Part historical narrative, part textual analysis, this book traces the development of American Indian literature from the seventeenth century to the eve of the Civil War. Bernd C. Peyer focuses on the lives and writings of four prominent Indian missionariesSamson Occom of the Mohegans, William Apess of the Pequots, Elias Boudinot of the Cherokees, and George Copway of the Ojibwaeach of whom struggled to negotiate a secure place between the imperatives of colonial rule and the rights of native peoples.
In the view of the English colonists and their descendants, Indian converts to Christianity were expected to repudiate native traditions and affirm the superiority of European civilization, to serve as role models, and to spread the gospel far into the wilderness. Yet as Bernd C. Peyer shows, Indian missionaries did not always fulfill the expectations of those who trained them. Once the Indians recognized that conversion alone did not guarantee protection from discrimination, they devised a variety of strategies, theological as well as practical, to resist assimilation into the dominant white culture. Making effective use of their literacy and education, they called attention to the discrepancy between the Protestant ideals they had been taught and the Anglo-American practices to which native people were subjected.
By uncovering this subtext of dissent and resistance, Peyer at once alters and enriches our understanding of the evolution of the American Indian literary tradition.

The Tutor'd Mind : Indian Missionary-Writers in Antebellum America

Bernd C. Peyer

Native Americans of the Northeast : culture, history, and the contemporary, Amherst [Mass, ©1997

Native Americans of the Northeast, Amherst, Massachusetts, 1997

United States, United States of America

First, First Edition, PS, 1997

1st trade pbk, 1997

Includes bibliographical references (p. 297-392) and index.

Part Historical Narrative, Part Textual Analysis, This Book Traces The Development Of American Indian Literature From The Seventeenth Century To The Eve Of The Civil War. Bernd C. Peyer Focuses On The Lives And Writings Of Four Prominent Indian Missionaries - Samson Occom Of The Mohegans, William Apess Of The Pequots, Elias Boudinot Of The Cherokees, And George Copway Of The Ojibwas - Each Of Whom Struggled To Negotiate A Secure Place Between The Imperatives Of Colonial Rule And The Rights Of Native Peoples. The Indian Writer And The Colonial Situation -- Forest Diplomats, Praying Indians, And Savage Scholars : Seventeenth-century Beginnings -- Samson Occom And The Vision Of A New England Christian Indian Polity -- William Apess, Pequot-mashpee Insurrectionist Of The Removal Era -- Elias Boudinot And The Cherokee Betrayal -- George Copway, Canadian Ojibwa Methodist And Romantic Cosmopolite -- The Transition Of American Indian Literature From Salvationism To Modernity. Bernd C. Peyer. Includes Bibliographical References (p. 297-392) And Index.

Part historical narrative and part textual analysis, this work traces the development of American Indian literature from the 17th century to the eve of the Civil War. The focus is on four prominent Indian missionaries who each struggled to secure a place between colonial rule and native rights.

A path-breaking account of early Native American strategies of assimilation and resistance

x, 420 p. : 24 cm
Includes bibliographical references (p. 297-392) and index

2023-06-28