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The Gospel of the Redman
This commemorative edition contains for the first time Seton's drawigns of American Indian motifs, a selection of photographs illustrating his life, information about his role as founder of the Boys Scouts of America.
176 pages, Paperback
Published February 2, 2005
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About the author
Ernest Thompson Seton
613 books111 followersErnest Thompson Seton was a Scots-Canadian (and naturalized U.S. citizen) who became a noted author, wildlife artist, founder of the Woodcraft Indians, and one of the founding pioneers of the Boy Scouts of America (BSA). Seton also heavily influenced Lord Baden-Powell, the founder of Scouting. His notable books related to Scouting include The Birch Bark Roll and The Boy Scout Handbook. He is responsible for the strong influence of American Indian culture in the BSA.
He was born Ernest Evan Thompson in South Shields, County Durham (now part of South Tyneside, Tyne and Wear), England of Scottish parents and his family emigrated to Canada in 1866. As a youth, he retreated to the woods to draw and study animals as a way of avoiding his abusive father. He won a scholarship in art to the Royal Academy in London, England.
He later rejected his father and changed his name to Ernest Thompson Seton. He believed that Seton had been an important name in his paternal line. He developed a fascination with wolves while working as a naturalist for Manitoba. He became successful as a writer, artist and naturalist, and moved to New York City to further his career. Seton later lived at Wyndygoul, an estate that he built in Cos Cob, a section of Greenwich, Connecticut. After experiencing vandalism by the local youth, Seton invited them to his estate for a weekend where he told stories of the American Indians and of nature.
He formed the Woodcraft Indians in 1902 and invited the local youth to join. The stories became a series of articles written for the Ladies Home Journal and were eventually collected in the The Birch Bark Roll of the Woodcraft Indians in 1906.
He was married twice. The first marriage was to Grace Gallatin in 1896. Their only daughter, Ann, was born in 1904 and died in 1990. Ann, who later changed her first name, became a best-selling author of historical and biographical novels as Anya Seton. According to her introduction to the novel Green Darkness, both of her parents were practicing Theosophists. Ernest and Grace divorced in 1935, and Ernest soon married Julia M. Buttree. Julia would write works by herself and with Ernest. They did not have any children, but did adopt an infant daughter, Beulah (Dee) Seton (later Dee Seton Barber), in 1938. Dee Seton Barber died in 2006.
He was born Ernest Evan Thompson in South Shields, County Durham (now part of South Tyneside, Tyne and Wear), England of Scottish parents and his family emigrated to Canada in 1866. As a youth, he retreated to the woods to draw and study animals as a way of avoiding his abusive father. He won a scholarship in art to the Royal Academy in London, England.
He later rejected his father and changed his name to Ernest Thompson Seton. He believed that Seton had been an important name in his paternal line. He developed a fascination with wolves while working as a naturalist for Manitoba. He became successful as a writer, artist and naturalist, and moved to New York City to further his career. Seton later lived at Wyndygoul, an estate that he built in Cos Cob, a section of Greenwich, Connecticut. After experiencing vandalism by the local youth, Seton invited them to his estate for a weekend where he told stories of the American Indians and of nature.
He formed the Woodcraft Indians in 1902 and invited the local youth to join. The stories became a series of articles written for the Ladies Home Journal and were eventually collected in the The Birch Bark Roll of the Woodcraft Indians in 1906.
He was married twice. The first marriage was to Grace Gallatin in 1896. Their only daughter, Ann, was born in 1904 and died in 1990. Ann, who later changed her first name, became a best-selling author of historical and biographical novels as Anya Seton. According to her introduction to the novel Green Darkness, both of her parents were practicing Theosophists. Ernest and Grace divorced in 1935, and Ernest soon married Julia M. Buttree. Julia would write works by herself and with Ernest. They did not have any children, but did adopt an infant daughter, Beulah (Dee) Seton (later Dee Seton Barber), in 1938. Dee Seton Barber died in 2006.
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Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews
January 2, 2016
"The civilization of the White man is a failure," says Seton. Maybe in 1936 that seemed true, what with the ongoing Depression and the rise of Fascism. Seton's prescription is to abandon our culture and emulate the Red man, who is honest, clean, brave, reverent, kind, loyal, generous, spiritual, just, respectful, chaste, cheerful (if superstitious--the one acknowledged fault). It's worth noting that Seton writes this at a time when we're told Indians were commonly looked down on, and also that he found numerous sources from the 17th to the 20th centuries to back up his account. But I can't help thinking that there are other sources who would paint a different picture. I wouldn't automatically believe them, but it's also hard for me to believe that Indians were so uniformly virtuous, any more than white men were.
Seton's worshipful attitude towards Indians at times veers into the absurd. All the virtues of the Red man are innate and original, but all his sins of excess or deficiency are learned from the White man. Scalping was their custom, but it was not nearly as bad as the European custom of displaying a head on a pike, and in any case the Indians learned scalping from the Europeans. Torture of prisoners was not done, or done rarely, or done only to enemies who had done great wrong, or asked for it to be done, or it was taught to the Indians by Whites. In any case, "Among the Christian nations of Europe it was the usual thing to torture all prisoners." This is nonsense.
Seton rarely discusses differences among tribes. More often he talks about the "Red man" as if all American Indian cultures were the same. In fact they were as different from each other as any of them were different from Europeans. Nevertheless, this short book is a pleasant read if one wants to hear the views of someone who idolized the Red man, as long as you read it with a smile, and take his assertions with a grain of salt. And if you want to emulate the many examples of noble Native American behavior that Seton writes about, surely you will be a better person for it.
