Unaffected by the Gospel: Osage Resistance to the Christian Invasion, 1673-1906, A Cultural Victory
Author(s): W.H. Rollings (Author)
Publisher: University of New Mexico Press
Publication Date: 1 Oct. 2004
Language: English
Print length: 243 pages
ISBN-10: 0826335578
ISBN-13: 9780826335579
Book Description
The Osage were fierce warriors who seized control of most of present-day Missouri and Arkansas in conflicts with other tribes. Against Euro-American invaders, however, they adopted non-violent resistance. Even though their territory steadily diminished, and the tribe was relocated to a small strip in northern Oklahoma, the tribe’s cultural and religious beliefs and practices survived. Willard Hughes Rollings’ claims Osage non-violent resistance was a successful strategy for cultural preservation. By avoiding war, they avoided military defeat and were better able to minimise the compromises forced upon them. Living among competing colonial powers, they successfully manipulated imperial rivalries. For most of the nineteenth century, the Osage were the targets of intense missionary activity, part of the American goal to relocate and ‘civilise’ them. Here, too, the tactic of passive resistance served them well. Earlier scholars claimed that while the Protestant missionaries failed in their efforts to convert the Osage, the Jesuits succeeded. Rollings shows, however, that neither Protestants nor Catholics had any real success in converting the Osage to Euro-American Christianity.
Editorial Reviews
Review
…”Rollings provides readers with an engaging and thoughtful book that should appeal to anyone interested in the interactions between Osages and missionaries in the nineteenth century.”
“”Unaffected by the Gospel” is a readable synthesis that provides an adequate introduction to the subject.”
“ÝRollings¨ has written an interesting account of the Osage Nation, tracing the effects of colonial contact and conquest.”
“An excellent piece of research, well told. Recommended.”
“Rollings has produced a thoughtful work.”
“Rollings has written a compelling and accessible book that will alter perspectives on the Osages.”
“Rollings presents an extremely informative synopsis of Osage diplomatic history from the earliest French contact to lay the background for the nineteenth-century missions.”
“Rollings’ work is an important addition to Osage studies.”
“This is more than a study on how the Osage Indians resisted efforts to “civilize” them through Christianity. It is also an explanation of how and why they adopted a policy of nonviolent resitence. . . While scholarly, “Unaffected by the Gospel” will also appeal to the general reader.”
From the Inside Flap
Rollings shows how the Osages’ passive resistance to missionaries’ attempts to Christianize them helped preserve their culture and religious beliefs.
From the Back Cover
Rollings shows how the Osages’ passive resistance to missionaries’ attempts to Christianize them helped preserve their culture and religious beliefs.
About the Author
Willard Hughes Rollings, a Cherokee, is associate professor of history at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas.
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