but they determined that he could be of use to them as a healer, without

examination or inquiring for diplomas (Pg. 33. Para. 3). Initially, Cabeza de Vaca ridiculed the

Native medical process but in realizing they would punish him for disobeying their traditions, he

knew he had to try. Cabeza de Vaca stated, Our method was to bless the sick, breathing upon

them, and recite a Pater-noster and an Ave-Maria, praying with all earnestness to God our Lord

that He would give health and influence them to make us some good return (Pg. 34. Para. 3).

Fortunately, his prayers were answered and his patients tended to heal quickly which greatly

improved his credibility with the Native people. One could argue that this was sheer luck but,

had he presented himself differently, there is a good chance he would have been considered a

threat to or useless to his captors. Luckily, through his role as a healer, Cabeza de Vaca was able

to earn the respect of many Natives and integrate, to a certain degree, into their society. Father

Jogues, however, did not have quite the same fortune. As a Jesuit missionary, Jogues had to

take vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience. Thus, he probably presented as weak to his

captors. Additionally, many Indians at this time did not like Christian missionaries as they
regarded their European practices as evil or magic which certainly did not help Jogues case.

Jogues recalls the Natives making him march last when they beat their captives so he might be

more exposed to their rage (Pg. 37, Para 2). Additionally, when Jogues arrived at their village,

they gave him a thousand and one insults (Pg. 37, Para. 3). Clearly, they were targeting him

more so than the other captives. Maybe this targeting was because he was not Native or maybe

because of his career as a missionary. Either way, this was noticeably related to how he

presented himself to his captors in comparison to the other captives. Furthermore, Mary

Rowlandson had a different experience with her captors than Cabeza de Vaca and Jogues that

can be attributed to her unique presentation. Unlike the other two, Rowlandson was a woman.

This physical attribute may have been advantageous as they took her captive instead of killing

her. In contrast, they killed Rowlandsons brother in law and her nephew in front of her(Pg. 40,

Para. 1). Additionally, the tasks that were assigned to her in captivity like knitting were probably

largely based on the Native perception of what women were useful for. Finally, while they

threatened her with a beating when she tried to refuse to work on the Sabbath, she did not

mention ever being directly abused physically which probably had a lot to do with her gender.

Certainly, while one may prefer not to admit it, presentation and appearance has a lot to do

with how people are treated and this shows quite a bit in these three very different accounts of

European captives.

In conclusion, the personal backgrounds of Alvar Nuez Cabeza de Vaca, Father Isaac

Jogues, S.J., and Mary Rowlandson undoubtedly had a large impact on their treatment by their

captors. The timing of their captivity was critical as hostages taken at war time are going to be

treated differently than hostages taken in times of relative peace. Furthermore, the
presentation of the captives played a large role as gender, wealth, intelligence and stature all

influence how people are perceived by and act toward one another. While these three accounts

are a great start, it would be exciting to compare them with a wider range of captives

narratives in the future.