British Colonial Genocide and Scalping Incentives

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Spencer Phips and the Scalping Incentives: A Policy of Genocide in Colonial America

The Phips Proclamation: A License to Kill

The 1755 proclamation explicitly targeted the Penobscot people, members of the Wabanaki Confederacy, during the French and Indian War.

• 50 pounds for the scalp of a Penobscot male aged 12 or older (equivalent to ~$12,000 today).
• 25 pounds for women’s scalps.
• 20 pounds for children under 12.

Colonial Scalping Bounties: A Tool of Conquest

While scalping existed in some Indigenous cultures as a ritual of warfare, European colonizers weaponized it through state-sanctioned bounties.

• New England: Over 60 scalp bounties were issued between the 1680s and 1750s.
• California: In the 19th century, state and federal funds supported scalp hunters targeting Native Americans during the Gold Rush.

Archaeology and the Complexity of Scalping

Contrary to colonial narratives that blamed Indigenous peoples for scalping, archaeological evidence reveals the practice predated European contact.

Legacy of Trauma and Resistance

The Phips Proclamation’s impact reverberates today.

Conclusion: Confronting a Hidden History

Spencer Phips’ scalp bounties exemplify how colonial policies sought to eliminate Indigenous peoples through economic incentives and dehumanization.

Sources

• The Conversation
• Upstander Project
• The Guardian
• Saturday Evening Post

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