The Role of Christianity in Native American Cultural Resilience
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Authors
Danica Crews
Issue Date
2026
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Language
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Abstract
American history is often described as set in motion by the arrival of European settlers, beginning as early as 1492 with Christopher Columbus. In general, anthropological studies overlook the possibility that productive, well-organized human civilizations might have existed before the arrival of European settlers. Early proponents of colonization, led by political philosophers like John Locke, believed that the Americas existed in a “State of Nature,” or as if it were the beginning of time, having no organized governing body. It was believed that it was a moral obligation to both conquer and govern these people, under the guise of leading them in the right direction by teaching them the European way of life, which was ruled by the heavy hand of Christianity. In this essay, I will argue that interactions between race, religion, gender, and power have brought forth Native cultural resilience. I show how Christianity morphed from a weapon of power in Native colonialism to components of deeper cultures and belief systems as tribes have adjusted and evolved. I will begin by discussing the ideas of political philosopher John Locke and how they permeated interactions with Native American tribes throughout history. I will then discuss how Christianity was used as a weapon of power in order to convert and control Native tribes to the European way of life. Then, I will discuss the many ways in which Native tribes maintained their cultural identity and traditions despite oppression, including the role of women in resilience. I will finish by a discussion of the many ways in which forced assimilation and conversion to Christianity has shaped Native religions into what they are today through a look at specific traditions of Choctaw and Kiowa people.