Comments on: The first biography of St. Innocent, part 3 http://orthodoxhistory.org/2010/07/20/the-first-biography-of-st-innocent-part-3/ The Society for Orthodox Christian History in the Americas Wed, 08 May 2013 13:30:30 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.5.1 By: Isa Almisry http://orthodoxhistory.org/2010/07/20/the-first-biography-of-st-innocent-part-3/comment-page-1/#comment-1109 Isa Almisry Tue, 20 Jul 2010 16:53:19 +0000 http://orthodoxhistory.org/?p=2965#comment-1109 “All of their former Shamans have been baptized, and the greater part of them show themselves to be very good Christians. Some of them, on a very slight hint from the missionary, cut off their hair (which previously they had highly prized), in token that they not only followed, but were glad to fulfil, their missionary’s teachings.”

This is a big deal: the shaman’s hair was a sign of his authority and power. When Jackson and company came, learning this, they used to take the shaman on board a ship in the harbor, gather the natives on the shore, and shave his head before them.

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