The crosses were brought over by the Franciscan Monks and were symbolized as the representation of their suffering for Christ. They believed that they must take up their own crosses, not literally, but spiritually and that they must all suffer for the cause of Christ. They wore these crosses as symbol of what Christ said in the bible. “If anyone wishes to come after
Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross daily and follow Me.” “Whoever does not carry his own cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple.” So wearing a cross was a physical reminder that they are here on this earth to glorify the Lord and also it reminds people of the death of Jesus, and the purpose of why he was here on earth and that he died for our sins so people who are saved could go to heaven, but more importantly he died because he wanted to give us the gift of salvation and everlasting life.
The monks went to California because they wanted to tell people about Christ and save them from eternal damnation. This was the purpose and the cross they had to carry to follow in the footsteps of the Lord Jesus Christ.
The American Indians believed in a religious system that included cosmology, where they made stories as to how they were created and how their society was formed. With this, they believed there was a “Master Spirit” who was all-powerful and all knowing and a group of lesser beings who had a specific task or duty, like an evil spirit who brought disaster, suffering, and death. Also, they believed that there was an afterlife and that the human soul passed on and was a culmination of all the good deeds and practices that made the earth a better place to live in. When these monks came to America and started to interact with the American Indians they were scared to interact with them, but given time, they learned to trust and respect the monks. Since the Indians were very much different from the monks they revered them as gods or a divine being sent by the gods, because of this thought they brought any ailments to the monks; the monks fixed, healed, or cured them, and it reinforced the thought that the monks were sent by the gods, but this is not what the monks wanted them to believe. The monks believed that it was their duty to save these heathens from eternal damnation and help bring them to salvation, not to be worshipped as gods.
The authority the American Indians gave the monks made it easy for them to evangelize and convert the Indians to Christianity. Thus, the cross, bible, and other religious artifacts easily made it over to the Indians houses. As more Indians converted to Christianity, the cross was mostly seen around the necks of converted Indians and was often displayed in pride as if they were carrying their burdens and trying to live a life like Jesus. They were also seen right next to the front doors of their homes as a kind of omen to ward off evil or in the middle of the room, adorned with flowers, candles, and incense as a kind of sanctuary in which they could pray, relax, or even fellowship. But the main reason the cross was kept in their home was to remind them that Jesus died for their sins and since they repented their sins, accepted Christ Jesus, and put their trust in him they will be saved and will spend eternal life with him in heaven.
The Franciscan Monks and the Native American Indians played a significant part in shaping the society of California. The beautiful language, religion, culture and history shows us the great advancements they did together. Religious artifacts like the cross, helped guide and symbolized the value and pride they put in religion. But it is the way they utilized it and shared it with others that impacted California.
References
-
Axtell, James. The Indian Peoples of Eastern America: A Documentary History of the Sexes. New York: Oxford University Press, 1981.
-
McLoughlin, William G. The Cherokees and Christianity, 1794-1870: Essays on Acculturation and Cultural Persistence. Ed., Walter H. Conser, Jr. Athens: University of Georgia Press, 1994.
-
Walter Bauer, augmented by William F. Arndt, F.W. Gingrich and Frederick Danker, A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature. London, England: The University of Chicago Press, 1979.
