Frontier Partisans

The Adventurers, Rangers and Scouts Who Fought the Battles of Empire

Working The Trapline — Seawitches, Pumpkins And Bloodlines

October 29, 2021, by JimC

I skelpt a pumpkin…

It should be obvious to anyone reading Frontier Partisans that Clan Cornelius enjoys Halloween to the fullest. For us, it’s not a single date on the calendar — it’s a season. Ceili and her beau Jarod hit the pumpkin patch near Smith Rock off to the east of us and looted it for a barrow full of gourds.

 

And then we turned ’em into art.

The deer took down the trad jack-o-lantern overnight. Ate his face right off his head.

*

Came across an old favorite by Frank Frazetta — The Sea Witch.

 

What an extraordinary talent he was. Influenced countless artists who came after him, but few can touch the power and energy he was able to impart to a painting. Truly a genius.

This, of course, set me off contemplating the world of the early wooden-ship mariners of the 16th-18th centuries. They were as superstitious a lot as you could find — I reckon your average seafarer would have had no problem envisioning, and ardently believing in, the existence of Frazetta’s Sea Witch. How else would they explain the malevolence of the storms that threatened to break apart and sink their vessels in a churning sea that was itself a monster capable of swallowing them whole and leaving not a trace that they had ever existed? Those sailors — honest men and pirates alike — saw some uncanny things in their far faring. Monstrous sea creatures, threatening forests and jungles peopled by strange folk (to whom they, of course, were the alien menace).

Art by Bogdan Romanch.

*

Not that anyone seriously doubted his claim, but genetic science has demonstrated that Ernie Lapointe is, in fact, descended from the great Hunkpapa Lakota leader Sitting Bull.

From Ancient Origins:

After analyzing DNA from a lock of the legendary warrior’s hair, scientists have now identified one of his living descendants.

The team of researchers from the University of Cambridge, who published their new findings in the journal Science Advances , say the breakthrough DNA technology they used to prove that a living man was a descendant of Siting Bull will be used in the future to unravel the genetic lineages of other long-dead historical figures.

The new DNA study was conducted by evolutionary geneticist Eske Willerslev of the University of Cambridge, and his colleagues. The team analyzed DNA fragments from the legendary Native American chief’s hair and confirmed that Ernie Lapointe, who has for a long time claimed to be the great-grandson of Sitting Bull, is actually the real deal.

 

Filed Under: On Your Own Hook

Previous Post: « Skull & Bones
Next Post: A Tip o’ The Hat To Jack Lott »

Comments

  1. Matthew says

    October 29, 2021 at 6:06 pm

    Off topic, but SOFREP has an article on the use of Cavalry during WWII in the Philippines. Including charging tanks like what was supposed to have happen in Poland (except it didn’t.)

    https://sofrep.com/news/the-last-horse-charge-of-american-cavalry-was-in-world-war-ii/

    Fittingly, Corb Lund’s Horse Soldier, Horse Soldier was playing on youtube as I read the article entirely by coincidence.

    Reply
  2. David Wrolson says

    October 31, 2021 at 7:10 pm

    I am somewhat shocked that claiming to be the great-grandson of somebody would be odd or whatever. Unless one of the ladies along the way had stepped out-great grandfather is usually not that far removed-often the great-grandpa is still living when junior is born,

    Although, I find it extremely cool that my paternal line great-grandfather was born in 1850’ish and I did not come along until 1966.

    Both my great-grandpa and grandpa were oldish when the next in line was born.

    Reply
    • JimC says

      October 31, 2021 at 7:18 pm

      Yeah, it’s kinda weird, and some of the Lakota expressed a little discomfort at the “white man science proves it” aspect of this. Understandable. The science, though is pretty cool — and holds out promise for genealogical tracing way deeper than great-grandson level.

      Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Frontier Partisans

  • Introduction
  • Jim Cornelius
  • Trading Post
  • The Muster (Links)
  • Search this Site

Podcast Campfire Sparked

Introduction to the Podcast,
or head on over to listen:
Frontier Partisans Podcast

The Trading Post is OPEN

Frontier Partisan t-shirt: Balen-Powell's illustration of Frederick Burnham on front; "The only partisanship we tolerate in these parts is Frontier Partisanship" on back.

Trading Post Cart

Cart is empty $0

Support Frontier Partisans

What I’m Aiming For

Go Fund Me

go fund me frontier partisans

Receive Frontier Partisans Posts Via Email

Categories

  • Chapters
  • Frontier Partisan Bookshelf
  • On Your Own Hook
  • The War Chest

Recent Posts

  • Working The Trapline — The Ranging Way Of War & Trouble On The Yellowstone
  • A Tale Of Two Jamies
  • Working The Trapline — Montana Mayhem; Scottish Slaughter
  • Rangers & Wardens
  • A Storyteller Makes His Final Journey
  • Working The Trapline — Baptized & Buried On The Terminal List
  • Chasing Horse Bust
  • Working the Trapline — Bayou, Bullet Garden & Big Ponderoo

fp@frontierpartisans.com

© 2023 FRONTIER PARTISANS, Jim Cornelius