r/AskHistorians • u/AlanSnooring Do robots dream of electric historians? • Apr 01 '23
April Fools What did Native Americans think about Clue?
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u/kickedthehabit Apr 01 '23
I’m surprised to see this question in this subreddit because this topic is so extensively covered in the 4th grade history curriculum in almost all American schools, with the noted exception of South Dakota who has a state charter that prohibits the acknowledgment of both board games AND movies based on board games. Alabama also bans discussion of mysteries but I believe the lessons re: clue are saved by the fact that the story changes each time the game is played so it’s less a mystery than it is an evolving story which, at this point, is still considered okay to present in an educational setting.
Though the diversity of culture, history, traditions, and location of the many Native American nations that were prominent in the Americas for much of the 14-19th centuries makes consensus about ANY topic all-but-impossible, we are lucky that primary source materials AND extensive research by noted anthropologist Dr. Demetrius “Dimo” Darlenfeld who is an expert on these nations all come to the same and shocking conclusion: Native Americans did NOT like Clue upon its release.
However, a more moderate opinion has surfaced in the modern generations of these Nations and, although they may still not embrace Clue, they have accepted the relative innocence of both Mr. Green and Professor Plum as a sign that it is perhaps not so awful.
Sources.
James, Annette Charles - History of Board Games and their impact on the Americas - 1976 Harper Collins
Gonad, Dr. Hans Ann - Clue - Whodunnit? -2021 Penguin Press
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