Of Missionaries and Their Cattle: Ojibwa Perceptions of a Missionary as Evil Shaman

In the 1830s, the Ojibwa of Fond du Lac first encountered Euro-American missionaries. The relationship quickly became strained by missionary assaults on Ojibwa culture. Puzzled by the missionaries' contradictory actions, the Ojibwa concluded that the missionaries were spiritually powerful but m...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Ethnohistory 1994-04, Vol.41 (2), p.227-244
Main Author: KUGEL, R
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Algonkian languages
Animal husbandry
Attitudes
Cattle
Children
Christian missionaries
Christianity
Communities
Cultural relations
Diseases
Ethnology
History
Livestock
Magic, witchcraft
Missionaries
Native Americans
Native North Americans
Perceptions
Religion, magic, witchcraft
Shamans
Witchcraft
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Summary:In the 1830s, the Ojibwa of Fond du Lac first encountered Euro-American missionaries. The relationship quickly became strained by missionary assaults on Ojibwa culture. Puzzled by the missionaries' contradictory actions, the Ojibwa concluded that the missionaries were spiritually powerful but malevolent. Striking confirmation of missionary witchcraft occurred when an Ojibwa was charged by a missionary's cow. The article further examines Ojibwa attitudes toward domestic cattle and the ways Ojibwa perceptions of missionaries and cattle reinforced one another.
ISSN:0014-1801
1527-5477
DOI:10.2307/482833