1. RELIGIOUS REORGANIZATION AMONG THE MONTANA BLACKFEET.
- Author
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Spitzer, Allen and Spitzer, L.
- Subjects
RELIGION & sociology ,SIHASAPA (North American people) ,CATHOLICS ,PROTESTANTS ,CHRISTIANS - Abstract
The article presents a discussion on religious reorganization among the Montana Blackfeet. When one religious structure is superimposed upon another and older religious structure, a reorganization of religious expression occurs. This study is about an American Indian tribe, the Montana Blackfeet, which is estimated to be 88 per cent Catholic, where there is some Protestant influence at present and where the original impact of Christianity developed under circumstances which were different from those which obtained in Latin America. In the light of several previous field seasons with this tribe, it was thought to be practical to pursue the study of religious change in terms of the typology. In checking statistics from a variety of sources, it was reckoned that some 88 per cent of the Blackfeet adhere to Catholicism and that the remaining 12 per cent belong to one of the several Protestant denominations found on the reservation. There are some tribal members who are sophisticated, practicing Catholics and these are designated as formal Catholics.
- Published
- 1960
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