Asher Wright
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Asher Wright (September 7, 1803 – April 13, 1875) was an American
Presbyterian Presbyterianism is a part of the Reformed tradition within Protestantism that broke from the Roman Catholic Church in Scotland by John Knox, who was a priest at St. Giles Cathedral (Church of Scotland). Presbyterian churches derive their nam ...
missionary A missionary is a member of a Religious denomination, religious group which is sent into an area in order to promote its faith or provide services to people, such as education, literacy, social justice, health care, and economic development.Tho ...
, who worked among the people of the
Seneca Nation The Seneca Nation of Indians is a federally recognized Seneca tribe based in western New York. They are one of three federally recognized Seneca entities in the United States, the others being the Tonawanda Band of Seneca (also in western New Y ...
, of the native
Iroquois The Iroquois ( or ), officially the Haudenosaunee ( meaning "people of the longhouse"), are an Iroquoian-speaking confederacy of First Nations peoples in northeast North America/ Turtle Island. They were known during the colonial years to ...
of the northeastern
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from 1831 to 1875. His most notable work was the extensive translation and linguistics work he did among the Seneca people. Asher and his wife Laura Maria Sheldon were based in the
Seneca mission The Seneca mission, sometimes called the Buffalo Creek mission, was a Christian mission to the Seneca people living in and around the Buffalo Creek Reservation in western New York. It was maintained, by several leaders and under the supervision o ...
on the
Buffalo Creek Reservation The Buffalo Creek Reservation was a tract of land surrounding Buffalo Creek in the central portion of Erie County, New York. It contained approximately of land and was set aside for the Seneca Nation following negotiations with the United States ...
. After 1845, they relocated along with the Buffalo Creek Seneca to the Cattaraugus Resvervation following the sale of Buffalo Creek to developers from the Ogden Company. Alongside their missionary and ministry work, the Wrights recorded the Seneca language and culture. Integral to their work was the education of the Seneca people, especially teaching literacy to the people in their own language. In 1855 they founded the Thomas Asylum for Orphan and Destitute Children, later named the
Thomas Indian School Thomas Indian School, also known as the Thomas Asylum of Orphan and Destitute Indian Children, is a historic school and national historic district located near Irving at the Cattaraugus Indian Reservation in Erie County, New York. The institution ...
.


Early life and education

Wright was born in
Hanover, New Hampshire Hanover is a town located along the Connecticut River in Grafton County, New Hampshire, United States. As of the 2020 census, its population was 11,870. The town is home to the Ivy League university Dartmouth College, the U.S. Army Corps of Eng ...
, on September 7, 1803. He was educated at
Dartmouth College Dartmouth College (; ) is a private research university in Hanover, New Hampshire. Established in 1769 by Eleazar Wheelock, it is one of the nine colonial colleges chartered before the American Revolution. Although founded to educate Native A ...
between 1826 and 1829, registered in the medical school alongside studying Ancient Languages. At the same time, Wright was enrolled at the
Andover Theological Seminary Andover Theological Seminary (1807–1965) was a Congregationalist seminary founded in 1807 and originally located in Andover, Massachusetts on the campus of Phillips Academy. From 1908 to 1931, it was located at Harvard University in Cambridge. ...
, where he graduated in 1831 and was ordained in the same year. Prior to his appointment as a missionary at Buffalo Creek Reservation, Wright married Martha Edgerton in 1831. Martha died on January 7, 1831, from illness and ongoing poor health, aged 23. On January 21, 1833, Wright married Laura Maria Sheldon, a school teacher from
Vermont Vermont () is a state in the northeast New England region of the United States. Vermont is bordered by the states of Massachusetts to the south, New Hampshire to the east, and New York to the west, and the Canadian province of Quebec to ...
, whom he had corresponded with through letter after being introduced to by their mutual friend Rev. Clark Perry.


