The Indian Sentinel, 1902-1962, publication of the Bureau of Catholic Indian Missions for a predominantly non-Native American audience, apparently designed to educate U.S. Catholic faithful about Indian missions. Note the changes in style and approach from the beginning to the end of the publication.
1902-3 issue. The first issue of The Indian Sentinel is very Victorian in style and is notable for a rather condescending, almost paternalistic tone towards the Native Americans who are the subject of the missions.
1910 issue, in which it is excitedly noted that the Holy Father, Pope Pius X has commended the work of the Preservation Society.
1922 issue, “Jogues Number”- the magazine has a device of naming each issue after a different Catholic missionary to Native Americans. This issue is interesting because we see how Catholics conceptualized early Jesuit martyr Fr. Isaac Jogues at the time.
1933 issue, includes articles on Catholic Sioux and missions in Alaska.
1942 issue, includes articles “Grandfathers’ Stories” and “Mushing to Scammon Bay”, also in 1940s the magazines start using photos rather than illustrations on the covers.
1950 issue. Even though this issue shows more instances of Native American participation and agency, it still refers to them in somewhat passive terms, as being “shepherded”, or being “cooperative."
1957 issue, interesting mix of older, more condescending and newer, more sympathetic views towards Native American faithful.
1960 issue (the sole issue for that year); the cover is of a Native American traditional basket weaver, rather than of any particularly Catholic subject matter.
1962 issue, the last issue. Not only does the cover, once again, feature the non-religious theme of older Native American men at work building a fence, but the issue contains an article titled, “Christ to Eskimos, by Eskimos” suggesting the importance of missionary work by religious who share their congregants’ ethnicity.