Mode of Program Participation
Academic Scholarship
Participation Type
Paper
Presentation #1 Title
Moravians Among the Cherokee: Cultural Negotiations with Moravian Missionaries by the Cherokee Nation, Spingplace, Georgia
Presentation #1 Abstract or Summary
Moravians Among the Cherokee: Cultural Negotiations with Moravian Missionaries by the Cherokee Nation, Spingplace, Georgia In 1800 the Moravians received an invitation from the Cherokee Nation to create a mission in Springplace, Georgia to teach their children the ways of the white man, in order to learn how better to resist the white man culturally. During my initial research I discovered the two different sets of cultural expectations regarding what the Moravians and Cherokee wanted from creating the Mission at Springplace. Moravians wanted to convert the Cherokee while the Cherokee wanted to learn and adapt aspects of their life to protect their lands from the encroachment of white settlers and governments, according to Cherokee and Moravian sources. Cherokee elders saw the mission as an avenue to teach their children, who would one day lead the Cherokee Nation in the defense of their homes. They hoped that having the same education the whites received would place the tribe on an equal level to negotiate for the protection of their lands. My main focus is to demonstrate how the Moravians had an impact on Cherokee culture with the Springplace Mission, and how the Cherokee absorbed what they learned at the school to ensure that their homes and resources remained in Cherokee possession as they had for thousands of years.
At-A-Glance Bio- Presenter #1
My name is Brandon Cheek, I am a Senior History Major at Mars Hill University with a concentration in Public History and Minor in Regional Studies. I am from Spartanburg, South Carolina, and I am 22 years old.
Moravians Among the Cherokee: Cultural Negotiations with Moravian Missionaries by the Cherokee Nation, Spingplace, Georgia
Moravians Among the Cherokee: Cultural Negotiations with Moravian Missionaries by the Cherokee Nation, Spingplace, Georgia In 1800 the Moravians received an invitation from the Cherokee Nation to create a mission in Springplace, Georgia to teach their children the ways of the white man, in order to learn how better to resist the white man culturally. During my initial research I discovered the two different sets of cultural expectations regarding what the Moravians and Cherokee wanted from creating the Mission at Springplace. Moravians wanted to convert the Cherokee while the Cherokee wanted to learn and adapt aspects of their life to protect their lands from the encroachment of white settlers and governments, according to Cherokee and Moravian sources. Cherokee elders saw the mission as an avenue to teach their children, who would one day lead the Cherokee Nation in the defense of their homes. They hoped that having the same education the whites received would place the tribe on an equal level to negotiate for the protection of their lands. My main focus is to demonstrate how the Moravians had an impact on Cherokee culture with the Springplace Mission, and how the Cherokee absorbed what they learned at the school to ensure that their homes and resources remained in Cherokee possession as they had for thousands of years.
