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eligion into their own. The Indians accepted the teachings of the Jesuits – received
salvation — but did so on their own terms” (Gleach 1997: 96).
Moreover: “the peaceful resignation with which they [the priests] seem to have
met their fates would also meet the native ideal and confirm their inner strength and
power; wearing of the material signs of their powers – their vestments, the paten, the
chalice – would reflect the conveyance of this power. Indeed, it is suggested that these
items were later stored away in the chiefs’ ‘treasure houses’ for years to come, the
same treatment given to more traditional powerful goods such as crystals, copper, and
beads” (Gleach 1997:96). While no priests were martyred in Seneca territory, it is still
arguable that like the Powhatan, the Senecas too may have appropriated their own
meanings to any Christian-themed items they came in contact with, and dealt with
belief – or not – on their own terms.
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