The Bible in Native American Literature
For at least a century the Bible played a significant, positive role in Native American letters starting with the eighteenth-century writings of Samson Occom. A product of the Great Awakening, Occom’s engagements with the Bible resembled those of other Protestant thinkers and writers of his time, al...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2022-11-01
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| Series: | Religions |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2077-1444/13/11/1120 |
| _version_ | 1797464068437573632 |
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| author | Scott Richard Lyons |
| author_facet | Scott Richard Lyons |
| author_sort | Scott Richard Lyons |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | For at least a century the Bible played a significant, positive role in Native American letters starting with the eighteenth-century writings of Samson Occom. A product of the Great Awakening, Occom’s engagements with the Bible resembled those of other Protestant thinkers and writers of his time, although his sermons were sometimes specifically tailored for Indian audiences and topics. After Occom, Indian authors in the nineteenth century such as Elias Boudinot and William Apess drew upon the Bible to make arguments against removal and “scientific racism.” In the twentieth century writers like Zitkala-Ša and Charles Alexander Eastman cast a critical eye on Christianity and reconsidered the virtues of traditionalism. John G. Neihardt’s <i>Black Elk Speaks</i> (1932) was the century’s fullest literary depiction of a traditional religion, but it came at the cost of concealing Black Elk’s actual religion, Catholicism. During the 1960s and 70s oral tradition was privileged over sacred scripture, as seen in N. Scott Momaday’s <i>House Made of Dawn</i> (1968). While the Bible makes fewer appearances than it used to in Native American literature, it would be premature to suggest that Christianity is finished in Indian country. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-09T18:02:39Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-1295b3b0794445bca8f8786caf385ceb |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2077-1444 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-09T18:02:39Z |
| publishDate | 2022-11-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Religions |
| spelling | doaj.art-1295b3b0794445bca8f8786caf385ceb2023-11-24T09:47:47ZengMDPI AGReligions2077-14442022-11-011311112010.3390/rel13111120The Bible in Native American LiteratureScott Richard Lyons0Department of English Language and Literature, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USAFor at least a century the Bible played a significant, positive role in Native American letters starting with the eighteenth-century writings of Samson Occom. A product of the Great Awakening, Occom’s engagements with the Bible resembled those of other Protestant thinkers and writers of his time, although his sermons were sometimes specifically tailored for Indian audiences and topics. After Occom, Indian authors in the nineteenth century such as Elias Boudinot and William Apess drew upon the Bible to make arguments against removal and “scientific racism.” In the twentieth century writers like Zitkala-Ša and Charles Alexander Eastman cast a critical eye on Christianity and reconsidered the virtues of traditionalism. John G. Neihardt’s <i>Black Elk Speaks</i> (1932) was the century’s fullest literary depiction of a traditional religion, but it came at the cost of concealing Black Elk’s actual religion, Catholicism. During the 1960s and 70s oral tradition was privileged over sacred scripture, as seen in N. Scott Momaday’s <i>House Made of Dawn</i> (1968). While the Bible makes fewer appearances than it used to in Native American literature, it would be premature to suggest that Christianity is finished in Indian country.https://www.mdpi.com/2077-1444/13/11/1120Native AmericanChristianitythe BibleSamson OccomElias Boudinot (Cherokee)William Apess |
| spellingShingle | Scott Richard Lyons The Bible in Native American Literature Religions Native American Christianity the Bible Samson Occom Elias Boudinot (Cherokee) William Apess |
| title | The Bible in Native American Literature |
| title_full | The Bible in Native American Literature |
| title_fullStr | The Bible in Native American Literature |
| title_full_unstemmed | The Bible in Native American Literature |
| title_short | The Bible in Native American Literature |
| title_sort | bible in native american literature |
| topic | Native American Christianity the Bible Samson Occom Elias Boudinot (Cherokee) William Apess |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2077-1444/13/11/1120 |
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