Moravian Springplace Mission to the Cherokees

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Description

In 1801 the Moravians, a Pietist German-speaking group from Central Europe, founded the Springplace Mission at a site in present-day northwestern Georgia. The Moravians remained among the Cherokees for more than thirty years, longer than any other Christian group. John and Anna Rosina Gambold served at the mission from 1805 until Anna’s death in 1821. Anna, the principal author of the diaries, chronicles the intimate details of Cherokee daily life for seventeen years.

 

Anna describes mission life and what she heard and saw at Springplace: food preparation and consumption, transactions pertaining to land, Cherokee body ornaments, conjuring, Cherokee law and punishment, Green Corn ceremonies, ball play, and matriarchal and marriage traditions. She similarly recounts stories she heard about rainmaking, the origins of the Cherokee people, and how she herself conversed with curious Cherokees about Christian images and fixtures. She also recalls earthquakes, conversions, notable visitors, annuity distributions, and illnesses.

 

This abridged edition offers selected excerpts from the definitive edition of the Springplace diary, enabling significant themes and events of Cherokee culture and history to emerge. Anna’s carefully recorded observations reveal the Cherokees’ worldview and allow readers a glimpse into a time of change and upheaval for the tribe.

Sujets

• Histoire
• USA
• United States of America
• Local history
• Diaries
• Southern United States
• Indigenous peoples
• History of the Americas
• États-Unis
• Georgia

Informations

• Publié par: Nebraska Paperback
• Date de parution: 01 décembre 2010
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9780803234390
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 1 Mo

Extrait

Th e Mor av i a n Spr i ng pl ac e M i s s ion t o t h e C h e rok e e s , A br i d g e d E di t ion



Indians of the Southeast

Series Editors Michael D. Green University of North Carolina

Theda Perdue University of North Carolina

Advisory Editors Leland Ferguson University of South Carolina

Mary Young University of Rochester

Th e Mor av i a n Spr i ngpl ac e M ission to t h e Ch erok e e s, a br i d g e d e di t ion

Edited and with an introduction by Row e na Mc Cl i n ton

u n i v e r s i t y o f n e b r a s k a p r e s s l i n c o l n a n d l o n d o n

©2010by the Board of Regents of the University of Nebraska

All rights reserved Manufactured in the United States of America

Frontispiece. Early nineteenth-century water- color by Anna Rosina (née Kliest) Gambold depicting a Christmas celebration at the Beth- lehem Female Seminary for Young Ladies. Courtesy of the Moravian Archives, Bethle- hem, Pennsylvania.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Gambold, Anna Rosina, d.1821. The Moravian Springplace Mission to the Cherokees / edited and with an introduction by Rowena McClinton. — Abridged ed. p. cm. — (Indians of the Southeast) Includes bibliographical references. isbn 978-0-8032-2095-9(paper: alk. paper) 1. Cherokee Indians — Missions — Geor- gia — Spring Place — History — 19th century — Sources.2. Moravians — Mis- sions — Georgia — Spring Place — His- tory — 19th century — Sources.3. Cherokee Indians — Georgia — Spring Place — His- tory — 19th century — Sources.4. Indian school children — Georgia — Spring Place — His- tory — 19th century — Sources.5. Gambold, John, ca.1761–1827 — Diaries.6. Gambold, Anna Rosina, d.1821 — Diaries.7. Moravi- ans — Georgia — Spring Place — Diaries.8. Mis- sionaries — Georgia — Spring Place — Diaries. 9. Springplace Mission (Ga.) — History — 19th century — Sources.10. Spring Place (Ga.) — His- tory — 19th century — Sources. I. McClinton, Rowena,1940–II. Gambold, John, ca.1761–1827. III. Title. e99.c5g1642010 266’.467583108997557 — dc22 2010017331

Set in Adobe Garamond

To the memory of my grandfather Samuel Proctor McRae

Contents

List of Maps. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . xi Series Editors’ Preface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . xiii Acknowledgments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . xv Editorial Policy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . xix Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Chapter. Significant Events and Themes at Springplace Mission betweenand. . . .

Conversion, Moravian Style. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Principal Converts to the Moravian Church . . . James Vann’s Rejection of Christianity . . . . . . . Annuity Distribution at Vann’s Plantation. . . . . Cherokee Education, Moravian Style. . . . . . . . . Children’s Illnesses at the Mission . . . . . . . . . . . Removal of Children from the Mission School . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Rumors of Mistreatment of Students . . . . . . . . . Runaway Students . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Rumors of Abductions. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Rumors of Hunger. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .