Shamanism and Christianity: Native Encounters with Russian Orthodox Missions in Siberia and Alaska, 1820-1917 / Edition 1

by Andrei A. Znamenski

Overview

The interaction of 19th-century Russian missionaries with three indigenous groups, the Chukchi and Altaians in Siberia and the Dena'ina Indians in Alaska, resulted in widely different outcomes. The Chukchi disregarded the missionary message, the Dena'ina embraced Christianity, and the Altaians responded by selectively borrowing from Orthodox religion. Znamenski—in the first work of its kind in English—argues that the relationships between indigenous shamanism and Orthodox missionaries in Siberia and Alaska were essentially a dialogue about spiritual, political, and ideological power, and challenges both the widespread conviction that Christian missionaries always acted as agents of colonial oppression among tribal peoples and the notion that native peoples maintained their pristine traditional cultures despite years of interaction with Western society.

Znamenski asserts that Russian missionary policy toward indigenous peoples was, at best, ambivalent and cannot be described as either Russification or a broad tolerance of native cultures. After two broad introductory chapters, he deals with each indigenous people in a separate section, illustrating the ways in which native Siberians and Alaskans acted as active players, welcoming, adopting, rejecting, or reinterpreting elements of Christianity depending upon surrounding circumstances and individual cultural stances.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780313309601
Publisher:	Bloomsbury Academic
Publication date:	09/30/1999
Series:	Contributions to the Study of World History , #70
Pages:	320
Product dimensions:	6.14(w) x 9.21(h) x 0.75(d)

About the Author

ANDREI A. ZNAMENSKI is Assistant Professor of History in the Department of Humanities at Alabama State University. His current research focuses on the history of native peoples of Siberia and Alaska. His publications include articles in Alaska History, American Indian Culture and Research Jourbanal, Russian Review, European Studies Jourbanal, Social Sciences, and ITINERARIO.

Table of Contents

Preface
Introduction
Indigenous Landscapes
Missionary Landscapes in Siberia and Alaska
Russian Orthodoxy Becomes a Native Faith: Dena'ina Encounters with Orthodox Missionaries, 1844-1917
"Unresponsive Natives": The Chukchi Dialogue with the Russian Mission, 1840s-1917
Dialogues about Spirit and Power: Altaian Natives and Russian Orthodox Mission, 1830-1917
Conclusion
Glossary
Bibliography
Index

Editorial Reviews

This book describes and compares the interactions of three native groups in Alaska and Siberia (the Dena'ina, Altaians, and Chukchi) with the Russian Orthodox church and its missionaries throughout the 19th and into the early part of the 20th century. Aware that his history might be criticized for covering too broad a scope, Znamenski (history, Alabama State U.) calls these stories "snapshots of missionary-native relations" and does not claim to provide exhaustive studies of all three groups. Instead, he allows readers to see a comparative examination of three rarely discussed tribes and their diverse reactions to missionization. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

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