Native Americans, Christianity, and the Reshaping of the American Religious Landscape

by Joel W. Martin (Editor), Mark A. Nicholas (Editor)

In this interdisciplinary collection of essays, Joel W. Martin and Mark A. Nicholas gather emerging and leading voices in the study of Native American religion to reconsider the complex and often misunderstood history of Native peoples' engagement with Christianity and with Euro-American missionaries. Surveying mission encounters from contact through the mid-nineteenth century, the volume alters and enriches our understanding of both American Christianity and indigenous religion.

The essays here explore a variety of postcontact identities, including indigenous Christians, "mission friendly" non-Christians, and ex-Christians, thereby exploring the shifting world of Native-white cultural and religious exchange. Rather than questioning the authenticity of Native Christian experiences, these scholars reveal how indigenous peoples negotiated change with regard to missions, missionaries, and Christianity. This collection challenges the pervasive stereotype of Native Americans as culturally static and ill-equipped to navigate the roiling currents associated with colonialism and missionization.

The contributors are Emma Anderson, Joanna Brooks, Steven W. Hackel, Tracy Neal Leavelle, Daniel Mandell, Joel W. Martin, Michael D. McNally, Mark A. Nicholas, Michelene Pesantubbee, David J. Silverman, Laura M. Stevens, Rachel Wheeler, Douglas L. Winiarski, and Hilary E. Wyss.

Genres: Religion, Native American, History, Native American History

344 pages, Paperback

First published October 11, 2010

About the author

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Reviews

[Hayden Lukas · Rating 5 out of 5]

I didn't read every essay, but the ones I read were fantastic. The one on Spanish raiders in the Northeast and ceremonial leaders fleshed out belief among the Christian laity during the period, both Native and Euro- American. The Cahokia story was particularly touching, even if the strict feminist perspective narrowed the essay's power. I feel like she could have gone back and said "the men of Cahokia were lazy, and through the Christian Native women, the society was restructured to make a more agreeable arrangement. The men learned to take better care of the people from the women's example."