Capture These Indians for the Lord: Indians, Methodists, and Oklahomans, 1844-1939
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | 4.24 (903 Votes) |
| Asin | : | 0816530882 |
| Format Type | : | paperback |
| Number of Pages | : | 256 Pages |
| Publish Date | : | 2016-01-10 |
| Language | : | English |
DESCRIPTION:
“Immersing oneself deeply in state, federal, and church archives requires much nerve and self-discipline, which always produces new visions of a complex, often neglected past. Tash Smith accomplishes this in his deeply researched book.”—Robert Keller, author of American Indians and National Parks
"A very thorough and an interesting look at one aspect of Oklahoma history" according to AzaleaRill. Covering such areas as the difficulties of preaching through an Indian interpreter, the attitude toward peyote use, and the reluctance of Indian congregations to assimilate, this book discusses the many aspects of Southern Methodist missionary work that occurred in Indian Territory before and after Oklahoma statehood.Tash Smith uses readable language and does the subject of the Southern Methodist Indian Mission Conference in Oklahoma full justice. At one point, I became so interested in an anecdote and the facts surrounding it that I
Throughout, Smith explores the complex relationships between white and Indian community members and how these phenomena shaped Methodist churches in the twentieth century.. In Capture These Indians for the Lord, Tash Smith traces the trajectory of the Southern Methodist Church in Oklahoma when it was at the frontlines of the relentless push toward western expansion. When the white population of Indian Territory increased and Native sovereignty came under siege during the allotment era of the 1890s, white communities marginalized Indians within the Church and exploited elements of mission work for their own benefit. Although many Native people accepted the missionaries’ religious practices, Smith shows how individuals found ways to reconcile the Methodist force with their traditional cultural practices. In 1844, on the heels of the final wave of the forced removal of thousands of Indians from the southern United States to what is now Oklahoma, the Southern Methodist Church created a separate organization known as the Indian Mission Conference to oversee its missionary efforts among the Native communities of Indian Territory. L