'The lost tribe of Welsh Indians'
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In 1169, so history tells
us, Prince Madoc of Gwynedd
had had enough of constant warfare and strife. He made a radical decision: a
decision taken by millions of others who had had enough of Europe, but taken
centuries later. Madoc packed up friends and family
and set off for the West across the Great Ocean. Until recently, a plaque at
the mouth of the Mobile river marked the spot where, so legend tells us, Madoc arrived. As history gives way to
legend, the destiny of Madoc and his intrepid Welsh
travelers becomes uncertain and controversial. Throughout the history of Western
expansion, men spoke of the fair-skinned, blue-eyed Indians of the Plains.
Some men set off to find them. Others kept their eyes open as they traveled.
Jefferson told Lewis and Clark to watch out for them. Catlin
was convinced he had found them. Others said it was all fantasy. Today the controversy still
continues. Some are totally convinced that Madoc
arrived safely and founded a Welsh colony and that somewhere among the tribes
of the Plains we might still find the descendants of Madoc
and his followers. Others doubt whether Madoc ever
set sail. This reading uses the
writings of Catlin and of Lewis, along with many
other sources, to recount the tale of Madoc and the
lost Welsh Indians of the Plains. The reading lasts 50 minutes. |
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