American Christianity in Relation to the Cherokee people

                 The relationship between Native American tribes and those who settled in the New World was complicated from the very first interaction. As far as religious integration of these tribes there was a truly concerted effort by white settlers to share their faith with native peoples living near them. Looking particularly at the Cherokee Nation and the proselytizing of the tribes people we see two groups vying for the attention of the people more than any others. American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions (ABCFM) and the Baptist Board of Foreign Missions (BBFM) worked consistently to win hearts and influence people.

Many various methods were utilized to bring about conversions. In the Memoir of Catharine Brown : a Christian Indian of the Cherokee nation, one can read about the work of the ABCFM within one particular woman’s life. Catherine Brown had the opportunity to attend a school which was established by the ABCFM. Her experience was one which was repeated over and over again across the country as various denominations worked tirelessly to exposing native peoples to the word of the gospel. 

It was not just through the establishment of schools which these organizations hoped to gains converts to Christ. A major accomplishment was the creation of Cherokee Hymn books. While there was of course an effort to education the Cherokee people and to specifically encourage the use and understanding of the English Language, it was an enormous benefit to providing hymns in their native tongue. This showed the importance of the soul over civility since use of the English language and alphabet was considered far superior to the language of the natives. The fourth edition of the Cherokee Hymns was produced in 1833. This period seems to be one of high activity in the pursuit of converts from the various tribal groups by numerous denominations. The thirty-six different hymns included in this particular book would have allowed the Cherokee people to worship in their own language and marks a significant shift to meeting people where they were. 

Other early writings speak of the consistent effort these ministers made to reach the Cherokee tribes. In Letters and Conversations on the Cherokee Mission, one can read of the repeated efforts which were made to establish a school near Springplace. While the minister was rejected year after year he was able to form relationships with the chiefs. This eventually resulted in not just the ability to establish a school but in the very gift of the land to the missionaries.

Yet even with the establishment of the settlement and the school it is evident that the relationship between the Cherokee and the missionaries was on shaky ground. Quite literally shaky ground, as after a series of earthquakes the Chiefs gathered to lay the blame for such natural events at the feet of the white settlers. Trust was clearly a fluid and volatile element in the relationship between these two groups. 

While it is simple to consider Christianity in the new American nation from the settlers perspective, it is also important to consider those who came to Christ because of the ministry of these new settlers. There are often misunderstandings and misrepresentations of the efforts of mission groups in the evangelization of native tribes, and unbiased investigation into the lived experiences of these individuals can go far to set the historical record straight. 

Sources:

Anderson, Rufus. Memoir of Catharine Brown : a Christian Indian of the Cherokee nation, 3rd                     

    ed. Boston ; New York: Crocker and Brewster ; Jonathan Leavitt, 1828. Sabin Americana:         

    History of the Americas, 1500-1926 (accessed February 2, 2023). 

    https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/CY0110402315/SABN?u=vic_liberty&sid=bookmark-

    SABN&xid=8adf7c61&pg=8.

Hancock, Jonathan. "Shaken Spirits: Cherokees, Moravian Missionaries, and the New Madrid 

    Earthquakes." Journal of the Early Republic 33, no. 4 (Winter, 2013): 643-73, 

    https://go.openathens.net/redirector/liberty.edu?url=https://www.proquest.com/scholarly-

    journals/shaken-spirits-cherokees-moravian-missionaries/docview/1476214605/se-2.

McLoughlin, William G.. The Cherokees and Christianity, 1794- 1870: Essays on Acculturation 

    and Cultural Persistence. University of Georgia Press, 2008. 

Tuttle, Sarah, and Massachusetts Sabbath School Society. Committee of Publication. Letters and 

    conversations on the Cherokee mission. Vol. 2. Boston: Printed by T. R. Marvin, for the 

    Massachusetts Sabbath School Union, and sold at their Depository, 1830. Sabin Americana: 

    History of the Americas, 1500-1926 (accessed February 2, 2023). 

    https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/CY0110779199/SABN?u=vic_liberty&sid=bookmark-

    SABN&xid=703e6c91&pg=31.

Worcester, Samuel Austin, and Elias Boudinot. Cherokee hymns compiled from several authors and 

    revised, 4th ed. New Echota [Ga.]: J.F. Wheeler and J. Candy, printers, 1833. Sabin 

    Americana: History of the Americas, 1500-1926 (accessed February 2, 2023). 

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    SABN&xid=2f3b46c0&pg=5.