Seton's worshipful attitude towards Indians at times veers into the absurd. All the virtues of the Red man are innate and original, but all his sins of excess or deficiency are learned from the White man. Scalping was their custom, but it was not nearly as bad as the European custom of displaying a head on a pike, and in any case the Indians learned scalping from the Europeans. Torture of prisoners was not done, or done rarely, or done only to enemies who had done great wrong, or asked for it to be done, or it was taught to the Indians by Whites. In any case, "Among the Christian nations of Europe it was the usual thing to torture all prisoners." This is nonsense.
Seton rarely discusses differences among tribes. More often he talks about the "Red man" as if all American Indian cultures were the same. In fact they were as different from each other as any of them were different from Europeans. Nevertheless, this short book is a pleasant read if one wants to hear the views of someone who idolized the Red man, as long as you read it with a smile, and take his assertions with a grain of salt. And if you want to emulate the many examples of noble Native American behavior that Seton writes about, surely you will be a better person for it.
November 3, 2023
Simply sublime
February 15, 2019
Lee had been “nagging” me to read this book from his growing up years. Full credit to him as I loved this little guide to how Indian tribes approached life. Parallels to the Bible and very practical to how life should be lived today. Not one I would’ve chosen so I’m grateful for his persistence!
December 27, 2013
Good book, there is a lot more to the Indians than the old movies. I read Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee in the 70's and realized there was a lot i did not learn in the traditional history books. There may be a bit of over tone in here though. I have read in a number of other readings how the Indian's were actually pretty violent to even the other tribes. It was part of their leadership and manhood to kill another tribes warriors. The fallen nature of man is in all of us, even the noble peoples.
July 11, 2014
A stilted view of Eastern Native American religons. However I enjoyed the book and read it multiple times. Having read it while a teenager it was my first major introduction to native religions.
It also provides a look into how whites were attempting to understand native religions at the period in which Seton wrote. Since attempts to understand were rare in that period it is a very unique idea even if it was only partly successful.
It also provides a look into how whites were attempting to understand native religions at the period in which Seton wrote. Since attempts to understand were rare in that period it is a very unique idea even if it was only partly successful.
April 19, 2020
Inconsistent. Some sections were quite good -- for instance, the one or two vignettes i stumbled upon when I first opened the pages at the bookstore. But many of the others were pretty mundane and mediocre.
June 2, 2015
I loved this book! Like all spiritual reading I've done, it has changed my life and I will refer to it often I am sure.
September 11, 2018
A little racist, a lot of outdated ideas, but an interesting read nonetheless.
August 11, 2022
A white man's take on indigenous culture. Not a bad read, but written with an outsider's perspective.
June 15, 2020
There is no Indian Bible written by an Indian. The author selected the highest and best philosophies of the many tribes of Indians to include in this book. The culture of the Redman is fundamentally spiritual. Unfortunately, the Whiteman failed to understand that how the Indians worshiped God was not wrong, just different.
November 10, 2025
You will walk away with an appreciation for the first peoples of the Americas. The book highlights the beauty of the native people and how brutal the invaders were. A common thread observed across the history of the earth when it comes to Europeans and their interactions during exploration and conquest. Book should be taught in history classes.
December 7, 2023
This book blew me away. The original inhabitants of our USA were following the Christian path without the knowledge of Jesus Christ. The Redman’s values were so far above many Whiteman’s values that were driven by greed.
July 1, 2019
Amazing book, no excuses, shame on us.
June 19, 2022
A smallish book that tells a lot. History has very much mis-characterized the Native American. We could learn a lot from them if we would just listen.
November 30, 2023
A magical, inspiring catalogue of the beautiful - almost lost - spiritual world of the native North American people. One of my favourite books this year.
December 12, 2015
Pros:
1) Attempts to offer a 'best of the best' kind of window into Native American teachings and lifestyle.
2) Presents an image of well developed purity in character that I found admirable and humbling.
3) Creates awareness of the awful tragedy and injustice of colonial encroachments. Deepens awareness of the importance of valuing other people groups, and of the peculiar worth of native Americans in particular.
Cons:
1) Reads more like a reference collection than a book. I liked that it is easily referenceable, but it felt more surface level and disjointed than I expected.
2) It loudly preaches a message of theosophy while borrowing the Christian idea of Gospel for a title. I felt that the title was a bit misleading.
1) Attempts to offer a 'best of the best' kind of window into Native American teachings and lifestyle.
2) Presents an image of well developed purity in character that I found admirable and humbling.
3) Creates awareness of the awful tragedy and injustice of colonial encroachments. Deepens awareness of the importance of valuing other people groups, and of the peculiar worth of native Americans in particular.
Cons:
1) Reads more like a reference collection than a book. I liked that it is easily referenceable, but it felt more surface level and disjointed than I expected.
2) It loudly preaches a message of theosophy while borrowing the Christian idea of Gospel for a title. I felt that the title was a bit misleading.
April 12, 2012
A very European version of the Native American way of life and how the Spirit is tied to everything. Good for boys to get an interest and feel for the Native American culture but as you learn more of the Native American culture many thing were quite diffeerent.
June 25, 2014
A powerful look at the cultures of Native America, as seen by outsiders. While the language may be dated--"redman" is an offputting term--the tone is reverent. A stark tribute to a world presented as simply too beautiful to last.
August 12, 2012
I love this book. It's hard to find, but a simple summary of Native Spirituality and a taste of what was lost when the tribes were conquered.
August 17, 2013
I am incredibly grateful for this book, as it pushed me to reflect on who I was as a mother. It made me reflect on our American ancestors and how connected we all can be if willing.
November 29, 2015
Amazing read with lessons that stick with you long after you have turned the last page.
December 15, 2022
Really interesting compendium on beliefs of American Indians and how they interact and acted with each other and the white man.
October 2, 2014
Dated. Influential to my understanding. An important slice of time
Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews