GICHI MANITOU - THE GREAT MANITOU -
THE GREAT SPIRIT
In
Algonquin Indian lore, Manitou is a
supernatural power
that permeates the world, a power that can assume the form of
a deity referred to as The Great Manitou or The Great Spirit,
creator of all things and giver of life. In that sense,
Manitou can be considered the counterpart of the Christian
God. From early times, the belief in Manitou extended from the
Algonquins in Eastern Canada to other tribal nations–the Odawa,
Ojibwa, Oglala, and even the Cheyenne in the Western plains.
As European settlers made their way across the land, the
confrontation between Christianity and Native American
religions revealed itself in various ways. That confrontation
continues to this day.
In
Manitou and God, Thomas describes
American Indian religions as they compare with principal
features of Christian doctrine and
practice. He traces the
development of socio-political and
religious relations between American Indians and the European
immigrants who, over the centuries, spread across the
continent, captured Indian lands and decimated Indian culture
in general and religion in particular. He identifies the
modern-day status of American Indians and their religions,
including the progress Indians have made toward improving
their political power, socioeconomic condition, and
cultural/religious recovery and the difficulties they continue
to face in their attempts to better their lot. Readers will
gain a better sense of the give and take between these two
cultures and the influence each has had on the other.
The first North American Christmas carol, known as the Huron
Carol, was written by St. Jean
de Brebeuf, a Jesuit Priest who was martyred in
Canada in 1649.
