Jesus the Trickster?

Abstract

The figure of the Trickster is a universal cultural hero, a significant character also in Native American spirituality. After colonization most Native Americans adopted Christianity, and recently they have been making it their task to reconcile their ancient beliefs with Christianity and enrich traditional theological categories with those of their native ones. In this paper I consider one of these categories, that of the Trickster, and, based on the ideas of both native and some Western theologians, examine ways of linking this character with the person of God and Jesus.