Native American leaders views on Christian Missionaries in the Americas

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>Draft of an essay by SD (Suryadas) Youngwolf: > >Missionaries of the Christian

faith have, throughout the centuries, >displayed a violent fanaticism

concerning the conversion of the >so-called "heathen" to their belief system.

The song, Onward >Christian Soldiers" has been a fitting anthem for the

crusades these >people have conducted around the world. Although saving souls

has >been the purported purpose of the missionaries, oftentimes the >"heathen"

they have sought to save have shown much more Christian >virtue in their life

styles than their supposed saviors. This was >especially true with the Indians

of the Americas, as an excerpt from >a speech given by Red Jacket, a Seneca

Chief, to a missionary, in >1805, reveals; > >"Brother, you say there is but

one way to worship and serve the >Great >Spirit. If there is but one religion,

why do you white people differ >so much about it? Why not all agree, as you can

all read the book? > >"Brother, we do not understand these things. We were told

that your >religion was given to your forefathers, and has been handed down

>from >father to son. We, also, have a religion which was given to our

>forefathers, and has been handed down to us, their children. We >worship in

that way. It teaches us to be thankful for all that we >receive, to love each

other, and be united. We never quarrel about >religion, because it is a matter

which concerns each man and the >Great Spirit > >"Brother, we do not wish to

destroy your religion or take it from >you; we only wish to enjoy our own. >

>"Brother, we have been told that you have been preaching to the >white >people

in this place. These people are our neighbors. We are >acquainted with them. We

will wait a little while, and see what >effect your preaching has on them. If

we find it does them good, >makes them honest and less disposed to cheat

Indians, we will >consider again of what you have said." (McCluhan, T.L. Touch

the >Earth, A Self Portrait of Indian Existence, Simon and Schuster, >1971, >p.

61) > >Of course, it only takes reading about the course of American >history

>to find out if the teaching of the missionaries made the settlers >"less

disposed to cheat Indians". > >After his speech, Red Jacket then offered to

shake hands with the >missionary, who was named Cram, but was refused. He later

said the >missionary had tried to "cram" Christianity down their throats. > >The

history of White European relations with the Indians of the >so-called "New

World" of the Americas is one filled with violence, >cruelty, torture, rape,

genocide, and carnage. Although the Indian >was deemed a "savage", the early

accounts of the European explorers >tell of a gentle people, hospitable and

welcoming to the newcomers. >In fact, although historically, tradition has it

that the Natives of >the New World were called "Indians" by Columbus because he

>mistakenly >believed he had arrived in India, another, more plausible origin is

>his written description of these people as "una gente in Dios", a >"gentle

people in God". > >The Native peoples' first experience of European

civilization was >often one of being fired upon by weapons which had no

parallel in >the >Americas, and against which the Indians had little or no

defense. >Much more devastating to the Native population, however, were the

>diseases brought by the Europeans, against which the Indians had no >immunity.

