Overview
This is a study of the rich religious legacy of the Chiricahua Apaches and its inevitable collision with Christianity. Beginning with Apache creation stories, H. Henrietta Stockel describes Chiricahua beliefs and ceremonies before going on to recount the conditions of the Spanish colonial frontier at the moment of conquest. Subsequent chapters trace events that culminated in the surrender of the Chiricahua Apaches in 1886, the twenty-seven years of incarceration as American prisoners of war in Florida, Alabama, and Oklahoma, and the life-changing consequences of the children's education in government-sponsored boarding schools. Stockel portrays an unbroken sequence of economic motivations on the part of the Spanish, Mexican, and American governments, each eager to expand their respective territories. Equally unbroken was the resistance of the Apaches to indoctrination. According to Stockel, the Chiricahua Apaches never completely surrendered their traditional religion to Christianity. Like other syncretistic religions, their beliefs incorporated aspects of Christian dogma even while they protected their own religion from outsiders. This is a complicated story rich in cross-cultural encounters on the battlefield, in mission churches, and in the classroom. Stockel's research and writing bring to life the fierce resistance of a heroic people.
Full Product Details
Author: H. Henrietta Stockel
Publisher: University of New Mexico Press
Imprint: University of New Mexico Press
Dimensions:
Width: 17.00cm
, Height: 3.10cm
, Length: 24.50cm
Weight: 0.726kg
ISBN: 9780826332080
ISBN 10: 0826332080
Pages: 314
Publication Date: 15 June 2004
Audience:
General/trade
,
General
Format: Hardback
Publisher's Status: Out of Stock Indefinitely
Availability: In Print
Limited stock is available. It will be ordered for you and shipped pending supplier's limited stock.
Reviews
Stockel offers a unique and perhaps controversial look at a segment of Apache history in this recent study. The book contributes to the growing literature on Christian missions by providing an abundance of very interesting historical photographs. . . Recommended. General and undergraduate collections. On the Bloody Road to Jesus adds a fresh new perspective to the already large body of Chiricahua history and belongs on the bookshelves of those fascinated with the native history of the Southwest.
On the Bloody Road to Jesus adds a fresh new perspective to the already large body of Chiricahua history and belongs on the bookshelves of those fascinated with the native history of the Southwest.
Author Information
H Henrietta Stockel is an independent scholar specialising in Apache history and culture. Included in her writings are Chiricahua Apache Women and Children and Women of the Apache Nation. She lives in Sierra Vista, Arizona.
