I’m aware that this is a sensitive topic and I want to remember the reader that I’m not a historian, hence I’m probably not able to write down the whole scope of this from all necessary perspectives but here I try:
In 1830-1849 many northern Mexican states, mainly Sonora and Chihuahua, established a bounty on the scalps of natives, officially to combat persistent raids by these tribes and secure settler safety. However the main interest seemed to be claiming valuable land, using scalp hunters to eliminate perceived threats and claim territory, often leading to brutal massacres and further conflict as bounties were paid for male, female, and child scalps. It didn’t even matter if it was a tribe that was willing to negotiate with the Mexican government in the past, if it was a native there was a bounty on him/her.
This would however have big consequences, as the people willing to hunt natives were often criminals, who now would become specialized in hunting and killing human beings and caused more chaos in Mexican cities and villages than they created “safety”. It also caused natives to resort to more violent measures to survive which again came to the detriment of the non native population. It also caused border instability as many native tribes were living in the border territory of Mexico and USA and the scalp hunters didn’t necessarily care if said natives were actually in or outside Mexican territory. I also want to add that Mexico and USA were in a strained political relationship previous to this and the war that would arise in 1846 may not have been caused solely due to these border issues but they certainly were a factor in it. That war would also become important for scalp hunting as native tribes were fighting on both and against both sides which again caused an incentive for the northern states of Mexico wanting to get rid of them, as natives were mainly viewed as trouble makers during times of war.
The large amounts of bounties also took a financial toll as they were draining state funds and caused a diversion of resources from productive development and infrastructure. In time as it became harder for scalp hunters to track natives (as they have begun to become increasingly careful and wander into different territories and because of their decline in numbers) the scalp hunters would return to their criminal careers and were especially terrifying due to their profession having specialized them in hunting and killing humans.
Top_Divide6886 on
I don’t know how “pay randoms to kill people” even left the discussion without someone pointing the obvious result.
Vexonte on
Man someone should really write western genre book about this with a 7 foot tall albino who has a penchant for monologs.
BlackYellowSnake on
This is like the solution to the problem that a corrupt and decrepit system in a cyberpunk setting would come up with. Not only essentially legalizing murder but, also financially rewarding people for murder was bound to go horribly wrong.
Edit: Other thing, how the fuck are you supposed to tell the difference between a native scalp and a mestizo Mexican scalp?
Lieby on
Wonder if the bounty hunters you’re referring to are the “emissaries” who “incited the merciless savage, with the tomahawk and scalping knife, to massacre the inhabitants of our defenseless frontiers.” that are referenced in the 19th paragraph of the Texas Declaration of Independence.
I feel like I should make this into a plot for series, main characters find out that is happening, and end up putting a stop to it because the scalper are now doing for fun and aren’t limiting themselves to certain people anymore.
6 Comments
I’m aware that this is a sensitive topic and I want to remember the reader that I’m not a historian, hence I’m probably not able to write down the whole scope of this from all necessary perspectives but here I try:
In 1830-1849 many northern Mexican states, mainly Sonora and Chihuahua, established a bounty on the scalps of natives, officially to combat persistent raids by these tribes and secure settler safety. However the main interest seemed to be claiming valuable land, using scalp hunters to eliminate perceived threats and claim territory, often leading to brutal massacres and further conflict as bounties were paid for male, female, and child scalps. It didn’t even matter if it was a tribe that was willing to negotiate with the Mexican government in the past, if it was a native there was a bounty on him/her.
This would however have big consequences, as the people willing to hunt natives were often criminals, who now would become specialized in hunting and killing human beings and caused more chaos in Mexican cities and villages than they created “safety”. It also caused natives to resort to more violent measures to survive which again came to the detriment of the non native population. It also caused border instability as many native tribes were living in the border territory of Mexico and USA and the scalp hunters didn’t necessarily care if said natives were actually in or outside Mexican territory. I also want to add that Mexico and USA were in a strained political relationship previous to this and the war that would arise in 1846 may not have been caused solely due to these border issues but they certainly were a factor in it. That war would also become important for scalp hunting as native tribes were fighting on both and against both sides which again caused an incentive for the northern states of Mexico wanting to get rid of them, as natives were mainly viewed as trouble makers during times of war.
The large amounts of bounties also took a financial toll as they were draining state funds and caused a diversion of resources from productive development and infrastructure. In time as it became harder for scalp hunters to track natives (as they have begun to become increasingly careful and wander into different territories and because of their decline in numbers) the scalp hunters would return to their criminal careers and were especially terrifying due to their profession having specialized them in hunting and killing humans.
I don’t know how “pay randoms to kill people” even left the discussion without someone pointing the obvious result.
Man someone should really write western genre book about this with a 7 foot tall albino who has a penchant for monologs.
This is like the solution to the problem that a corrupt and decrepit system in a cyberpunk setting would come up with. Not only essentially legalizing murder but, also financially rewarding people for murder was bound to go horribly wrong.
Edit: Other thing, how the fuck are you supposed to tell the difference between a native scalp and a mestizo Mexican scalp?
Wonder if the bounty hunters you’re referring to are the “emissaries” who “incited the merciless savage, with the tomahawk and scalping knife, to massacre the inhabitants of our defenseless frontiers.” that are referenced in the 19th paragraph of the Texas Declaration of Independence.
Link to the document for the curious: https://www.tsl.texas.gov/treasures/republic/declaration.html
I feel like I should make this into a plot for series, main characters find out that is happening, and end up putting a stop to it because the scalper are now doing for fun and aren’t limiting themselves to certain people anymore.