I don't know if I'm breaking rules by doing this, but this is the MOST BRILLIANT TWEET.
In my humble opinion.
I don't know if I'm breaking rules by doing this, but this is the MOST BRILLIANT TWEET.
In my humble opinion.
😂😂😂😂😂
@dwhauthor @jbf1755 This is where I went with it, because I haven't seen the word 'CROATOAN' before, so I just assumed it was intended to be an opaque and intriguing reference left behind for people to try to interpret.
I must now do the Googling.
Very Virginia Dare.
@Fluzbug I'm not as familiar w/the North as w/the South, but I'm guessing you don't buy the island of Manahattan if you're just setting up a quaint little fishing village or trading post.
Anyway, blah blah blah, I don't REALLY mean to be getting into white colonization of the New World, BUT... that whole "Lost Colony" thing is just straight out white lore. Yes, the haunting mystery of "CROATAN" appeals, but that's because we're raised to believe white is special and... 2/
@Fluzbug ...the mysterious loss of a white colony is a particularly poignant tragedy. The whole "Virginia Dare" (first WHITE baby born in the New World) thing is really just racist on top of the colonialism.
My dad took us to see that outdoor play more than once, and I just ate it up. Come to think of it, I'm pretty sure now why it got burned down one winter.
Anyway, here we are on Mastodon, the Brave New World, and somebody throws up CROATAN. Turns out I've got a REFLEX.
3/
@Fluzbug Maybe we could talk about the cliff dwellings of Twitter. Who were these people? Look at these amazing structures they built. Where did they go? Was it a tragedy? We don't even know. Is THAT a tragedy?
4/I think I'm done. Maybe.
Mmmaybe. Or maybe they just didn't last long enough to enter into hostile relations w/the locals.
Anyway, the modern-day lore of the Lost Colony is problematic and I think we can do better than to invoke it unadvisedly.
Wikipedia on the subject: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roanoke_Colony#:~:text=Raleigh's%20charter%2C%20issued%20on%20March,%2C%20occupy%2C%20and%20enjoy%22.
«The [Lost Colony] colonists were largely middle-class Londoners, perhaps seeking to become landed gentry.»
(i.e., not the desperate poor) At this point, there was already bad blood due to an earlier colony (Lane).
«On August 9, White led a pre-emptive strike on Dasamongueponke, but the enemy (fearing reprisal for the death of Howe) had withdrawn from the village, and the English accidentally attacked Croatan looters.»
Holy moly, it just goes on and on.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roanoke_Colony#Investigations_into_Roanoke
Ok, here we go: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roanoke_Colony#Integration_with_local_tribes
I think it's going a little far, though, to paint a picture of colonists peacefully co-existing w/local natives.
Lovely historical reference :-)
@jbf1755 Because I’m me, I had to a) look it up and b) share what I learned. (Writer AND teacher; I’m trapped in my own identity.)
Means town council or “talk place” AND is the cryptic (and isn’t that a perfect word as well, root word “crypt”) word CROATOAN left behind the dead space of Roanoke.
@jbf1755 Joanne, I don’t know whether a screenshot of a tweet is against rules, but I hope not. It’s certainly easier not to be sent off to another platform—and a dying one at that.
Let’s hear it for screenshooting those tweets rather than pushing us over and back when sharing one!