Dakota Cross-Bearer

Biography of a Dakota who became first Native American bishop of a Christian Church

Tells the story of a remarkable man, Harold S Jones, a Dakota Indian who rose through the ranks of the Episcopal Church to become the first Native American bishop of a Christian church. This work sheds light on the importance of Christianity for the Dakotas and other Native American peoples, during the twentieth century.Dakota Cross-Bearer is the story of Harold S. Jones, a Dakota Indian born in 1909 and raised on the Santee Reservation in Nebraska, who rose through the ranks of the Episcopal Church to become the first Native bishop of a Christian church. Jones’s biography sheds light on the importance of Christianity for the Dakotas and other Native peoples during the twentieth century. His story yields insights into the history of twentieth-century missionary activity among Native communities and illuminates instances of conflict and discrimination within the Episcopal Church, the processes of clerical training and testing, and the demands of constant relocation.