Creek Religion and Medicine [Paperback]

John R. Swanton (Author), James T. Carson (Introduction)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 1, 2000

Weaving together a wide array of historical sources with oral accounts gathered from fieldwork, this classic study provides a valuable overview of traditional Creek (Muskogee) religion and medicine. John R. Swanton visited the Creek Nation in the early twentieth century and learned about many important aspects of Creek religious life and medicine. Subjects covered in this book include Creek conceptions of the cosmos; religious stories; death and the afterlife; spiritual forces and beings; various rituals, including the Busk ceremony; prohibitions; the power and skills of different religious practitioners; the cultural force of witchcraft; and herbal and spiritual remedies. Many of these beliefs and practices have been present throughout Creek history and persist today. Creek Religion and Medicine showcases the vibrant culture of an enduring southeastern Native people.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"John R. Swanton''s Creek Religion and Medicine endures as one of the best sources for ethnohistorical information about the Muscogee Nation. Drawing from a broad spectrum of archival sources and oral histories collected from Native American informants, Swanton provides a rare glimpse of traditional Muscogean (Creek) religion and medicine. . . . This classic study is a must read for anyone interested in the Native Southeast."—Stacye Hathorn, The Alabama Review

(Stacye Hathorn The Alabama Review )

About the Author

John R. Swanton (1873-1958) was a seminal figure in the study of southeastern Native peoples, with more than thirty books to his credit. James Taylor Carson is an assistant professor of history at Queen's University in Kingston, Ontario, and the author of Searching for the Bright Path: The Mississippi Choctaws from Prehistory to Removal (Nebraska 1999).

Product Details

• Paperback: 213 pages
• Publisher: University of Nebraska Press; 1st Bison Books edition (June 1, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0803292740
• ISBN-13: 978-0803292741
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.1 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.9 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,504,404 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Starting Point for Understanding Southeastern Native American Cultures, October 6, 2007

By 

Willet A. Boyer III "Archaeologist" (Gainesville, Florida) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Creek Religion and Medicine (Paperback)

This book, like James Mooney's studies of the Cherokee, is a critical starting point in understanding the social structures and belief systems of one of the Native American cultures of the Southeast.

Swanton's study of Creek beliefs, legends, myths, and history, as well as cultural custom and practice, provides a basis for understanding both historically and anthropologically the worldviews of the Creek people - as well as the ways in which these beliefs and practices affected the ways in which European settlers and Creeks interacted during the historic era. Though much work has been done in the field since Swanton's time, this work is an important starting point for anyone doing research in this field.

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars The worst most expensive book I have ever bought, July 19, 2008

By 

Olivia (Washington, DC) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Creek Religion and Medicine (Paperback)

I bought this book thinking it would be an excellent compilation of historical facts about Creek Indians. I bought it because I wanted to learn about Creek Religion and Medicine. The book is badly written...the grammar doesn't even exist in this book! The pictures are all blurred and difficult to see, the sequence doesn't make sense. The sentenses don't make sense because it is so poorly written. It is the worst book I have ever tried to read. I gave it a chance, but it just is awful and had to put it down. Don't waist your money!!

OC
Annandale, VA