Description
Book SynopsisAnderson uses one man’s compelling story to explore the collision of Christianity with Native religion in colonial North America. Pastedechouan’s story illuminates struggles to retain and impose religious identity on both sides of the 17th-century Atlantic, even as it has relevance to the contemporary encounter between native and nonnative peoples.
Trade ReviewA gorgeously written and richly imagined study of the fate of the Innu Pastedechouan, caught between the ambitions of French priests and his own kin in colonial New France. Anderson's vivid portrait belongs in the company of Carlo Ginzburg's Menocchio and Natalie Zemon Davis's
Martin Guerre. Like these authors, she reveals herself to be a graceful and gifted historian of the inner worlds of people in the past. This is a compelling and deeply moving work of religious history. -- Robert A. Orsi, Northwestern University
A remarkable and innovative book on a fascinating subject. Anderson brilliantly illuminates the tensions inherent in a religious identity divided between two worlds. This nuanced book underscores the multifaceted nature of the contact between native peoples and Europeans. It deserves to be widely read. -- Martin Pâquet, Université Laval
A gripping tale of personal dislocation in early modern North America. Left dangling between cultures, the Innu convert Pastedechouan oscillated between devotion and apostasy. His story challenges accepted narratives of conversion and resistance. This excellent work will be of great interest to readers in religion, American and Canadian history, and Native American studies. -- Allan Greer, author of
Mohawk SaintPastedechouan's story, sensitively told by Anderson, reveals the human tragedy underneath the clash of Amerindian culture with that of the French missionaries. It is a good read and, further, a morality tale relevant to efforts today to impose values on peoples not particularly yearning for them. -- John W. O'Malley, author of
The First JesuitsInnovative and impressively researched,
The Betrayal of Faith is a moving story that forces us to reflect on the relationship between ethno-cultural identity and religious commitment. Among its important contributions are an examination of the phenomenon of apostasy, both Catholic and shamanistic, and an empathetic and imaginative engagement with individuals in a distant time and place. -- Cornelius J. Jaenen, University of Ottawa, emeritus
Table of ContentsList of Illustrations Acknowledgments Prologue: Pierre-Anthoine Pastedechouan, Voyager between Worlds 1. "Thy God Has Not Come to Our Country": Innu Childhood 2. "Do Not Take Me Back to Those Beasts Who Do Not Know God": Transformation in France 3. "I Have Not a Mind Strong Enough to Remain Firm": Religious Ambivalence 4. "God Has Let His Thunderbolts Fall": Apostasy and Death in the Canadian Woods 5. Pastedechouan's Legacy Note on Sources and Method Notes Bibliography Index
