Wednesday, November 29, 2017 The Nugget Newspaper, Sisters, Oregon
PETERSON: Book delves
into fraught history
with native peoples
magnificent landscape and
romantic ideas of cowboys
and Indians portend.
“ A m e r i c a n Tr i n i t y ”
emphasizes the tragic his-
tory of American Indians,
while connecting their treat-
ment to other cultures in prior
centuries such as the Jews,
enslaved Africans, and belea-
guered Christians.
Peterson, in the words of
his editor, set out to “chal-
lenge views without demand-
ing that you change yours.”
He is not grinding an ideo-
logical ax — but he is facing
Continued from page 1
up to some difficult history. A
the most respected scholars
man of deep faith, Peterson
in the field of the history of
wrestles with the role religion
the American West, such as
played in justifying conquest
T.J. Stiles and Paul Andrew
and the stripping of culture
Hutton.
away from native
“This is a
peoples. A doctor
big deal in my
and a man of sci-
life,” Peterson
ence, he grapples
told The Nugget.
with the use of
“Probably the
“scientific rac-
biggest. And I’ve
ism” to rational-
had the good for-
ize oppression.
tune to have some
In regards to
things go right —
the role of the
but nothing like
church, Peterson
this.”
notes that “there
Peterson, an
is the church of
award-winning
Jesus and what he
physician and sci-
said,” which dis-
entist of dermatol-
tills down to the
ogy, has already
Golden Rule —
won renown for
do unto others as
his extraordi-
you would have
nary coffeetable
them do unto you.
books on Western
“Then there’s the
artists Charles
church of Paul,”
M.
Russell
Peterson says.
and
Phillip
“Paul is really the
R. Goodwin.
basis of religion.”
“American
Fundamentally
Trinity” is a dif-
different spiri-
ferent kind of
tual outlooks
book — one
were part of the
whose window
conflict between
GRAPHIC PROVIDED E u r o p e a n -
on the frontier
shows something “American Trinity” has earned prestigious Non-fiction Book of the Americans and
darker than the Year accolades from True West Magazine.
Indians.
HOWELLS
REALTY GROUP
Phil Arends
541-420-9997
phil@blackbutte.com
“One of the wonder-
ful things about Native
Americans is that they
accepted the Mystery,”
Peterson said. “We don’t like
to accept that. The myster-
ies in Western Civilization
are called paradoxes. Native
Americans accepted the mys-
tery; Christians tried to make
sense of it.”
Medicine, too, was used
almost as a weapon against
the native peoples.
“I think it’s kind of like
religion,” Peterson said. “Any
tool can be used for good or
bad.”
While he looks unflinch-
ingly at the sins of the West
and the evils perpetrated on
native peoples, Peterson is
careful and thorough in pro-
viding context. He notes that
Thomas Jefferson is often
judged harshly for extolling
profound ideals of freedom
while owning slaves and tak-
ing land from Indian nations.
“I tend not to be too judg-
mental about somebody
like Jefferson,” he told The
Nugget. “We’re all cultural
beings.”
If we’re honest, we have to
acknowledge that if we were
in the shoes of our ancestors,
growing up in a slave soci-
ety that regarded Indians as
uncivilized people and the
land as “empty,” we would
likely have behaved much the
same as they did.
The purpose of “American
Trinity” is to seek an honest
reckoning, not to impose a
point of view or instill feel-
ings of guilt. In a sense,
though it is a hard look back-
ward, it is really aimed at the
future.
In an earlier review
of “American Trinity,”
Rosebrook wrote: “At the
heart of Peterson’s magnum
opus on the American West
is his search for the historical
meaning and a record of race
relations between European-
Americans and the Native
peoples of North America —
and how a truthful reckoning
of the past can provide clar-
ity for an improved collective
future.”
The scope and scale
of “American Trinity” is
immense, but the book is
nevertheless quite acces-
sible. It was designed that
way, to be read in chunks,
not necessarily from begin-
ning to end in one shot.
And it rewards multiple
readings.
“Those 27 chapters are
individual studies and they
stand alone,” Peterson said.
“It’s not a timeline.”
Peterson will share a dis-
cussion of the themes of
his book at Paulina Springs
Books in Sisters on Saturday,
December 9, at 6 p.m.
A Christmas
Dream
Come True:
A NEW
HOME
PEAK PROPERTIES PARTNERSHIP Dick Howells
541-408-6818
Black Butte Ranch, Sisters Area,
rahowells@blackbutte.com
and Central Oregon
Let our 40+ years of combined experience work for you.
Whether you are buying or selling, call us for a no-obligation consultation.
www.realestateinsisters.com | 220 S. Ash St., Sisters
Debbie Brown/Broker
A Partnership
Beyond Your
Expectations
Stop by and visit with Tiana Van Landuyt & Shelley Marsh.
220 S. Pine St., Ste. 102 | 541-548-9180
282
2 82 Cedar
C d St.,
St Sisters
S i t
(Behind Hop-n-Brew)
Home Ownership
Brings Quality
of Life
If you are currently
renting a home,
come by and see us.
Perhaps you might
be able to buy an
affordable home
in Central Oregon!
Sisters HomeLand Realty
Ali Mayea
Principal Broker/Owner 541-480-9658
Jill A. Jarkesy
Principal Broker 541-588-0558
Greg Johnson
Broker 541-408-3344
Located in the historic Hardy
Allen House | 401 E. Main, Sisters
31
541-419-8156
Lic#200511204