Missionary work


Linguistics and anthropological work

Wright's missionary work began in 1831 after graduating seminary, moving to Buffalo Creek to work among the Seneca people. The Mission at Buffalo Creek had been established in 1811, 20 years prior to Wright's commencement there, where translation work had already been started on
hymn A hymn is a type of song, and partially synonymous with devotional song, specifically written for the purpose of adoration or prayer, and typically addressed to a deity or deities, or to a prominent figure or personification. The word ''hymn'' ...
s, the
Gospel of Luke The Gospel of Luke), or simply Luke (which is also its most common form of abbreviation). tells of the origins, birth, ministry, death, resurrection, and ascension of Jesus Christ. Together with the Acts of the Apostles, it makes up a two-volu ...
and other portions of the
Bible The Bible (from Koine Greek , , 'the books') is a collection of religious texts or scriptures that are held to be sacred in Christianity, Judaism, Samaritanism, and many other religions. The Bible is an anthologya compilation of texts of a ...
. In 1842, Wright published ''A Spelling Book in the Seneca Language With English Definitions'', a work which compiled Wright's linguistic efforts in developing a Seneca alphabet, work which involved self-devised phonetic systems and other linguistic methods. Using knowledge of the Seneca language, Wright translated sections of the Bible to provide resources for himself and Laura to run education programs among the Seneca people. These translations of the bible assisted their ministry work. Laura in particular used the linguistic development to create bilingual schoolbooks and resources, starting with a
primer Primer may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Films * ''Primer'' (film), a 2004 feature film written and directed by Shane Carruth * ''Primer'' (video), a documentary about the funk band Living Colour Literature * Primer (textbook), a t ...
in 1836, a spelling book in 1842 and a journal between 1841 and 1850. The creation of these resources, apart from the primer, were the benefit of a specialised
printing press A printing press is a mechanical device for applying pressure to an inked surface resting upon a printing, print medium (such as paper or cloth), thereby transferring the ink. It marked a dramatic improvement on earlier printing methods in wh ...
established in the
Seneca mission The Seneca mission, sometimes called the Buffalo Creek mission, was a Christian mission to the Seneca people living in and around the Buffalo Creek Reservation in western New York. It was maintained, by several leaders and under the supervision o ...
by Wright. The journal, titled the ''Mental Elevator'', was also edited by the Wrights, and was a part of their wider collection of translation work including the
Gospel Gospel originally meant the Christian message ("the gospel"), but in the 2nd century it came to be used also for the books in which the message was set out. In this sense a gospel can be defined as a loose-knit, episodic narrative of the words an ...
s, dictionaries,
hymnal A hymnal or hymnary is a collection of hymns, usually in the form of a book, called a hymnbook (or hymn book). Hymnals are used in congregational singing. A hymnal may contain only hymn texts (normal for most hymnals for most centuries of Chri ...
s, primers, spelling books and tracts. Throughout 1874, Wright sent several letters containing his observations, specifically focusing on social organisation and ceremony within Seneca clans, to the anthropologist
Lewis Henry Morgan Lewis Henry Morgan (November 21, 1818 – December 17, 1881) was a pioneering American anthropologist and social theorist who worked as a railroad lawyer. He is best known for his work on kinship and social structure, his theories of social evol ...
in response to a request for data to aid in research for his book, ''
Ancient Society ''Ancient Society'' is an 1877 book by the American anthropologist Lewis H. Morgan. Building on the data about kinship and social organization presented in his 1871 ''Systems of Consanguinity and Affinity of the Human Family'', Morgan develops h ...
''. It is suggested that Wright, along with the assistance of Laura, provided medical assistance to the people of the reservation, using the knowledge he acquired from his time at Dartmouth College. The two were supposedly widely sought on the reservation, and would provide medical attention, caring for people both spiritually and physically in their role as missionaries on the reservation.


