Red Jacket Defends Native American Religion Against Christian Missionaries
Red Jacket Defends Native American Religion, 1805
by Red Jacket
The Senecas, members of the Iroquois Confederacy, fought on the side of the British in the American Revolution. Red Jacket, also known as Sagoyewatha, was a chief and orator born in eastern New York; he derived his English name from his habit of wearing many red coats provided to him by his British allies. After the hostilities, as the British ceded their territories to the Americans, the Senecas and many other Indian peoples faced enormous pressure on their homelands. Red Jacket was a critical mediator in relations between the new U.S. government and the Senecas; he led a delegation that met with George Washington in 1792, when he received a peace medal that appeared in subsequent portraits of the Indian leader. In 1805 a Boston missionary society requested Red Jacket’s permission to proselytize among the Iroquois settlements in northern New York State. Red Jacket’s forceful defense of native religion, below, caused the representative to refuse the Indian’s handshake and announce that no fellowship could exist between the religion of God and the works of the Devil.
Friend and brother; it was the will of the Great Spirit that we should meet together this day. He orders all things, and he has given us a fine day for our council. He has taken his garment from before the sun, and caused it to shine with brightness upon us; our eyes are opened, that we see clearly; our ears are unstopped, that we have been able to hear distinctly the words that you have spoken; for all these favors we thank the Great Spirit, and him only.
Brother, this council fire was kindled by you; it was at your request that we came together at this time; we have listened with attention to what you have said. You requested us to speak our minds freely; this gives us great joy, for we now consider that we stand upright before you, and can speak what we think; all have heard your voice, and all speak to you as one man; our minds are agreed.
Brother, you say you want an answer to your talk before you leave this place. It is right you should have one, as you are a great distance from home, and we do not wish to detain you; but we will first look back a little, and tell you what our fathers have told us, and what we have heard from the white people.
Brother, listen to what we say. There was a time when our forefathers owned this great island. Their seats extended from the rising to the setting sun. The Great Spirit had made it for the use of Indians. He had created the buffalo, the deer, and other animals for food. He made the bear and the beaver, and their skins served us for clothing. He had scattered them over the country, and taught us how to take them. He had caused the earth to produce corn for bread. All this he had done for his red children because he loved them. If we had any disputes about hunting grounds, they were generally settled without the shedding of much blood. But an evil day came upon us; your forefathers crossed the great waters, and landed on this island. Their numbers were small; they found friends, and not enemies; they told us they had fled from their own country for fear of wicked men, and come here to enjoy their religion. They asked for a small seat; we took pity on them, granted their request, and they sat down amongst us; we gave them corn and meat; they gave us poison in return. The white people had now found our country; tidings were carried back, and more came amongst us; yet we did not fear them, we took them to be friends; they called us brothers; we believed them, and gave them a larger seat. At length, their numbers had greatly increased; they wanted more land; they wanted our country. Our eyes were opened, and our minds became uneasy. Wars took place; Indians were hired to fight against Indians, and many of our people were destroyed. They also brought strong liquor among us; it was strong and powerful, and has slain thousands.
Brother, our seats were once large, and yours were very small; you have now become a great people, and we have scarcely a place left to spread our blankets; you have got our country, but are not satisfied; you want to force your religion upon us.
Brother, continue to listen. You say you are sent to instruct us how to worship the Great Spirit agreeably to his mind, and if we do not take hold of the religion which you white people teach, we shall be unhappy hereafter. You say that you are right, and we are lost; how do we know this to be true? We understand that your religion is written in a book; if it was intended for us as well as you, why has not the Great Spirit given it to us, and not only to us, but why did he not give to our forefathers the knowledge of that book, with the means of understanding it rightly? We only know what you tell us about it. How shall we know when to believe, being so often deceived by the white people?
Brother, you say there is but one way to worship and serve the Great Spirit; if there is but one religion, why do you white people differ so much about it? Why not all agree, as you can all read the book?
Brother, we do not understand these things. We are told that your religion was given to your forefathers, and has been handed down from father to son. We also have a religion which was given to our forefathers, and has been handed down to us their children. We worship that way. It teacheth us to be thankful for all the favors we receive; to love each other, and to be united. We never quarrel about religion.
