Converting the Missionaries

This book tells the uncommon story of a missionary family in the Midwestern United States, and their interactions with the indigenous Ojibwe. When Leonard and Harriet Wheeler arrived at La Pointe, Wisconsin in July of 1841, hoping to help the Ojibwe understand and accept the value of Christian civility, they did not expect such a profound transformation of their own lives. The Wheelers' empathy for the Ojibwe not only grew during their twenty-five years of mission work in Northern Wisconsin, much of it spent trying to protect the Ojibwe from predatory whites, it also influenced the lives of their children.

Wheelers' experience with Ojibwe shows how engagement with a culture other than one's own can enrich one's life Twenty-five years living with the Ojibwe jar the Wheeler children out of conventional patterns The Ojibwe fascinate the Wheeler children all their lives

Auteur
Nancy Bunge, a Professor Emerita at Michigan State University, also served as a Senior Fulbright Lecturer in American Literature and Culture at the University of Vienna, the Free University of Brussels, the University of Ghent, and the University of Siegen. She was a visiting scholar at Harvard Divinity School.

Contenu

Chapter 1. Introduction.- Chapter 2. Leonard and Harriet's Backgrounds Prepare them to Respect the Ojibwe.- Chapter 3. The Wheelers Adjust to the Ojibwe and Each Other.- Chapter 4. Settling in with the Ojibwe at Bad River.- Chpater 5. Trying to Convince the Government to Honor the 1854 Treaty Destroys Leonard Wheeler's Health.- Chapter 6. The Wheelers Leave Bad River, but Do Not Forget It.- Chapter 7. William Wheeler Synthesizes Ojibwe and Gilded Age Values.- Chpater 8. Hattie Wheeler's Writing Succeeds when Loyal to the Ojibwe.- Chapter 9. Wheelers Return to the Ojibwe.- Chapter 10. Mary Warren English Tries to Preserve Ojibwe Culture.