A childish act of violence

[sovay]

Today I learned about the depopulation of Malaga Island in 1912. The short course: after ordinarily existing for half a century on a small island off the coast of Maine, a mixed-race fishing community was demonized as physically and mentally degenerate, its families eventually evicted en masse by order of the state governor, dispersed into the mainland population or forcibly institutionalized. All traces of habitation were razed right down to emptying the island's cemetery. Innsmouth, no fish people needed. No one has built or lived on the island since. I am glad to read that some of the descendants are now reuniting. Otherwise it is simply more evidence that white supremacy is why we can't have nice things.

Comments

[moon_custafer]

I’ve long suspected Lovecraft loosely based “Facts Concerning the Late Arthur Jermyn and His Family" on the life and works of 19th-century naturalist and taxidermist Charles Waterton; and I wouldn’t be surprised if he’d heard of this settlement. IIRC “Innsmouth” does indirectly reference it via the stationmaster who notes the presence of several such villages along the coast and theorizes the rumours about Innsmouth are “simple race prejudice.”

[sovay]

I’ve long suspected Lovecraft loosely based “Facts Concerning the Late Arthur Jermyn and His Family" on the life and works of 19th-century naturalist and taxidermist Charles Waterton

How so?

and I wouldn’t be surprised if he’d heard of this settlement.

Me neither: I know he put his horror of miscegeneration and his horror of his own family history and his fascination-repulsion with the sea into the story, but Malaga just feels too close to be pure parallel evolution, right down to the eugenics.

IIRC “Innsmouth” does indirectly reference it via the stationmaster who notes the presence of several such villages along the coast and theorizes the rumours about Innsmouth are “simple race prejudice.”

He does, although he then ruins any possibility of nuance by stating that he doesn't blame people for holding such prejudices: he feels the same way about the people of Innsmouth himself. (Thanks, Howard.)

[moon_custafer]

Waterton invented modern taxidermy, but in addition to preserving specimens he wasn’t above shaving a red monkey pelt, altering its features into a caricature of some local official he was feuding with, and exhibiting it to guests without comment, just waiting for them to notice the resemblance.

I believe he’d also returned from his travels with a wife who was viewed as rather exotic (she was part Arawak and a good deal younger than him) though I think she was attractive and well-liked rather than violent and mysteriously veiled. Sadly she died shortly after the birth of their son.

[sovay]

in addition to preserving specimens he wasn’t above shaving a red monkey pelt, altering its features into a caricature of some local official he was feuding with, and exhibiting it to guests without comment, just waiting for them to notice the resemblance.

That is a commitment to trolling I can respect.

Sadly she died shortly after the birth of their son.

I am sorry to hear that. I see why you wonder if the wife from abroad became part of Lovecraft's story.

[moon_custafer]

I think there was yet another story where the name of the historical werewolf pinged something in my memory and a bit of searching turned up the actual trial, although HPL had either changed or misremembered the date by a couple of centuries.

[muccamukk]

What an awful story. I'm glad it's being remembered though.

I wonder what references you would pick up to it in Lovecraft, knowing it now. It must have been something he was aware of (and presumably thought was great!)

[sovay]

What an awful story. I'm glad it's being remembered though.

There appears to have been a spectacular memorial/exhibition at the University of Southern Maine in 2018. I wish I'd known.

I wonder what references you would pick up to it in Lovecraft, knowing it now. It must have been something he was aware of (and presumably thought was great!)

I kind of can't see how he would have missed it: per the Maine State Museum, "The stories of Malaga Island, and the actions of both the town of Phippsburg and State of Maine to evict the community, were reported throughout the New England region and in nationwide publications such as Harper's Magazine." And if he did know . . . yeah.

[dewline]

Racism makes everything worse.

[sovay]

Racism makes everything worse.

It does.

[the_future_modernes]

This is so infuriating that I cannot even. Not even the fucking cemetery was left in peace. White supremacy man. White supremacy.

[sovay]

Not even the fucking cemetery was left in peace. White supremacy man. White supremacy.

I know that the dead are dead and don't suffer more than the living, but something about the cemetery is just gratuitously cruel. If those bones were my family, I would want them reburied where they died.

[sara]

Moving a people's dead has long been a means of social control in this country.

[sovay]

Moving a people's dead has long been a means of social control in this country.

Or we would not need things like the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act, yes. The other thing it made me think of was European: Jewish gravestones broken to pave Polish streets.

[selkie]

Holy bananapants fuck. I’m not more than ordinarily vengeant, but the descendants of the people who pulled off that particular trick should have to spend the night there, without salt.

[sovay]

I’m not more than ordinarily vengeant, but the descendants of the people who pulled off that particular trick should have to spend the night there, without salt.

Nice nice teeth.

[selkie]

Nice nice teeth nice nice.

[alexxkay]

I was thinking of Innsmouth 2 sentences before you named it, so points for foreshadowing.

[sovay]

I was thinking of Innsmouth 2 sentences before you named it, so points for foreshadowing.

The resemblance does rather jump out at one.

[asakiyume]

I knew about this because osprey_archer read a novel based on those events, Lizzy Bright and the Buckminster Boy. She talked about it here. Definitely humanity showing its worst face.

[sovay]

a novel based on those events, Lizzy Bright and the Buckminster Boy. She talked about it here. Definitely humanity showing its worst face.

The novel is part of the Maine State Museum Curriculum! In some cases critically: students are asked to think about differences between historical fiction and history. But as a person who has encountered a lot of history first through fiction, I am glad it exists as a stepping stone, if not the whole story.

[vass]

Fuck.

[sovay]

Fuck.

Yeah.

[conuly]

:(

[sovay]

:(

It is the kind of thing I would rather know had happened than remain unaware of, but it should not have happened.