While Sewing Sandals

Emma Rauschenbusch-Clough arrived in India in 1882 as a young missionary and spent the next seventeen years living among the Telugu people. This book is the fruit of countless days spent with the Madigas, listening to their legends and learning about their religious practices.

The Madigas are among the most despised of the Pariah castes of Southern India. For centuries they have tanned hides, sewn sandals, and prepared leather goods for the higher castes. Yet within this humble community, Rauschenbusch-Clough discovered a rich tradition of myth, ritual, and spiritual seeking.

The book is structured in six parts, moving from ancient tribal history through the Matangi mother-worship cult, the influence of various gurus, and finally to the remarkable mass movement toward Christianity that culminated in the baptism of 2,222 people in a single day in Ongole.

Written with deep respect for her subjects, this work preserves voices and traditions that might otherwise have been lost to history.