Removal of the Seneca from Buffalo Creek

In 1838 the
Treaty of Buffalo Creek The Treaties of Buffalo Creek are a series of treaties, named for the Buffalo River in New York, between the United States and Native American peoples: These include the following: * First Treaty of Buffalo Creek (1788) * Second Treaty of Buff ...
was signed, which decreed that the four Seneca reservations would be sold off to the Ogden Land Company and intended for the Seneca people to be removed to
Kansas Kansas () is a state in the Midwestern United States. Its capital is Topeka, and its largest city is Wichita. Kansas is a landlocked state bordered by Nebraska to the north; Missouri to the east; Oklahoma to the south; and Colorado to the ...
. Wright was among many who considered the proceedings surrounding the treaty corrupt, along with the majority of the community at Buffalo Creek, due to the bribery of Seneca Chiefs by the land developers. Wright corresponded with a
Quaker Quakers are people who belong to a historically Protestant Christian set of Christian denomination, denominations known formally as the Religious Society of Friends. Members of these movements ("theFriends") are generally united by a belie ...
committee who were acting against the treaty and provided letters and witnessed testimonials opposing the treaty. As a part of this, he contributed a letter to be included in ''The Case of the Seneca Indians (1840)'', a publication by the Quakers appealing against the terms of the treaty. While the opposition to the treaty led to a compromise treaty being drafted and signed in 1842, the opponents were unable to reclaim Seneca ownership to the Buffalo Creek Reservation. The result of this treaty saw the majority of the Seneca of Buffalo Creek relocate to the Cattaraugus Reservation, a Seneca reservation that had been returned to the people as a part of the compromise treaty. The Wrights relocated to the Cattaraugus Reservation along with the majority of the Buffalo Creek Seneca, where the Seneca Church was reestablished in 1845. The impact of the treaties and relocations was considered a setback of missionary work by Wright. He wrote about the increased hostility to Christianity after the removal to Cattaraugus.
The
pagan Paganism (from classical Latin ''pāgānus'' "rural", "rustic", later "civilian") is a term first used in the fourth century by early Christians for people in the Roman Empire who practiced polytheism, or ethnic religions other than Judaism. ...
portion of the two Reservations availed themselves of the opportunity of union to build up and strengthen their cause against Christianity... The influence of Christianity had been almost paralyzed by the intense excitement of the popular mind during the treaty struggle; there was alienation between brethren, bitter enmity among neighbors and kindred, and thorough scorn of the Christian profession among pagans and impenitent sinners.


Thomas Asylum for Orphan and Destitute Children

In September 1847, the Seneca suffered an epidemic of
typhoid Typhoid fever, also known as typhoid, is a disease caused by '' Salmonella'' serotype Typhi bacteria. Symptoms vary from mild to severe, and usually begin six to 30 days after exposure. Often there is a gradual onset of a high fever over several ...
, in which approximately 70 of them died. The Wrights began taking in the orphaned children left behind by the outbreak. By 1854, the number of orphans and destitute children in the reserve had exceeded fifty. Due to the lack of any charitable institution to assist with this, the Wrights appealed to the
Society of Friends Quakers are people who belong to a historically Protestant Christian set of denominations known formally as the Religious Society of Friends. Members of these movements ("theFriends") are generally united by a belief in each human's abili ...
, the
New York State Legislature The New York State Legislature consists of the two houses that act as the state legislature of the U.S. state of New York: The New York State Senate and the New York State Assembly. The Constitution of New York does not designate an official ...
, and businessman
Philip E. Thomas Philip Evan Thomas (November 11, 1776 – September 1, 1861) was the first president of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad (B&O) from 1827 to 1836. He has been referred to as "The Father of American Railways". The Thomas Viaduct bridge in Relay, Mar ...
in order to fund the establishment of an
orphanage An orphanage is a Residential education, residential institution, total institution or group home, devoted to the Childcare, care of orphans and children who, for various reasons, cannot be cared for by their biological families. The parent ...
. Thomas had previously voiced his support of the Seneca cause after the Wright and the Quakers had helped the Seneca people retain some of their land in the compromise treaty. Thomas' name was used for the Asylum due to his financial support towards its cause. After Wright had appealed to the legislature in Albany, a charter to establish an institution was passed in 1855 and the Thomas Asylum for Orphan and Destitute Children was founded with the Wrights taking on the position of co-directors. Building of the facility started in September 1855, and by the summer of 1866, the facility was ready to be occupied. The institution had the capacity to house 100 children, and a schoolhouse was soon built on the property where 'these children received the advantages of a district school." Wright held the position of director until his death in 1875. In the same year, control of the asylum passed to the State Board of Charities due to financial difficulties.


