God Is Red: A Native View of Religion

Vine Deloria Jr. (1933-2005) was a Standing Rock Sioux scholar, writer, and activist whose voice helped redefine both Indigenous American studies and American religious thought. Born in South Dakota to a family of Episcopal clergy, his father, Vine Sr., and his grandfather, Philip Joseph Deloria (Tipi Sapa), were priests. As such, Deloria grew up at the intersection of Indigenous community life and Christian institutions.

Deloria graduated from Kent School, served in the US Marine Corps Reserve, earned a B.S. from Iowa State University, a Master of Theology from the Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago, and later a JD from the University of Colorado. From 1964 to 1967, Deloria served as executive director of the National Congress of American Indians (NCAI), helping revive and modernize the organization at a crucial moment when tribes were mobilizing for self-determination.

Deloria’s book Custer Died for Your Sins (1969) exploded into the mainstream with a fast, satirical takedown of “Indian experts,” missionary condescension, and federal paternalism. We Talk, You Listen (1970) extended the critique into the culture wars of the day. God Is Red (1973) then offered his signature argument: Indigenous religions are place-based and communal, grounded in responsibilities to lands and all living creatures, while American Christianity tends toward history-based universalism that too easily rationalizes conquest.