Notes from Mission Among the Blackfeet by Howard L. Harrod
Table of Contents
Preface pg.vii
Introduction: Indian Missions And Social Change pg.xvii
Part I: Traditional Culture And Early Christian Missions pg.1
Chapter I: Buffalo Days pg.3
Chapter II: White Man’s Medicine pg.19
Chapter III: The Last Buffalo pg.39
Part II: Catholic Missions And Forced Acculturation pg.49
Chapter IV: Conflicts with the powers of Darkness pg.51
Chapter V: A Temporary Protestant Establishment pg.67
Chapter VI: Civilizing and Christianizing pg.82
Chapter VII: The Resistance of Satan pg.97
Part III: Protestant Missions Struggle For Identity pg.107
Chapter VIII: Short coats and Civilization
Chapter IX: The Church of the Little Sweet Pine pg.128
Chapter X: Short coats and Segregation pg.141
Part IV: The Shape of the present pg.153
Chapter XI: A Question of Social Justice pg.155
Chapter XII: Protestant and Catholic Responses pg.165
Conclusion pg.183
The Two Heritages Compared pg.185
Questions
What were the goals of the Methodists on the Blackfeet Reservation?
What was the Blackfeet response to being Civilized and Christianized?
What were the goals of the Catholics on the Blackfeet Reservation?
Introduction Indian Missions And Social Change pg.xviii
Representatives of Major Western Institutions.
1.The Fur Trader
2.The Indian Agent
3.The Soldier
4.The White Settler
5.The Missionary
Introduction Indian Missions And Social Change pg.xix
Two periods of history of Blackfeet relationship with white society.
1.Early decades of 1700’s to late 1870’s. This was the time of relative political, economic, cultural, and religious autonomy for the Blackfeet. From 1850 to the late 1870’s the Blackfeet main food source, the Buffalo, was destroyed and they became dependent upon white society operating through the soldier and the agent.
2.Late 1870’s to the present.
Began with the destruction of vast portions of traditional tribal culture and continues to
the present.
Questions
Why were the early decades of the 1700’s to late 1870’s a time of relative political, economic, cultural, and religious autonomy for the Blackfeet?
From 1850 to the late 1870’s how did the Blackfeet become dependent upon white society.
Starting in the late 1870’s and continuing to the present why were vast portions of the Blackfeet traditional culture destroyed?
Introduction Indian Missions And Social Change pg.xx-xxi
What were the anticipated and unanticipated consequences of the actions of the Missionaries for the Blackfeet?
Questions
What were the anticipated consequences of the actions of the Missionaries for the Blackfeet?
What were the unanticipated consequences of the actions of the Missionaries for the Blackfeet?
Why did Christian Missions have both a destructive and conservative influence on the Blackfeet?
Introduction Indian Missions And Social Change pg.xxi
Religion can be:
1.innovative
2.conservative
3.or destructive force in Human affairs
1.innovative-Mission churches may become the creative nuclei around which Indian life is innovatively reorganized.
2.conservative-missionary institutions may provide a needed center of social order and identity for Indians undergoing a rapid social change-a conservative, stabilizing function
3.destructive-missionaries may introduce innovations in ritual and ethics which are ultimately destructive for Indian life
Christian missions have been both destructive and conservative for the Blackfeet.
Buffalo Days pg.4
Blackfeet Men
Central economic activity was hunting. Only men could be hunters. Boys at age ten had to go on hunts where he would learn to hunt. By his teens he usually learned everything he needed to know to be a hunter. Men were expected to be generous to:
1.poor families
2.the aged
3.families without an able hunter
Blackfoot society condemned the stingy man and rewarded the generous one with social status and political power.
Blackfeet Social Institutions
Centered on the character and movements of the Buffalo. Celebrated the values associated with the hunt.
Blackfeet Political Institutions
Reflected the necessities of the hunt.
Blackfeet Economic Institutions
Hunting. Mainly Buffalo. Reflected the necessities of the hunt.