Brother, the Great Spirit has made us all; but he has made a great difference between his white and red children; he has given us a different complexion, and different customs; to you he has given the arts; to these he has not opened our eyes; we know these things to be true. Since he has made so great a difference between us in other things, why may we not conclude that he has given us a different religion according to our understanding. The Great Spirit does right; he knows what is best for his children; we are satisfied.
Brother, we do not wish to destroy your religion, or take it from you; we only want to enjoy our own.
Brother, you say you have not come to get our land or our money, but to enlighten our minds. I will now tell you that I have been at your meetings, and saw you collecting money from the meeting. I cannot tell what this money was intended for, but suppose it was for your minister; and if we should conform to your way of thinking, perhaps you may want some from us.
Brother, we are told that you have been preaching to the white people in this place. These people are our neighbors; we are acquainted with them; we will wait, a little while and see what effect your preaching has upon them. If we find it does them good, makes them honest and less disposed to cheat Indians, we will then consider again what you have said.
Brother, you have now heard our answer to your talk, and this is all we have to say at present. As we are going to part, we will come and take you by the hand, and hope the Great Spirit will protect you on your journey, and return you safe to your friends.
Source: Daniel Drake, Lives of Celebrated American Indians, Boston, Bradbury, Soden & Co. 1843), 283–87.
Tags
Who is online
149 visitors
It's a good lesson for those that choose to proselytize.
He's right, too.
I truly believe that faith is a personal decision and no one should bother another with their faith, or lack thereof. If they hear a calling and want to follow it, more power to them. But if they have their own faith, or belief, they should be left alone in peace and not be put upon by another's faith. You have the right to think my beliefs are wrong, but you don't have the right to force your beliefs on me.
That is how I feel about proselytizing.
Exactly Perrie.
In the Cherokee Tribe, it is the woman of the household who decides how the family will worship the Creator. They, too, believed that how a person worships is a personal thing, and no one in the Tribe was allowed to criticize, belittle or interfere with how others worshiped.
There were, of course, traditional sacred religious ceremonies conducted by the Shaman or Medicine Man, but, each household was free to worship the Creator in their own way.
The reason why any criticism or interference with how the members of a household worshiped was forbidden was to maintain peace and harmony within the Tribe. Harmony was a very important part of Tribal life.
Exactly RW.
In the Ojibwe and Three Fire Nations the Creator is called the ''Great Mystery'', it has no color nor gender. We do not have bibles, churches, statues, painting etc.
Each worships in their own way, at their own time and place.
There are no rules on days, times weeks to become one with nature which is the Great Mysteries gift to man.
Another thing is that we do not proselytize. It is our belief that each person has the right to make their own choice or no choice at all.
Yes.....it is as you said with the Cherokee as well. The Cherokee name for the Creator is Ye Ho Waah, who is a Spirit with no actual form. There are also none of the material things that you mentioned, bibles, holy books, churches, etc. One is free to worship and pray wherever and whenever they choose to be one with Ye Ho Waah.
It is not where you are that matters, it is what is in your heart.
Kavika did you get an incite to NT group?
Invite
No I didn't Eagle.
ok Thanks A Mac got it but he is having trouble with finding the Chat Groups, see what you can do
This article reads like proselytizing to me since I don't belive in a great spirit. He makes the claim a great spirit created us all but provides no evidence to back up his claim.
Dean, he is posing to the missionaries that he doesn't needs their relgion, they have there own.
This has nothing to do whether there is a God/Creator or not. I though that you could figure that out.
This has nothing to do whether their is a God/Creator or not. I though that you could figure that out.
He can figure it out. He's trying to one-up another NT member.
''He can figure it out. He's trying to one-up another NT member.''
Well it was a complete fail on his part.
"UnChristian Christians" existed long before they met and slaughtered Native Americans. And they still exist today.
It's important to underscore their practice of hatred while preaching love. Good seed.
The old saying, ''practice what you preach'' peace, love and tolerance is in many cases is cast aside in favor of ''do as I say, not as I do''...
It's worse than that. "UnChristian Christians", perhaps aware of the risk of blatant absurdity, no longer preach "love". They preach things like "the power of God"... which have strictly nothing to do with Christ...
Sadly that is true, Bob.