An early effort to convert Native Americans to Christianity produced a translation of the Bible into the language of the Wampanoag tribe. That translation preserved the language, and in the 20th century, the tribe’s descendants used it to revive the dialect. This is one of many examples Peter Manseau, curator of American religious history at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History, points to as evidence of America’s rich religious past. We discuss Native American spiritual traditions, Muslims brought to the Americas as slaves, Maryland’s start as a Catholic enclave, and why fears about religious minorities are not new.
Information about the November 5th and 6th event, "Waking the Ancestors," can be found here. The event highlights the sacred song and dance of the Wampanoag tribe.
