This volume brings together for the first time the known writings of the pioneering Native American religious and political leader, intellectual, and author, Samson Occom (Mohegan; 1723-1792). The largest surviving archive of American Indian writing before Charles Eastman (Santee Sioux; 1858-1939), Occom's writings offer unparalleled views into a Native American intellectual and cultural universe in the era of colonialization and the early United States. His letters, sermons, journals, prose, petitions, and hymns--many of them never before published--document the emergence of pantribal political consciousness among the Native peoples of New England as well as Native efforts to adapt Christianity as a tool of decolonialization. Presenting previously unpublished and newly recovered writings, this collection more than doubles available Native American writing from before 1800.

Excerpt from Samson Occom and the Christian Indians of New England At the memorial services on the reinterment of Isaac Paris, Prof. Edward North, L. H. D., of Hamilton College, expressed the following sentiment: "After this day's memorial has been completed, an effort should be made to find the lost grave of Rev. Samson Occum, whose fame as a fervid Indian preacher lives in the early history and traditions of Oneida county." These words came to the author's notice as he was examining a portion of Occom's diary among the manuscripts of the Connecticut Historical Society. In this he found reasons to believe that an Indian cemetery was located on the farm of Occom's brother-in-law, David Fowler, where most naturally the famous Mohegan would rest. A class reunion shortly afterwards made it convenient to visit Deansville, N. Y., June 20, 1893, when the early burial-place of the Christian Indians was discovered. Out of the interest then kindled this volume has grown. Samson Occom will always be regarded as the most famous Christian Indian of New England. Hitherto he has been but dimly known. Herein we have written the story of his life, woven as it is into Indian history, and particularly into the fortunes of that tribe which he created and named. We are able thus to follow these Indians in detail from barbarism along the trail of civilization for a century and three quarters, an opportunity which is afforded by no other North American Indians. Our historical resources have been almost wholly unprinted manuscripts. These are widely scattered, and in some cases have been unexplored by historians. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.

In this interdisciplinary collection of essays, Joel W. Martin and Mark A. Nicholas gather emerging and leading voices in the study of Native American religion to reconsider the complex and often misunderstood history of Native peoples' engagement with Christianity and with Euro-American missionaries. Surveying mission encounters from contact through the mid-nineteenth century, the volume alters and enriches our understanding of both American Christianity and indigenous religion. The essays here explore a variety of postcontact identities, including indigenous Christians, "mission friendly" non-Christians, and ex-Christians, thereby exploring the shifting world of Native-white cultural and religious exchange. Rather than questioning the authenticity of Native Christian experiences, these scholars reveal how indigenous peoples negotiated change with regard to missions, missionaries, and Christianity. This collection challenges the pervasive stereotype of Native Americans as culturally static and ill-equipped to navigate the roiling currents associated with colonialism and missionization. The contributors are Emma Anderson, Joanna Brooks, Steven W. Hackel, Tracy Neal Leavelle, Daniel Mandell, Joel W. Martin, Michael D. McNally, Mark A. Nicholas, Michelene Pesantubbee, David J. Silverman, Laura M. Stevens, Rachel Wheeler, Douglas L. Winiarski, and Hilary E. Wyss.