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The People of the Center: American Indian Religion and Christianity
Book by Starkloff, Carl F
144 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1974
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June 23, 2016
First off, I'm pretty sure I'm the only person in the Internet age who has read this book, first published in the 1970's. I chose to read it not because I read other reviews or even have an interest in the topic, but because I saw it on the shelf at the library and the title sounded interesting.
Starting with the good: this book is incredibly well-cited, with footnotes on almost every page and a very long works cited section at the end. Although none of what Starkloff talked about was personally engaging enough for me to want to read more or to look at primary sources, I appreciate the dedication to scholarship.
The author shows a deep concern and care for Native Americans, and is able to communicate the importance of specific Native rituals as well as religious life in general, and the danger of appropriation on any level. Often in today's "social justice warrior" society, I find myself bored and frustrated by the outcries of those who see everything as cultural appropriation. Starkloff, on the other hand, communicates clearly why the Native religion is so sacred to these people who had everything else ripped away from them by the white people. That isn't his point, of course, but it was useful for me to hear a more gentle and persuasive perspective on cultural uniqueness.
I also appreciated how thorough the author was in his perspective of how Native religious symbols, concepts, and rituals were not necessarily opposed to Christianity but rather could be integrated quite easily for those who came to trust in Christ. His goal seemed to be to try to think through how much Native Americans could retain of their cultural and religious identity in coming to Christ, rather than less. His heart for Native Americans was obvious on every page; although he knew he was an outsider and knew that he could only ever hope to be an outsider in these tribes, he clearly didn't hold anything back from these people he loved.
All this gave a beautiful sense of the diversity that is at the heart of God throughout scripture, that one day every tribe and language and nation and tongue will be bowing before the throne and worshipping, not in some homogenized mass, but in a beautifully diverse and beautifully unique mosaic of culture and history.
Now the author does not paint that picture - that's simply what I got from it. In terms of personal application or even worldview implications, this book is incredibly scant. It was a lot of information, but at a level that wasn't particularly accessible to the average lay-person picking up the book.
Specifically in regards to the language, it is at times incredibly poetic, but at others somewhat laborious because of big words and a tendency toward a complicated sentence structure. I do not fault the author for this, but rather it is probably my lack of experience reading Catholic theology books and academic books from the mid-20th century. I'm sure that someone more versed in both would find it easier to read.
As a result of these things, I found the book fell into that strange category of more complicated than a survey book but not detailed enough to really interest a serious scholar. I find that many books that fall under this category end up being good, but not great, and never recommended to anyone. Barnes and Noble sale shelves are full of them. I'm glad I read it, I learned some things, but I probably wouldn't recommend it to anyone else.
Starting with the good: this book is incredibly well-cited, with footnotes on almost every page and a very long works cited section at the end. Although none of what Starkloff talked about was personally engaging enough for me to want to read more or to look at primary sources, I appreciate the dedication to scholarship.
The author shows a deep concern and care for Native Americans, and is able to communicate the importance of specific Native rituals as well as religious life in general, and the danger of appropriation on any level. Often in today's "social justice warrior" society, I find myself bored and frustrated by the outcries of those who see everything as cultural appropriation. Starkloff, on the other hand, communicates clearly why the Native religion is so sacred to these people who had everything else ripped away from them by the white people. That isn't his point, of course, but it was useful for me to hear a more gentle and persuasive perspective on cultural uniqueness.
I also appreciated how thorough the author was in his perspective of how Native religious symbols, concepts, and rituals were not necessarily opposed to Christianity but rather could be integrated quite easily for those who came to trust in Christ. His goal seemed to be to try to think through how much Native Americans could retain of their cultural and religious identity in coming to Christ, rather than less. His heart for Native Americans was obvious on every page; although he knew he was an outsider and knew that he could only ever hope to be an outsider in these tribes, he clearly didn't hold anything back from these people he loved.
All this gave a beautiful sense of the diversity that is at the heart of God throughout scripture, that one day every tribe and language and nation and tongue will be bowing before the throne and worshipping, not in some homogenized mass, but in a beautifully diverse and beautifully unique mosaic of culture and history.
Now the author does not paint that picture - that's simply what I got from it. In terms of personal application or even worldview implications, this book is incredibly scant. It was a lot of information, but at a level that wasn't particularly accessible to the average lay-person picking up the book.
Specifically in regards to the language, it is at times incredibly poetic, but at others somewhat laborious because of big words and a tendency toward a complicated sentence structure. I do not fault the author for this, but rather it is probably my lack of experience reading Catholic theology books and academic books from the mid-20th century. I'm sure that someone more versed in both would find it easier to read.
As a result of these things, I found the book fell into that strange category of more complicated than a survey book but not detailed enough to really interest a serious scholar. I find that many books that fall under this category end up being good, but not great, and never recommended to anyone. Barnes and Noble sale shelves are full of them. I'm glad I read it, I learned some things, but I probably wouldn't recommend it to anyone else.
Displaying 1 of 1 review