Faith and Boundaries: Colonists, Christianity, and Community among the Wampanoag Indians of Martha's Vineyard, 1600-1871 / Edition 1

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.

ISBN-13: 9780521706957

Media Type: Paperback

Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Publication Date: 06-11-2007

Pages: 328

Product Dimensions: 5.98(w) x 9.02(h) x 0.75(d)

Series: Studies in North American Indian History

David J. Silverman is Associate Professor of History at the George Washington University. His several articles include 'Indians, Missionaries, and Religious Translation', which won the Lester J. Cappon award for best essay of 2005 in the William and Mary Quarterly. He completed this book as a Mellon Post-Dissertation Fellow at the American Antiquarian Society.

Table of Contents

Introduction: Epenow's lessons; 1. 'Here comes the Englishman'; 2. To become all things to all men; 3. The Lord tests the righteous; 4. Deposing the Sachem to defend the Sachemship; 5. Leading values; 6. The costs of debt; 7. 'Newcomers and strangers'; Conclusion: fencing in, fencing out.