“Praying Indians”

English missionary work had differing aims to that of the French

French saw conversion as part of the ‘civilizing’ process

English needed and wanted to ‘Destroy the Indian to create the man’ They therefore had little or no interest

in Native American culture Comparatively few cases of

‘successful’ conversion

New England “As for these

poor Indians, they have no principles of their own, nor yet wisdome of their own”

Elliot born August 1604, Widford, Essex, England

Graduated Jesus College, Cambridge Entered ministry Beliefs led him to leave England for

“New England” in 1631 Initially served in Boston as a teacher And then Roxbury as a teacher and

minister

Elliot mainstay of local religious population

Part of group who examined, excommunicated, and banished Anne

Hutchinson in 1630s

During the 1630-40s Massachusetts Bay colony

Criticized for not bringing Christianity to the native population

Part of claimed aims of company

Response Bring the native population into first “Indian

Reservations” Known as Praying towns Lead player John Elliot Nantick 1651 By 1670 over 10 Eventually 14 in

total

As mentioned ‘kill the Indian to

free the man’ Elliot thought that

Indians “must have civility

before they can rightly enjoy visible sanctities in ecclesiastical communion”

October 28 1646 Elliot preached first

successful service to a Native audience

One week later General Court of Massachusetts passed laws

that Forbade Indians from worship their own gods Assigned ministers to preach to them Approved the purchase of land “for the incouragement of the Indians to live in

an orderly way amongst us”

Each town Elected their own leaders

“approved by a superior authority” Had a legal code

Drawn up by Elliot 5 shilling fine for ‘idleness’ Ordered families to live in a single spot Forbade women to cut hair short or men

to grow their long Forbidden to tell lies

Elliot did begin to learn the language

And created “Indian Bible” in 1661 Interestingly for the next

100 years only bibles printed in America were for Natives

But only to instruct them initially After all they were all

living in Sin They had lessons in

English also

Potential converts were Isolated from the broader community

within the towns Also isolated from their own community Instructed that all trust must be placed

in God not in the world Self worth found in isolation from others Rather than kin and community

networks

Basic aim of the towns To create English men and women To bring the ‘savage’ into the fold of the

‘civilized’ Two problems with the whole idea 1) the English would never admit them

as equals 2) the natives in the praying towns

never ‘bought in’ to Elliot’s and the Puritans plan

So why did the Indians go into the towns? Did they, as they the English believed,

recognize the superiority of English way? If not what was their motivation

?

First we have to consider the timing Missionization began only after Puritans had carried out a war of extermination

against the Pequot in 1637 and Begun a war of attrition against the

Narraganset Suggests a cost benefit decision For benefit of

Protection Food Shelter

Willing to pay the cost of Submission

Secondly we must consider geography

Towns were initially placed on traditional trails

Also Elliot began on the Atlantic seaboard and moved westward

Behind English military power

But beyond the most basic needs how much did the ‘Praying Indians’ actually submit

To what degree did they retain a sense of native autonomy?

TO PRAY OR NOT TO PRAY,

THAT IS THE QUESTION

Cultural & political autonomy in the “Praying towns” Five main areas which display native

autonomy 1) degree of oversight 2) political succession 3) degree of freedom of movement 4) instances of ‘back-sliding’ from Puritan

documents 5) political and military alliance in later

conflicts

Degree of Oversight May 26, 1647 General court ordered that magistrates should

meet in each town once a quarter But also that “the Indian Sachems shall have libertie to take

order in the nature of Summons or Attachments to bring any of their own people to the said court”

“if they see of occasion”

Political Succession “care was taken by the general

court of the Massachusetts, at the motion of Mr. Elliot, to appoint some of the Prudent and most pious Indians in every Indian village… to be rulers and magistrates amongst them, to order their affairs both civil and criminal”

Demonstration of Inheritance in

Praying TownNames Position in Town Comments1. Awhaton Ruler of 100 father and son

William Awhaton Teacher

2. Numphow Ruler of 100 father and son

Samuel Numphow Teacher

3. Robin Speen Ruler of 50

Anthony Speen Teacher

John Speen Teacher

James Speen Teacher brothers

Joseph Speen Ruler of 100 brothers, sons of Robin

Sampson Speen Teacher

4. Naous Deacon father

Anaweakin Ruler of 100

Tackuppa-Willin Teacher brothers, sons of Naous

freedom of movement The Massachusetts government saw the

Indians as a buffer between them and ‘hostile Indians’

They armed ‘praying indians’ This allowed natives from the towns to leave

the towns with their weapons In defense

But Government had not control of what happened after they had left town

‘back-sliding’ In “affaires of ecclesiastical polity,

they come on but slowly” John Elliot, 1654

“Satan has so emboldened them that this winter there hath been paw-wawing again with some of them” John Elliot, 1650

political and military alliance Talking of Metacom’s War (King Phillip)

1675 Of the Praying Towns ‘being raw and lately initiated into the

Christian profession; most of then fell off from the English and joined the enemy in the war’

Suggesting that commitment had not been total but, simply expedient