Why Have Come Here? The Jesuits and the First Evangelization of Native America by Nicholas P. Cushner

Abstract

Book Reviews 143 Nicholas P. Cushner. Why Have You Come Here? The Jesuits and theFirst Evangelisation ofNative America. New York: Oxford University Press, 2006. Pp. 255. Bibliography. Index. Notes. Paper, $29.95. Known for his work on Spanish colonialism and the labors of the Society of Jesus (Jesuits) in the Spanish colonies, former Jesuit Nicholas P. Cushner has applied his knowledge of Jesuit spirituality and approaches to a survey of that religious order's evangelizing work across theWestern Hemisphere. Why Have You Come Here? covers the colonial period from the sixteenth to the eighteenth centuries. Avid letter writers and record keepers, the Jesuits came to the New World as self-conscious agents of the Counter-Reformation Catholic Church and as missionaries with a fundamentally optimistic view of human nature whose Tridentine theology stressed the necessity of baptism and other sacraments. Typically, they interpreted opposition to their efforts as the work of the evil spirit rather than as a fundamental failing of the Natives themselves. Cushner covers the abandoned mission in Florida (1566-1571), the missions inMexico and Peru, the reductions (communal settiements) in Paraguay, and the missions in French Canada and English Maryland. Vivid personal narratives bring his interpretation to life. Of particular interest to students of midwestern history will be the twenty-one-page section on the French missions to the Hurons and others, including a gripping account of the journey of Jesuit Paul Le Jeune with a hunting party of twenty Montagnais over the autumn, winter, and spring of 1633-1634?a baptism of fire for the priest that brought greater familiarity with the Native language, surprising experiences of kindness from his hosts, frequent clashes with a shaman in the group, and a gratifying growth in self-knowledge born of experience. The book's principal strength is its comparative analysis?a study of the Jesuits' work under the aegis of Spanish, French, and English secular rule. The Spanish overlords were the most committed to evangelization; the English Catholic Calverts, the least. The efforts, ends, and means of the Jesuits were strongly influenced by these secular sponsors. Nothing emerged inNorth America to rival the society's educational and pastoral efforts in Peru or the Christian communities of the Paraguay reductions. One weakness in Cushner's book is the lack of individual maps of the various missions to illustrate the extent and progress of those missions. A second weakness is a certain unevenness: The chapter on art, architecture, and theater is limited to Latin America and neglects the music that also characterized Jesuit efforts. Long Spanish passages in the 144 Michigan Historical Review same section are untranslated. And these sections might also have more closely connected New World efforts with Old World support, e.g., the many Catholic Marylanders (including John Carroll and Charles Carroll) who attended the English Jesuit school in Flanders. In summary, Cushner offers awelcome introductory text on Jesuit efforts in the New World, based on an understanding of Jesuit spirituality and missiology, and comparative analysis that brings each aspect of the book into focus. Anthony J.Kuzniewski College of the Holy Cross George W. Geib and Donald B. Kite, Sr. Federal Justice in Indiana: The History of the United States District Court for the Southern District of Indiana. Indianapolis: Indiana Historical Society Press, 2007. Pp. 350. Glossary. Index. Notes. Cloth, $29.95. This book details the history of federal courts in Indiana from the territorial period through the present. It was not until 1925 that Indiana's federal courts were divided into a northern district and a southern district, so the book necessarily includes the history shared by Indiana's two districts. The first chapters do an excellent job of intertwining local and regional histories with the formation of Indiana's federal court. Familiar topics like slavery and the Civil War appear in relation to court events. President Jackson's appointment of former Indiana Supreme Court Judge Jesse Holman to the federal bench, for example, demonstrates how national concerns over slavery played a role in the history of Indiana's federal courts. The authors recount how Holman traveled all the way to Washington, D.C, to meet with President Jackson in order to lay to rest...