A Star in the West, Or, a Humble Attempt to Discover the Long Lost Ten Tribes of Israel: Preparatory to Their Return to Their Beloved City, Jerusalem, Boudinot Elias 1740-1821
Автор: Parins, James W. Название: Elias cornelius boudinot ISBN: 080322074X ISBN-13(EAN): 9780803220744 Издательство: Wiley EDC Рейтинг: Цена: 21730.00 T Наличие на складе: Есть у поставщика Поставка под заказ. Описание:
Elias Cornelius Boudinot provides the first full account of a man who was intimately and prominently involved in the life of the Cherokee Nation in the second half of the nineteenth century and was highly influential in the opening of the former Indian Territory to white settlement and the eventual formation of the state of Oklahoma. Involved in nearly every aspect of social, economic, and political life in Indian Territory, he was ostracized by many Cherokees, some of whom also threatened his life.
Born into the influential Ridge-Boudinot-Watie family, Boudinot was raised in the East after the assassination of his father, who helped found the first newspaper published by an Indian nation. He returned to the Cherokee Nation, affiliating with his uncle Stand Watie and serving in the Confederate Army and as a representative of the Cherokees in the Confederate Congress. He was involved with treaty negotiations after the war, helped open the railroads into the Indian Territory, and founded the city of Vinita in Oklahoma. He also became a political figure in Washington, DC, a newspaper editor and publisher, and a prominent orator.
A Star in the West is an investigation by Elias Boudinot into the widely-held belief that the Native Americans were descended from the lost tribes of Israel.
In the 18th and early 19th centuries, a hypothesis that the Native American tribes were part of a lineage tracing back to the Israelite tribes during the time of the Biblical testaments was popular. Intellectuals and church leaders alike were divided on the veracity of these claims, and a number of pamphlets and books were published on both sides of the argument for decades.
Appearing in 1816, A Star in the West is important both as a historical study of the beliefs of the time and as a record of how Native Americans were perceived by the incipient white settlers of the United States. The book sequentially examines the traits, behaviors, customs and beliefs of the tribal societies, drawing parallels between these and the ancient practices of the Israelites.
It is thought that A Star in the West and other books in the same vein led to the establishment of the Mormon Church. The Book of Mormon attests that Native Americans had arrived in North America thousands of years ago during the Great Flood of Biblical lore. Thus, the tribes present in the 19th century were estranged descendants of the Israelite peoples.
For his part, Elias Boudinot was a U.S. Congressman who was passionately in favour of rights for Native American and black inhabitants of North America. His prominent position made his views and publications influential, and he was also noted for his devout Presbyterianism. On meeting a young, bright Cherokee native he was impressed by he allowed the man to adopt his name - the Cherokee Elias Boudinot later became a prominent figure in Native American society during the early 19th century.
