Description
The Seminole Baptist Churches of Oklahoma: Maintaining a Traditional Community is based on the author's four-year fieldwork study in the early 1990s among a Seminole Baptist community in Oklahoma. There he attended formal and informal gatherings such as Prayer Meetings and services. He also interviewed church members and fully participated in church gatherings and meetings. As an anthropologist his work is interested in understanding the social and cultural aspects of religion as these continue to support and maintain Seminole identity as a unique and distinctive Nation. The work provides a brief history of the Seminoles as well as the role of Christianity among this Nation. The remainder of the text discusses beliefs, the church setting, and the roles of church gatherings that regulate community organization and continuity. Chapter seven discusses community social life in one specific Seminole church. Throughout the book, the author includes extensive quotes from church members in English and the Mvskoke language. Black and white photographs of church functions and members, an extensive bibliography and index are included. This book makes an important contribution to understanding the spirituality of contemporary Seminole communities that maintain their cultural identity within a Christian context.