Gregory Ivan Dowd

471 Words2 Pages

In the 1992, book A Spirited Resistance: The North American Indian Struggle for Unity, 1745-1815 Gregory Evans Dowd takes an academic approach to Eastern Native American history. Dowd follows the same study identity and cultural transformations by focusing on two Eastern Native ideologies known as nativist and accommodationists. Elaborating on the outlooks, he argues that the monograph does not tell “history from the Indian point of view” and does not focus on a “single Indian outlook.” Advancing his argument the author states that his monograph provides historians with the many perspectives surrounding the Native American history in the seventeen and eighteen hundreds. To support his claims Dowd uses several primary sources like the Springplace …show more content…

The author moves the history onto another trajectory by investigating the connection between native identity and politics to protect their way of life. Dowd states that tribal religion interconnected with “Indian politics.” Investigating the Pan-Indian movement, Dowd offers historians with a new inquiry, which questions the importance that native religion had in forming an identity in resistance. Examining memoirs and journals, Dowd argues that the visions of the prophets “received revelations” that promoted the nativists’ resistance against Europeans. Dowd reexamines Brown’s argument by focusing on how accommodationists merged native and European traditions together. However, Dowd progresses the course of history by arguing that the nativist rejected the accommodationists. Accepting Anglo-Christianity and culture, Dowd states that the nativists viewed the accommodationists as aiding in the transformation of native culture. Citing Josiah Gregg’s memoirs, the author states how many of the prophets preached that Christianity did not provide “salvation” to the Native Americans. Offering the importance between Native religion and politics, Dowd provides historians with a different outlook on the identity and culture. The author’s different approach to identity enables historians to investigate new inquires on the character and history of the Native