The Heavens Are Changing: Nineteenth-Century Protestant Missions and Tsimshian ChristianityIn The Heavens Are Changing Susan Neylan offers a fresh perspective on Aboriginal encounters with Protestant missions, exploring how the Tsimshian in nineteenth-century British Columbia took an active and important role in shaping forms of Christianity and, in turn, were shaped by them. She examines the nature of Protestant missions in their first generation on the north coast of British Columbia (1857-1901), focusing on the Aboriginal roles in Christianization. She pays special attention to the Euro-Canadian missionary perspective, the viewpoints of First Nations themselves, and particular events that illuminate the negotiation of Christian identities, such as forms of worship, naming practices, and mission housing. While the Euro-Canadian record dominates historical missionary sources, Aboriginal writings illustrate both a genuine evangelicalism and an indigenized Christianity. Christian meanings were constantly challenged from both within and without the mission context through revivalism and group evangelism. Neylan interprets the relationship forged between the Tsimshian and Euro-Canadian missionaries as a dialogue, although not necessarily a mutually beneficial one. The process by which power was unequally distributed through missionization exposes the extent to which the social and cultural meanings of Tsimshian daily life were contested and negotiated in encounters with Christianity. |
Contents
The Spiritual Dimensions of Tsimshian Culture | 27 |
Driftwood on Their Shores and the Mission to Convert | 45 |
Proselytizing from within The Native Christian and Catechist | 77 |
Until the Gospel Came and Lifted Her Perspectives on Christian Native Women and Families | 105 |
Native Missionaries | 128 |
The Selfreflections of Arthur Wellington Clah | 161 |
Prophets Revivals and Evangelists | 175 |
The Politics of Everyday Life | 210 |
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Aboriginal Arthur Wellington Clah AWCJ Bini British Columbia Canadian chiefs Chris Church Army Church of Canada Clah's Clan and Society Coast Tsimshian colonial context conversion crests Dudoward Euro-Canadian missionaries European evangelical evangelists example faith Garfield Guédon halaayt heathen heaven History Ibid Images Indian indigenous individual interpreted Jay Miller Jesus journals Kitamaat Legaic Ligeex Margaret Seguin Anderson Marius Barbeau Methodist Church Methodist mission Metlakatla names narrative Nass River Nations Native catechists Native Christians Native missionaries Native women naxnox nineteenth century Nis'akx Nisga'a non-Native North Coast North Pacific Coast Northwest Coast perspective Port Simpson potlatch preaching Press Prophet Dance region religion religious revival role Salvation Army Seguin Anderson shamans shian Skeena River social symbolic Thomas Crosby tion Toronto totem poles traditional transformation Tsim Tsimshian Christians Tsimshian Clan Tsimshian Culture Tsimshian society University of British upper Skeena Vancouver Victoria village William Beynon William Duncan William Henry Pierce
Popular passages
Page 24 - Indeed, it is in discourse that power and knowledge are joined together. And for this very reason, we must conceive discourse as a series of discontinuous segments whose tactical function is neither uniform nor stable.
Page 4 - That is just the outline. It was uttered in a most pathetic, eloquent, and solemn manner. Having said this little prayer, he looked at me, thanked me for coming. Then he began to dance, and the Indians began a chant, clapping their hands.