Native Americans Christianity and the Reshaping of the American Religious Landscape

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.<br/><br/>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.<br/><br/>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.