Reading the Bible on Turtle Island
An Invitation to North American Indigenous Interpretation
Reading the Bible on Turtle Island by Indigenous biblical scholars T. Christopher Hoklotubbe and H. Daniel Zacharias is an expansive exploration of North American Indigenous interpretations of the Bible.
For many Indigenous people, Turtle Island is the precolonial name for North America, and the story of Turtle Island is a creation story that emphasizes Indigenous identity, ancestry, and heritage. This perspective aligns with the book’s concept of “Turtle Island hermeneutics,” an approach to interpreting biblical narratives in relation to Indigenous traditions and rituals. This ideology rejects the cultural and theological hegemony of Euro-Christianity and supports the conviction that “Creator has always been present on Turtle Island and [has influenced] the stories, ceremonies, lands, worldviews, and lifeways of its Indigenous peoples.” Indigenous theologians, clergy, writers, ollowers of Jesus, and members of the influential North American Institute of Indigenous Theological Studies (NAIITS) affirm these beliefs in compelling and personal ways throughout, positing that “Indigenous Christians do not need to reject … their traditions … to accept the Bible as Scripture.”
The book’s in-depth reframings of the Bible result in deeper, more conceptualized visions of its tales. For example, reconsidering Jesus’s forty-day wilderness experience within the framework of Indigenous vision quests exemplifies the Christian search for spiritual truth. Likewise, equating the story of Jesus’s life-giving death with the sacrifice of Corn Mother evokes understanding of creation’s interconnectedness.
These innovative, fascinating interpretations are presented in scholarly yet accessible prose. Scriptural and historical references are footnoted throughout the text, and wry ribbing between the authors brings jauntiness to the book’s solemnity. Also of note is the poignant discussion of cultural genocide and enduring intergenerational trauma inflicted upon Indigenous people by colonialism.
Comprehensive and visionary, Reading the Bible on Turtle Island reimagines Christian faith in view of Indigenous experiences and identity.
Reviewed by
Amy O'Loughlin
Disclosure: This article is not an endorsement, but a review. The publisher of this book provided free copies of the book to have their book reviewed by a professional reviewer. No fee was paid by the publisher for this review. Foreword Reviews only recommends books that we love. Foreword Magazine, Inc. is disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.