Blackfeet Religious Institutions
Buffalo was the source of life.
Buffalo Days pg.5
Blackfeet Political Organization
Was formed by the nature of the hunting economy, had to be small enough to make sustenance possible and large enough to make the hunt successful. The band chief was the political leader.
In order to become a band chief you had to:
1.have a impressive war record
2.be generous
3.preserve peace in the group
4.arbitrate conflicts in the camp
Ridicule was used by the group to control cases of personal misconduct.
Blackfeet Women
To become an attractive wife the skills Blackfeet women had to learn were:
1.the dressing of Buffalo hides
2.the making of clothing and lodges
3.the preparation of food
Buffalo Days pg.6
The life of the Blackfeet involved four periods:
1.the season of winter camp
2.the spring hunting and root-gathering season
3.the summer hunting and sun dance season
4.the fall hunting and berry-gathering season
Blackfeet Tribal Chief
Tended to be hereditarily chosen.
Only during summer camp did he have extensive political power and even then was only chairman of a tribal council composed of Band Chiefs.
The Blackfeet bands only came together during the summer hunt and the sun dance season. When they did they formed a Tribal Council with a Tribal Chief as the leader. Decisions were made through discussion and consensus. Each band leader was heard from before a decision was made. This was done to prevent inequality of power or control by a single person.
Catholic Priests
Father Giorda
Father Imoda 1875
Father Prando 1875
Conflicts with the powers of darkness pg.65
What the priests could not possible grasp were the unintentional consequences of their activities, for their attacks on traditional culture tended to weaken Blackfoot life even further and in a tragic way contributed to the historical forces which were destroying the Indian world.
Civilizing And Christianizing pg.93
Their attempt to Christianize the Blackfeet was destructive as well as constructive. Their efforts were destructive because they further undermined social order without fully convincing the Indians to adopt Western culture and constructive because Holy Family Mission became a center of order and meaningful activity for Indians who came deeply under its influence.
Table of Contents
Preface pg.vii
Introduction: Indian Missions And Social Change pg.xvii
Part I: Traditional Culture And Early Christian Missions pg.1
Chapter I: Buffalo Days pg.3
Chapter II: White Man’s Medicine pg.19
Chapter III: The Last Buffalo pg.39
Part II: Catholic Missions And Forced Acculturation pg.49
Chapter IV: Conflicts with the powers of Darkness pg.51
Chapter V: A Temporary Protestant Establishment pg.67
Chapter VI: Civilizing and Christianizing pg.82
Chapter VII: The Resistance of Satan pg.97
Part III: Protestant Missions Struggle For Identity pg.107
Chapter VIII: Short coats and Civilization
Chapter IX: The Church of the Little Sweet Pine pg.128
Chapter X: Short coats and Segregation pg.141
Part IV: The Shape of the present pg.153
Chapter XI: A Question of Social Justice pg.155
Chapter XII: Protestant and Catholic Responses pg.165
Conclusion pg.183
The Two Heritages Compared pg.185
Questions
What were the goals of the Methodists on the Blackfeet Reservation?
What was the Blackfeet response to being Civilized and Christianized?
What were the goals of the Catholics on the Blackfeet Reservation?
Introduction Indian Missions And Social Change pg.xviii
Representatives of Major Western Institutions.
1.The Fur Trader
2.The Indian Agent
3.The Soldier
4.The White Settler
5.The Missionary
Introduction Indian Missions And Social Change pg.xix
Two periods of history of Blackfeet relationship with white society.
1.Early decades of 1700’s to late 1870’s. This was the time of relative political, economic, cultural, and religious autonomy for the Blackfeet. From 1850 to the late 1870’s the Blackfeet main food source, the Buffalo, was destroyed and they became dependent upon white society operating through the soldier and the agent.
2.Late 1870’s to the present.
Began with the destruction of vast portions of traditional tribal culture and continues to
the present.
