Native Americans: Interactions at the Time of Settlement 

Eliot Indian Bible, printed in Cambridge, Massachusetts, between 1660 and 1663. Image from the Library of Congress.

Suggested for grades 7 to 12

1.  How were John Eliot and Job Nesuton able to accomplish the task of translating and printing the Bible into the Wopanaak (an Algonquian dialect)?

2.  What were the benefits and drawbacks to settlers of converting the native peoples to Christianity?

3.  What were the benefits and drawbacks to native peoples of converting to Christianity?

4.  What has been the long-term benefit to native people of having a text in the Wopanaak?

Try using this activity when teaching about...

• American Indians
• foreign languages
• ethics & religions
• explorers & exploration
• art history
• colonization

"The Eliot Indian Bible" claims the title of the first Bible to be printed in America. Printed in Cambridge, Massachusetts, between 1661 and 1663, a copy of the Bible (among several) is housed in the Rare Book and Special Collections Division of the Library of Congress. The Bible has additional significance because it is a translation into the Algonquian language of the Wampanoag Indians.

John Eliot, a Puritan minister who studied at Cambridge University in England, undertook translation of the Bible into Algonquian. He moved to Massachusetts in 1631 in order to practice and preach his faith without persecution. Early on, he became known as "The Apostle to the Indians" because he dedicated himself to the religious ministry of the Wampanoag. To support his efforts, he learned the Algonquian language and worked for over eight years, with the help of native speakers, to translate the entire Bible into a phonetic form of the native language using the English language alphabet.

This hybrid Bible - one culture's religion expressed in another culture's language - was an unexpected success. A special shipment of paper from England was necessary to print over 1000 copies. As originally conceived, the Eliot Bible was a tool to help convert the native people to Christianity, but additionally it furthered the Wampanoag ability to communicate in writing. When Europeans came to eastern Massachusetts, the population of Wampanoag Indians was about 12,000. In less than sixty years, illness and war decimated the population by more than 90%. In addition to the destruction of people, traditional ways – including the oral language – were almost lost. Today, those working to revive or learn the Algonquian language have found the Eliot Indian Bible to be a great resource for pronunciation, grammar, and vocabulary.

Materials

• Title page of Eliot Indian Bible
• Reading: Bringing Back Our Lost Language
• Translation of title page of Eliot Indian Bible (see handout in left column)

Procedure
1.  Show students the title page of the Eliot Indian Bible and ask them to guess what language the page is written in.

2.  Ask students to work in pairs to "translate" the page. Guide them to point out words they already know and make educated guesses about other words. Ask students to share their "translations" with the class.

3.  Ask students to read "Bringing Back Our Lost Language."

4.  Discuss the introductory page again (in light of what students just read): What language is this page written in? Who speaks that language? Who wrote this page? How?

5.  Share the translation of the title page into English with students. Ask them to compare their version with this one and to comment on what the words on the page literally say. What does the title page tell us about John Eliot and his beliefs? What (or who) does it leave out?

Materials

• First page of Eliot Indian Bible (at Library of Congress)
• Blank paper for Venn diagrams
• Reading: Mass Moments: Natick Established
• Reading: Native Religions in Massachusetts (see handout in left column)
• Reading: John Eliot and America's First Bible

Procedure
1.  Review the early history of Massachusetts. Who were the first people in the area?

2.  Ask students: When did Europeans come to Massachusetts? Why did they come? What were their beliefs about church and government?

3.  Show students the image of the Eliot Indian Bible from the Library of Congress. Ask students: Why did John Eliot want to learn the language of the local people? What were his motives?

4.  Ask half of the students to read "Mass Moments: Natick Established" AND the "Native Religions in Massachusetts" excerpts - they should pay particular attention to native religious traditions and consequences of converting. Ask the other half of the students to read "John Eliot and America's First Bible" and pay particular attention to the settlers' beliefs about Indian conversions and how settlers and other Europeans viewed Eliot's project.

5.  Discuss how the culture and religion of native people contrasted with that of the settlers.
     a.  What benefits might there have been to either the settlers or the native people, or of native people converting to Christianity?
     b.  What drawbacks might have existed for those involved?

6.  Direct students, working in small groups of two or four (including students who have done both readings), to construct two-circle Venn diagrams – contrasting the effects (negative or positive) of the Eliot Indian Bible on both native people and settlers.

7.  Bring the students back together as a class and have them share and discuss their ideas from the Venn diagrams.

8.  After presentation of the diagrams, summarize the activity by asking students to respond to the following writing prompt:

Nathaniel Hawthorne, the famous 19th century author of The House of the Seven Gables and The Scarlet Letter, has written about John Eliot, “It is good for the world that such a man has lived.” Do you agree that John Eliot is worthy of praise for his translation of the Bible into Wopanaak? Support your opinion with facts.

Sample diagram listing consequences of the Eliot Bible

Materials

• Peabody Museum Printing Press Type Artifact
• Online Video: Digging in the Yard 
• Reading: "Digging Up Aquinnah History" Martha’s Vineyard Times

Procedure
1.  Show students image of printing press type that was found in an excavation that is now housed at the Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

2.  Share information about Harvard Yard excavation and show students the video of the excavation.

3.  Read and discuss Martha’s Vineyard Times article.

4.  Discuss the importance of this excavation to present-day Wampanoag peoples and to Massachusetts’ history.

Sarah Winne works as a specialist with gifted students in Bar Harbor, Maine. She has taken seminars with Primary Source, traveled on two study tours to China, and served as a lead-teacher and workshop leader at three Summer Institutes.