the christian indians

The MUNSEE and THE Moravian Missionaries…

A Collection of Hymns For The Use of the Delaware Christian Indians

MORAVIAN MISSIONARIES

“Within a 163-year period, the Moravians started a total of 32 missions in what are today, Pennsylvania, southern New York, Ohio, Michigan, Indiana, and Ontario, Canada. As the native Delaware populations were pushed westward by expansion, the missions closed and reopened at locations granted by the colonial, and later the federal, government. By the late nineteenth century, the missionaries would see their converts all the way to the reservations in Oklahoma and Kansas. The last remaining mission community, however, would not close until 1903, as it was located in Canada and not subjected to the same expansionist movement as the United States missions.” https://scholarworks.wm.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=5221&context=etd

“Disillusioned by the loss of their homeland, many Delaware turned to the Moravians as a source of comfort and information in a new and ever-changing social environment. Moravians called the new converts brothers and sisters and treated them accordingly. The initial missions provided the Delaware with a sense of stability and security during a period of uncertainty and confusion.”

https://scholarworks.wm.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=5221&context=etd

An account of the Christian Indians and the Moravian mission work can be found here: http://digitalpaxton.org/works/digital-paxton/christian-indians

The Moravian missionaries that travelled and lived with the tribe kept very detailed diaries. Some of these diaries have been studied as part of historical research. Even more have yet to be translated from German to English and may contain additional detail regarding the tribe, our ancestors and the tragic account of its removal to Kansas.

https://scholarworks.iupui.edu/bitstream/handle/1805/7813/Wheeler_2015_snow.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y

The historic tragedy most oft associated with the tribe is the Massacre at Gnaddenhutten. Much has been written about this event, perhaps the most atrocious event in the aftermath of the American Revolution.

The Moravian Massacre https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cwf25wmxDI4