Clio Wired (History 696)

The assignment was to post an entry on one of the questions. I too impressed with the Raid on Deerfield and think it is the answer to a number of the questions asked.

1. Which of these sites most effectively conveys the past to a "general" audience? (And why?)


First of all the site is easily navigational, that draws in audiences of all varying degree of technological skill. And just in case, the site has help icons located throughout. It presents the information in different ways for those that learn most through pictures… there are many of those. There is an audio narration as well as text. Tehy are both presented in language understandable by the general public. Also, there is a choice as to the depth of information one might access. A cursory reading is easy to get for those that are only interested in an overview or more in depth reading is provided as well. Oh and there is also a pretty nice little game/quiz game.

2. Which of these sites makes the most effective use of new media? (And how?)

This site is remarkable. It is not just bells and whistles. Every technological “wow” seems to have a purpose. Sites like this cost money. the sponsoring organization for this page is Pocumtuck Valley Memorial Association. Although it has a very remarkable online museum, it does not seem to be as rich museum. How do they afford such a sight? $600,00 of grant money
This site makes good use of the funds and uses new media very effectively. It has interactive maps. Within the time line, there are pictures with hotspots that provide you with more information. In addition, there is an avenue by which you can change the perspective from which you view an event: visually, the photo dims and the peoples whose perspective you are viewing are highlighted and textually, their narrative appears. The map’s interactivity presents it in easily digestible chunks of information and allows the reader to choose their own focus. The artifacts page is quite impressive in that it allows you to

• see an actual picture of an artifact (not just the drawing)
  
• read a description.
  
• zoom in on to get a closer looks artifacts.

4. Which of these sites has an interpretation of the past that either: a. best reflects current scholarship or b. challenges its audiences?

The story is told elsewhere on the web:

• http://www.americaslibrary.gov/cgi-bin/page.cgi/jb/colonial/deerfld_1
• http://www.crossmyt.com/hc/gen/deerfild.html
• http://www.eunicewilliams.com/

In these narratives, the three main groups as the English, French and Native Americans. The Raid on Deerfield site elevates Kanienkehaka , the Wôbanaki peoples and the Wendat confederacy to be on the same plane as the French and the English instead of lumping them together as native Americans. This interpretation reflects a scholarship that considers the different cultures of the indigenous people instead of lumping them in one group as the “Other.” Also, as explained in a Web-Wise presentation, “For 300 years this assault in contested lands has been described by the dominant European viewpoint as an unprovoked, brutal attack on an innocent village of English settlers. Yet, it can also be viewed as a justified military action against a fortified settlement in a Native homeland.” (http://www.uic.edu/depts/lib/webwise/slides/Spichiger-Sturm.htm)

Further Exploration:

• There is an exhibit to which this site is a compendium. An excellent review of that site can be found in The Public Historian, Winter 2005, Vol. 27, No. 1, Pages 87-89 (accessible through mason e-journals)

• Also there is an article in First Monday http://firstmonday.org/issues/issue10_6/spichiger/