David Thompson's Travels is not only the account of a remarkable life in the fur trade but an extended meditation on the land and Native peoples of western North America. The tale spans the years 1784 to 1812 and extends from the Great Lakes to the Pacific; from Athabasca to the Missouri River. A distinguished literary work; the Travels alternates between the expository prose of the scientist and the vivid language of the storyteller; animated throughout by a restless spirit of inquiry and a sense of wonder.In the first of three volumes that will finally bring all of Thompson's writings together; editor William Moreau presents the Travels narrative as it existed in 1850; when the author was forced to abandon his work; and supplements it with a textual introduction; extensive annotations; and historical and modern maps.David Thompson (1770-1857) is considered by many to have been the most important surveyor of North America. His achievements--mapping the Saskatchewan River; the great bend of the Missouri River; the Great Lakes; and the headwaters of the Mississippi as well as the Columbia watershed--are the stuff of legend.
2014-09-15Original language:English #File Name: 029275695X479 pages
Review
1 of 2 people found the following review helpful. The Spanish couldn't stamp out Latin American customs.By B. WolinskyClaudia Brosseder’s book portrays pre-Columbian religion as the unifying factor among Peru’s natives. The term Huaca (wak’a in the original language) means “sacred object†or some inanimate structure; like a burial mound; where spirits were thought to reside. It’s not exclusive to Peru; other cultures; like Japanese Shinto; had similar animistic beliefs. But in this case; it was more significant because it allowed the people to keep some independence under colonialism.From the start; Brosseder makes clear that Peru’s natives weren’t all swayed by Christianity. It was introduced by their Spanish Conquistadores; and since the natives had no rights; Christianity didn’t seem very welcoming either. Indigenous religion continued into the 1600’s; but the Jesuits made efforts to lure the people away from it. Unlike the Franciscans; the Jesuits permitted local religious customs along with Christian ones; so they weren’t entirely averse to animistic beliefs. However; they did use sneaky tactics with the natives; such as offering rewards to those that were cooperative with the missionaries and using them to influence others.The author discusses other reasons for Spain’s proselytizing in Peru; such as the protestant versus Catholic conflict in Europe. With Catholic Spain fighting Protestant-led forces in the Netherlands; perhaps Spain’s Bishops saw Latin America as a recruiting ground. But at the same time; Spain was also the nation that had a violent Inquisition; and that didn’t offer much encouragement. If Spanish speaking Priests wanted to stamp out the belief in demons; then violent sermons would not have been much help.
