A member of the Oneida Nation discusses the tribe's role in the Revolutionary War. The tribe supplied troops, a cook, food and supplies to George Washington's army during a tough winter at Valley Forge in 1777-1778. Photo from National Park Service

What if Britain had won the Revolutionary War? How things would change for the Lakota
By James Giago Davies

Alternative histories are popular in fiction—what if Columbus hadn’t “discovered” America, what if the Confederacy had won the Civil War, what if the Nazis had invented the atomic bomb first?

Harry Turtledove writes some pretty good novels on such themes, except Indians are always bad or unnecessary in his alternative histories. He even has the New World populated by Homo Erectus when the white folks get here, because, of course, our pre-human ancestors are far more exciting and interesting than actual Indians. I was waiting for a novel from him about Indians eventually “discovering” Europe, and finding it filled with Neanderthals, but I guess his heart wasn’t in writing that novel.

If we speculate on alternate historical outcomes for reasons other than crafting cheap fiction, they can open our eyes to the actual nature of the society we live in, and we may see that we misunderstand the history that actually did happen.

Visit the all new Native Sun News website to read the full story: James Giago Davies: What if Britain had won the Revolutionary War?

(James Giago Davies can be reached at skindiesel@msn.com)

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