Healing and Conversion: Medical Evangelism in James Bay Cree Society

Abstract

Certain parallels can be drawn between evangelical religion and biomedicine, including the conviction of each that it provides access to vital knowledge, the perceived need to change human behavior without regard to race or culture, and a tendency toward cultural intolerance. These parallels are illustrated in the history of missionary and medical activity among the Cree of the James Bay region in northern Quebec. Three distinct phases of medical evangelism, defined by the activities of missions, the federal government, and an autonomous Cree health board, show a movement toward the redefinition of local healing practices and greater medical pluralism.