Questions
Why were the early decades of the 1700’s to late 1870’s a time of relative political, economic, cultural, and religious autonomy for the Blackfeet?
From 1850 to the late 1870’s how did the Blackfeet become dependent upon white society.
Starting in the late 1870’s and continuing to the present why were vast portions of the Blackfeet traditional culture destroyed?
Introduction Indian Missions And Social Change pg.xx-xxi
What were the anticipated and unanticipated consequences of the actions of the Missionaries for the Blackfeet?
Questions
What were the anticipated consequences of the actions of the Missionaries for the Blackfeet?
What were the unanticipated consequences of the actions of the Missionaries for the Blackfeet?
Why did Christian Missions have both a destructive and conservative influence on the Blackfeet?
Introduction Indian Missions And Social Change pg.xxi
Religion can be:
1.innovative
2.conservative
3.or destructive force in Human affairs
1.innovative-Mission churches may become the creative nuclei around which Indian life is innovatively reorganized.
2.conservative-missionary institutions may provide a needed center of social order and identity for Indians undergoing a rapid social change-a conservative, stabilizing function
3.destructive-missionaries may introduce innovations in ritual and ethics which are ultimately destructive for Indian life
Christian missions have been both destructive and conservative for the Blackfeet.
Buffalo Days pg.4
Blackfeet Men
Central economic activity was hunting. Only men could be hunters. Boys at age ten had to go on hunts where he would learn to hunt. By his teens he usually learned everything he needed to know to be a hunter. Men were expected to be generous to:
1.poor families
2.the aged
3.families without an able hunter
Blackfoot society condemned the stingy man and rewarded the generous one with social status and political power.
Blackfeet Social Institutions
Centered on the character and movements of the Buffalo. Celebrated the values associated with the hunt.
Blackfeet Political Institutions
Reflected the necessities of the hunt.
Blackfeet Economic Institutions
Hunting. Mainly Buffalo. Reflected the necessities of the hunt.
Blackfeet Religious Institutions
Buffalo was the source of life.
Buffalo Days pg.5
Blackfeet Political Organization
Was formed by the nature of the hunting economy, had to be small enough to make sustenance possible and large enough to make the hunt successful. The band chief was the political leader.
In order to become a band chief you had to:
1.have a impressive war record
2.be generous
3.preserve peace in the group
4.arbitrate conflicts in the camp
Ridicule was used by the group to control cases of personal misconduct.
Blackfeet Women
To become an attractive wife the skills Blackfeet women had to learn were:
1.the dressing of Buffalo hides
2.the making of clothing and lodges
3.the preparation of food
Buffalo Days pg.6
The life of the Blackfeet involved four periods:
1.the season of winter camp
2.the spring hunting and root-gathering season
3.the summer hunting and sun dance season
4.the fall hunting and berry-gathering season
Blackfeet Tribal Chief
Tended to be hereditarily chosen.
Only during summer camp did he have extensive political power and even then was only chairman of a tribal council composed of Band Chiefs.
The Blackfeet bands only came together during the summer hunt and the sun dance season. When they did they formed a Tribal Council with a Tribal Chief as the leader. Decisions were made through discussion and consensus. Each band leader was heard from before a decision was made. This was done to prevent inequality of power or control by a single person.
Catholic Priests
Father Giorda
Father Imoda 1875
Father Prando 1875
Conflicts with the powers of darkness pg.65
What the priests could not possible grasp were the unintentional consequences of their activities, for their attacks on traditional culture tended to weaken Blackfoot life even further and in a tragic way contributed to the historical forces which were destroying the Indian world.
Civilizing And Christianizing pg.93
Their attempt to Christianize the Blackfeet was destructive as well as constructive. Their efforts were destructive because they further undermined social order without fully convincing the Indians to adopt Western culture and constructive because Holy Family Mission became a center of order and meaningful activity for Indians who came deeply under its influence.
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