I won’t count myself as an expert, so feel free to skip this post if it isn’t helpful. My background is in U.S. history. I can’t speak to Canadian or British documentation.

Oral history and written history are two different matters and people will weigh them differently. I have not read Mr. Swankey’s work, but I would want to know more about what kind of “vetting” the Haida did before I can judge the impartiality of the work. (Edit to add, if you want to talk about the issues with oral history, my family’s oral history describes tribal members removing blankets from the graves of people who had passed from illness. This would be post-civil war northern plains. When I worked in collaboration with Crow staff from the Little bighorn site, I was informed that blankets were a status symbol and all us women had to wear them for a special event. I remember this because it was 90F out and I was ready to strangle the chief of interpretation with said blanket. But if this is true, then it could be interpolated that blankets–in this area–were valuable enough both practically and socially that some people would have enough motivation to take them in that manner. However, an entire narrative can not be written solely from such stories. Rather they should be small pieces of the bigger picture, supported or refuted by multiple sources.)

According to a U.S. history professor I worked with who was trying to trace primary sources for this aspect of history on the U.S. side, he believed this claim originated from a passing mention in a letter written by a British officer (I’m sorry, it was so long ago I can’t remember the officer’s name and date of the letter, and I don’t want to dox my coworker since his professional opinion may be unpopular).

He had been unable to find any further follow up in the written record, specifically in relation to any official U.S. government policy or general implementation of such a strategy. This was some years ago so I am unaware if his research produced any more primary sources. Thus far the letter he read has been the only direct primary source I’ve seen in it’s entirety. Like you, I have come up short when trying to locate documentation. The Wikipedia (yes, I know) page for smallpox lists several sources under the “biological warfare” section related to what is written there and it could be interesting to look into those publications.

I also have had questions about how people understood disease at this time, and how would they determine the unlucky guy who would get to “gift” infected goods and potentially be infected himself. I have to wonder how this was supposed to work logistically based on their (lack of) understanding of viruses. Maybe I’m over complicating this, but I would not be eager to mess around with anything from a smallpox victim any more than necessary.

This is a difficult subject to examine though and find the actual facts, both because of how long ago this was, and because of the emotional aspect. I still remember a (different) professor I had in college when I was studying for my bachelor’s in history who was giddy about how many white people had died from tobacco and how they deserved it and it was great the native tribes got revenge like that. I had a hard time accepting him as a (reasonably) unbiased source afterwards, though he would count as an expert.

We really tried to grow lemon verbena and I wish it had done well enough to make tea. If it’s that good I might try again! I think we need to try a spot with less intense sun and make sure it doesn’t dry out too much.

Don’t worry, I’ll help make pies 😄

It looks so comfy! By the 6th (or 7th!) time you must be pretty fast at making these. It’s nice to get all the fitting and alterations worked out so you can just sit down and sew a pattern.

I’m trying to sew a similar dress designed for jersey, but I went with an amazingly soft rayon jersey which is a nightmare to work with. I thought it would be nice for summer and then I could layer my knit sweaters and shawls over it in winter. Yeah…I’ve set it down for months now. I admire that in the time I’ve been procrastinating… you’re actually making something! Good job!

These were so great! I still have the Disney version:

I loved these so much. My room was wallpapered with my “designs”.

This basically describes any activity I start with my daughter (5) 😄😭 Though she does like finger knitting, just not with the yarn I give her. Even if she chose it herself. Stolen scraps apparently make for the best finger knitting.

Yay for socks! (Booo for COVID)

I have sock related questions! I’m making a new pair of socks as a Christmas gift, for someone who wore a hole in the previous pair. How do you guys mend your socks? I patched them pretty quickly with a speed weave, but of course the texture of the patch doesn’t match. On the other hand I have a young child and I like the speed part of the speed weave 😅

Favorite sock yarns? I love Drops Fabel so much. The colors, durability, and price are all great. Plus lots of patterns from the company. But it is so much harder to get here in the U.S.

Has anyone used Cascade Yarns “Fixation?” The local yarn shop owner claims this yarn is near indestructible. But it’s pricey and cotton, so I’m not going to knit a whole pair out of it. I’m intending to reinforce the heel and toe of the socks I’m currently making with this yarn.

The Fabel socks I’ve started, plus a couple other pairs that are going strong after a several years of wear (red is one strand, blue is held double):

I currently have a 2007 VW and another one from 2018. The quality and little special features and details have greatly declined. Before this I had a 2001 model which I drove over 300,000 miles. The 2018 one just doesn’t feel as sturdy. I’ve been a VW fan for a long time, but this last car is disappointing compared to what they used to make.

At least where I live, animal control falls under the police department. Could be different elsewhere.

Agreed.

No I can’t seem to get it to open, which is a problem on my end.

Great find! I recently found one full of various notions for $5. These old tins are like finding a treasure chest!

Good for you! I’m so happy to see people repairing clothes instead of tossing them. I got a speedweave and it has made mending even easier.

Yes, bring back the New Deal Democrats! Enough of Third Way neoliberalism.

I realize I’m inviting down votes as well, but, ignoring the dog’s name, did he actually bite someone? If so, I can understand why the police were there and that is different from officers randomly barging into an apartment and shooting whatever dog happens to be around (which is a great story to stir people up and get clicks). Though it is still odd how it was handled, I would expect an animal control officer to be first to make contact with the dog’s owners. Not to go straight to shooting the dog?

Thank you for trying to explain. I don’t like it but I appreciate you typing it out. Despite this, I still can’t wrap my head around how a, as you say, racist caricature can rationally warrant a brutal murder in response. Someone making fun of my mother or brother would not elicit such a reaction from me. When the reaction is so extremely out of proportion with the crime and we hear these explanations why this makes sense, the religion and it’s followers who feel such a way become their own caricature. Even without the cartoons.

Do they hope to elicit fear and respect? Because this sort of psychopathy from any social group does the opposite. Respectfully, there is a difference between condemning such an act full stop, and disagreeing with what they did but still thinking it makes sense and people shouldn’t do things that force such an action. The later is what leads Western countries to conclude Islam is incompatible in societies that have, perhaps, once held such a worldview, but in the last thousand years have collectively agreed that is no longer allowed.

You claim only one or two may attack… but holding the same mindset as the killers is still not compatible with Western ideals. I can think someone is an idiot who is going to hell, but that should be the extent of my involvement in their life and the rest is between them and God.

You can tour some of the ruins if you pay recreation.gov for tickets (which I think is ridiculous to pay a fee to a private corporation to access public sites). The ruin that was open for self tours (Spruce Tree House) has been closed for years due to unstable rock.

Baking soda sounds like a good idea (luckily I haven’t had to deal with mothballs too often so I haven’t tried that one!) I went with vinegar rinses and sunshine. On the plus side… no signs of moths!

Make it so! (Or maybe make it sew?)