Response and legacy


Opposition

Wright's missionary work underwent opposition, especially in response to his activity surrounding negotiating the treaties and the relocation to Cattaraugus. This opposition, for the most part, came from groups within the Seneca community. The Seneca tribe underwent a political revolution of sorts, changing the governing powers of the nation to an elected council rather than a hereditary council of chiefs. Wright's influence into the changing political structures of the Seneca tribes brought opposition from their members. It has been suggested that missionaries such as Wright "were at times greater defenders of Seneca land rights than were some of the Senecas themselves." His translation of the constitution and suggestions for articles in the constitution were strongly opposed by the Chiefs of the old hereditary system, who both petitioned Wright's superiors for his removal due to the perceived abuse of his role, and also threatened the status of missionaries among the community. This opposition also had a significant impact on his congregation, as the political division was not extensively religious, although it found reason to blame both Pagan and Christian sections of the community. As such, some of those from the old system who were opposed to Wright were those who were a part of his congregation, where the church was divided into opposing factions because of this issue. The removal from Buffalo Creek saw resentment toward Christianity and the missionaries arise among the community, a majority of whom saw the removal from their ancestral land as the fault of Christianity. Even more so, Christian chiefs who were a part of the signing of the initial treaty were discovered to have been bribed by the company, furthering the resentment of Christianity among the community and the influence of the missionaries on their way of life. The words of former Seneca leader
Red Jacket Red Jacket (known as ''Otetiani'' in his youth and ''Sagoyewatha'' eeper Awake''Sa-go-ye-wa-tha'' as an adult because of his oratorical skills) (c. 1750–January 20, 1830) was a Seneca people, Seneca orator and Tribal chief, chief of the Wolf ...
were taken on by the people, where it is recorded that they said "that if we took the religion of the pale face, we should lose our homes. His words were true." The result of this was that they believed that "this new religion (Christianity)... must be bad, since those who embraced it could be so dishonest, so unjust, so cruel." The impeding opposition to Wright's mission during these trials was considered a hindrance to the work of mission by Wright. The minimal growth that he saw in the church and the periods of decline during the time of opposition has even lead to the suggestion that Wright considered his mission in terms of seeing converts made of the Seneca a failure.


Legacy

Wright's work as a linguist among the Seneca saw the language develop from a spoken language to a language of literacy. His work is still used as a basis for Seneca translation and written work, and has still been considered the best source on the Seneca language. Alongside this, Wright has been viewed in his life as serving "as an educator, key advisor, scribe, important conduit between the Indians and the white establishment, and even as a determined champion of Seneca Indians and their lands." In most scholarly opinions of his missionary work, Wright is viewed favourably for his cultural sensitivity and observance. Thomas Abler remarks on Wright's fascination and regard for culture, as differing from the conventional anthropological "view of missionaries as disruptive agents of cultural change," but rather being an example of a missionary who didn't 'carry extreme ethnocentrism as part of their cultural baggage.' Likewise,
Alister McGrath Alister Edgar McGrath (; born 1953) is a Northern Irish theologian, Anglican priest, intellectual historian, scientist, Christian apologist, and public intellectual. He currently holds the Andreas Idreos Professorship in Science and Religion in ...
comments on the legacy of both Wright's ministry and other work, suggesting in his book ''Christian History: An Introduction'' that Wright's "missionary work was not especially successful; however, his commitment to the people and knowledge of their language and customs led to the preservation of their distinctive features." He notes that Wright's example assists in questioning the stereotype of western missionaries being colonial in intention. The United Missions Church on the Cattaraugus Reservation where Wright ministered was renamed the Wright Memorial Church in 1957, in remembrance of Asher and Laura Wright and their missionary work among the Seneca people.


See also

*
Bible translations into Native American languages Biblical translations into the indigenous languages of North and South America have been produced since the 16th century. Algonquian languages Abenaki Mark, translated by Peter Wzokhilain, was printed in 1830. It was republished in 2011 by J ...


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Wright, Asher 1803 births 1875 deaths American Presbyterian missionaries Missionary linguists 19th-century Presbyterian ministers Dartmouth College alumni Andover Theological Seminary alumni People from Hanover, New Hampshire American Presbyterian ministers Presbyterians from New York (state) Missionary educators 19th-century American clergy