This book examines how the Wamapanoag Indians' adoption of Christianity and other selective borrowing from English culture contributed to Indian/English coexistence and the long-term survival of Wamapanoag communities on the island of Martha's Vineyard, even as the racial barrier between peoples grew more rigid. On an island marked by centralized English authority, missionary commitment, and an Indian majority, the Wampanoags' adaptation to English culture, especially Christianity, checked violence while safeguarding their land, community, and ironically, even customs. Yet the colonists' exploitation of Indian land and labor exposed the limits of Christian fellowship and thus hardened racial division.
Author(s): David J. Silverman
Series: Cambridge Studies in North American Indian History
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Year: 2005
Language: English
Pages: 328
City: Cambridge
Cover
Title
Copyright
Dedication
Contents
Maps, Tables, and Figures
Maps
Tables
Figures
Abbreviations
Preface
Do Good Walls Make Good Neighbors?
Introduction
Epenow's Lessons
1. "Here Comes the Englishman"
I
II
III
IV
V
2. To Become All Things to All Men
I
II
III
III
3. The Lord Tests the Righteous
I
II
III
IV
V
VI
VII
VIII
4. Deposing the Sachem to Defend the Sachemship
I
II
III
IV
V
VI
5. Leading Values
I
II
III
IV
V
VI
6. The Costs of Debt
I
II
III
IV
V
7. "Newcomers and Strangers"
I
II
III
IV
Conclusion: Fencing In, Fencing Out
Appendix A: The Population of Martha’sVineyard
Sources: Appendix A
Appendix A: explanation of figures
Appendix B: A CrossComparison of Official Descriptions of the RaceComplexion of Marthas Vineyard Indians
Index
