History Hour with Jacob Eberlein

In this MONI lecture series, local historian and author, Jake Eberlein, presents a study of Christmas in Coeur d’ Alene based on the paintings of Fr. Nicholas Point during his initial visit with the Coeur d’Alene Tribe in 1842. To celebrate Christmas, they built a colorful tent that was decorated with available greenery, mats, and images. What was the meaning of the decorations? How did the celebration compare with Christmas celebrated in Point’s home country of France? How did it compare with Christmas celebrated elsewhere in the United States? In 1926, the celebration of the Cataldo Mission’s eightieth-anniversary included a reconstruction of this original “pole arbor covered with green boughs.” What meaning did this display represent for the Mission, after a period of several decades when the celebration had become more commercialized in American society? This display showed a collective remembrance and connection with the past that moved them to commemorate that first Christmas celebration.