'By the rapids' : the Anishinabeg-missionary encounter at Bawating (Sault Ste. Marie), c. 1821-1871

Between 1821 and 1871, evangelical missionaries representing the dominant Protestant and Catholic churches, ventured to Sault Ste. Marie. They came to proselytize and 'civilize' the Anishinabeg community living in the borderlands of British North America and the United States. Within the Sault region, the Anishinabeg, as well as Baptist, Anglican, Methodist, Catholic, and Presbyterian ministers, interacted in a multiplicity of ways which led to the development of different understandings concerning both conversion and Christianity. To contextualize the multiplicity of interactions within the context of the borderlands, this dissertation delves into the local history of the American and Canadian Sault villages, Indian policies, and missions before discussing the processes of translation, conversion, and participant interactions. After establishing the historical context of the Sault region, this study focuses on the role of women and cultural intermediaries employed in spreading Christianity. In particular, their roles, lives, actions, and opinions concerning the processes of missionization are explored. Finally, in examining conversion, this dissertation addresses both missionary and Anishinabeg understandings while avoiding the pitfalls of success/failure dichotomy. This study demonstrates that the Sault-region Anishinabeg, while nominally Christian by the mid-nineteenth century, perceived their conversions and Christianity from within their cultural framework. Additionally, the cultural intermediaries often neglected in mission studies, played a pivotal role in presenting the Christian message to potential converts. Women, whether Native or non-Native, likewise performed a variety of tasks at the missions which must be considered when examining the multiplicity of interactions between proselytizer and proselyte. The nature of the border region allowed the Anishinabeg to retain a sense of independence in action and thought which is reflected in the processes of Christianization until the 1870s. Taken together, the multiplicity of observers, participants, translations, understandings, interpretations, and conversions can be aptly described as a whirlwind where the disconnected became connected. However one views these multiplicities, the processes at work can only be glimpsed as snapshots of understanding.

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