An estimated 90% of the Native population died within 50 >years of first

contact, due to disease as well as the well >documented >campaign of genocide

by the conquerors. > >Always, the military forces brought with them the

missionaries, who >played an important part in their mission of conquest and

>subjugation. Throughout the history of conquest by the colonial >powers, the

missionaries have been pawns whether willingly or >unwittingly. The

colonialists used what might be called the "Killer >B's" to facilitate the

extermination of indigenous cultures, and >theft of native lands. > >Of the

"Killer B's", the first was the Bible. Of course, the Native >people were not

able to read the holy book, but were told they had >to >believe in it, through

the interpretation of the conquerors. If they >could be made to believe in it,

they could be made to submit to the >will of their masters, and, through fear

of hellfire, and hope of >salvation, could be easily manipulated and

controlled. The Bible was >a wonderful tool of conquest. The emperor Atahualpa,

of the Incas, >was tricked into insulting the Bible, by the Conquistador

Pizarro, >which provided a convenient excuse for his execution. > >If, however,

the Bible was not sufficient for the task, the second >"B" was available, and

this was booze. If the Indian could be kept >intoxicated, he could be made to

be dependent on his conquerors. He >could be easily manipulated, and his land

taken from him as candy >from a baby. Just as the Indian had little or no

immunity to white >man's diseases, the same was true concerning the addictive

effects >of >alcohol. > >There were those Indians, however, who were able to

resist both the >Bible and the whiteman's booze, who were determined to

preserve >their >traditional way of life, and dedicated to stopping the advance

of >the >whiteman. And for these, the last "killer B" in the whiteman's >arsenal

was used, and that was the bullet. The phrase heard often on >the American

frontier was "the only good Indian is a dead Indian". >And a cry often heard in

raids upon villages was "nits make lice", >lest some soldier have pity in

sparing the women, the children, or >the sleeping babies. The Sand Creek

massacre was led by a Christian >minister, and perpetrated on a band of

peaceful Cheyenne and Arapaho >Indians, and their Chief, Black Kettle, was shot

down outside his >tepee, waving an American flag. In the late 1800's, the white

>soldiers and the "Buffalo Soldiers", recently freed Black recruits, >warred

upon, and eventually subjugated, the free roaming Plains >tribes, a people who

only wanted to preserve their right to live on >the lands inhabited by

countless generations of their people. When a >band of Lakota Sioux met to

perform the Ghost Dance, at the village >of Wounded Knee, South Dakota, they,

women and children included, >were fired upon and massacred by U.S. soldiers. >

>In the late 1700's, The Cherokee Chief, Old Tassel, addressed the >Whites on

the subject of their demand for more Cherokee land; > >"[Š] Were we to inquire

by what law or authority you set up a >claim(to our land), I answer, 'none'!

Your laws extend not into our >country, nor ever did. You talk of nature and

the law of Nations, >and >they are both against you. > >"Indeed, much has been

advanced on the want of what you term >civilization among the Indians, and many

proposals have been made to >us to adapt your laws, your religion, your manners

and your customs. >But, we confess that we do not yet see the propriety, or

>practicability of such a reformation, and should be better pleased >with

beholding the good effect of these doctrines in your own >practices than with

hearing you talk about them, or reading your >papers on such subjects." (Ehle,

John. The Trail of Tears, >Doubleday, >1988, pp.18-19.) > > The Killer B's

fulfilled their purpose in the decimation of the >Native population. Whole

tribes and nations were obliterated from >the >face of the earth, and some were

reduced to a mere handful of >survivors, landless and dependent on the handouts

of their >oppressors. Even into the 1920's, Indians were hunted for sport in

>parts of the United States. It wasn't until 1925 that Indians were >finally

made citizens, and given the right to vote. But the conflict >between

governmental assimilation policies and Native rights of >sovereignty and self

determination still goes on today. > >Likewise, the Missionary spirit to

convert the heathen Indian goes >on. The conversion process has been very

successful in many tribes, >and the traditional religion of many has been lost

and forgotten. >There are Indians today who will tell their own tribal members,

who >may be interested in learning of the traditional ways, that those >ways are

sinful, and "of the Devil". > >It is considered the duty of many Christians

today to look outside >the United States, to Native people who are

unenlightened by the >written word of God. These missionaries rarely bother to

learn >anything about the native culture they seek to work in, and relate >to

>the people they seek to convert like they are ignorant children. >Although

there are tribes within and without the United States who >have resisted, and

tried to preserve their culture, the most >aggressive of the converters seek

out and employ devious means to go >around any barriers and get inside the

tribe. For instance, the >Huichol of Mexico have been traditionally very

resistant to outside >influence, and have tried to protect their culture from

the outside >world. Living in remote mountain villages, they have discouraged

or >prohibited missionary access to their country. A missionary group in >the

United States, however, has found a way around this. They fly >airplanes over

the villages and drop radios that are tuned to only >one station, a Christian

Gospel broadcast station out of San Diego, >California! > >The fundamentalist

religions are aggressive in proselytizing their >belief system to the

un-indoctrinated masses. This has become one of >the main causes of war on this

planet. Not only do Christians war >with Muslims, Muslims with Jews, Muslims

with Hindus, but Christians >war with Christians, and Muslims with Muslims,

over interpretations >of scripture! All religions speak of peace, but who lives

it? >Fundamentalism is rampant, and ignorance and arrogance go hand in >hand,

but what is needed in this world is a reverence for truth that >is bigger than

any book, a tolerance that transcends the boundaries >of belief, a faith that

embraces the universal, and a love that is >not bound by dogma. > >A Stoney

Indian, Tatanga Mani, said this; > >"Oh yes, I went to the white man's schools.

I learned to read from >schoolbooks, newspapers and the Bible. But in time I

found that >these >were not enough. Civilized people depend too much on man

made >printed >pages. I turn to the Great Spirit's book which is the whole of

His >creation. You can read a big part of that book if you study nature. >You

know, if I take all your books, lay them out under the sun, and >let the snow

and rain and insects work on them for a while, there >will be nothing left. But

the Great Spirit has provided you and me >with an opportunity for study in

nature's university, the forests, >the rivers, the mountains, and the animals,

which include us." >(Touch >the Earth, p. 106) > >---- Draft of essay by SD

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