Jonestown Transcription – Willow Forbes

[Editor’s note: Willow Forbes was one of the students in Prof. Alexandra Prince’s Religion 230 class on Religion and Society who assisted in the transcription of letters from Jonestown residents. This is the paper she wrote about her experiences in working with the text.]

The transcription project was a wonderful way to link all of our readings and discussions of Peoples Temple and Jonestown and see first-hand stories of individuals impacted by the organization. To be transcribing works that had never been seen before felt empowering. I experienced a variety of different individuals throughout my transcription work and the pieces uncovered a multitude of new aspects about Peoples Temple that would have otherwise been unnoticed, or atleast less emphasized. One of the biggest aspects of my transcription work was the concept of how present the idea of the White Night/”the end” was. I read so many transcriptions that referenced the author’s coming death. One transcription by Tish Leroy, full name, Laetitia Marie Eichler, states “I have one day of journal entries to post to the ledger the final things I did”, once again, referencing the foreshadowing of the White Night (Tish, EE-I-L-102). Tish was a white woman who was a part of the Temple’s Planning Commission as well as the Jonestown Agricultural Office. She wrote the letter found on Jim Jones’ dead body depicting her farewell to her leader. Another transcription by Rob (last name illegible but looks like Giy or Guy), speaks of a desire to “take the life of Jason before [he] saw him taken by the enemy” (EE-I-G-57). This was not the only reference of similar tone I saw during my transcriptions, however, this one specificallystood out to me, as it also showed the complex and deep relationships that existed within the Temple and served tofurther humanize the individuals in a way that popular media surrounding People’s Temple does not do. This emphasis on deep relationships was a recurring theme throughout my transcriptions,“they weren’t going to hurt you without a fight from me” (Rita. T-36). Rita, I believe referencing Rita Tupper, who typed out the words of members written out for Jim Jones. Additionally, at times she would report directly to Jones and give messages in person.

In a similar vein to the deep relationships, the communal aspects of the organization were highlighted for me through theletters as well, “made it our business to keep each other on the Socialist path” (Rita. T-36). This emphasis on holding each other accountable and deep relations plays heavily into one of the most shocking readings I read during the class. This reading, by B. Altheia Orsot, titled Together We Stood, Divided We Fell speaks on the sheer strength of emotions and passions individuals felt towards the movement and the revolution.

This piece covers a variety of aspects of Orsot’s experience, but the most shocking aspect, and the one that I will put inconversation with my transcriptions has to do with the way Orsot viewed the White Night.

There is a large amount of stigma when it comes to the presentation of the White Night. Orsot speaks on this with regard to her friend Sharon and her children, but also disrupts the common associations of theviolence. Most people associate these actions and this devastation with tragedy and brainwashing, whereas Orsot claims in fact that she wished she had died with them all that night. I believe the following quote, “Then and now, I did not perceive Sharon’s act as one of insanity, or as the result of brainwashing, but as one of unmatched self-sacrificial courage”, illustrates this disruption of mainstream thought (101). Additionally, Orsot speaks on a new idea for me. One that involves her own lack of knowledge on the events that took place.

Stating, “we were never certain of the truth”, going against the narrative all media loves to create that depicts things as black and white and us versus them (101).

Another aspect of Peoples Temple that was revealed to me was the shere range of emotions that people felt towardsJim, the other members and socialism itself. Oftentimes the members of Jonestown and other New Religious Movements are depicted as brainwashed individuals who are so devoted to their leader(s) that they cannot even feel disdain or disagreement. While the majority of the transcriptions I read spoke highly of Jim Jones and People’s Temple as a whole,for example, another transcription by Tish/Laetitia Marie Eichler states that she feels “the peace you have brought us”, with the you as a direct reference to Jones (Tish. EE-I-L-103). And once again, in a different transcription by her, she speaks of Jones as a martyr of sorts,stating “He does not choose the toxic, lethal state of comfort” and “He perpetually lifts others and takes on their burdens while at the same time” (Tish, EE-I-L-105). However, there are also readings and in-class viewings we have seen that do not speak so highly of Jim Jones or Jonestown itself. While the reading we read of Leslie Wagner-Wilson, titled Slaveryof Faith, speaks on her deep relations to members of Peoples Temple and her relief to return back to “the people wholove me without condition”, we also are aware that she herself decided to leave Jonestown (Wagner-Wilson, 68). Additionally, in an interview we watched in class, we heard her state that Jonestown was not the bright and shiny place it was made out to be and that she disagreed with aspects of it.

This idea of the shere range of emotions felt by members plays into a concept presented in the reading Peoples Temple as Black Religion, Reimagining the Contours of Black Religious Studies by Anthony B. Pinn. Pinn speaks on the concept of truth and how so much historical truth is riddled with biases and “written” rather than “recorded”. In his words much of the religious history of the United States has been “created from economic concerns and demonic theological formulations in which “truthful” statements or stories asserted the inferiority of some and the superiority of others” (21). In regards to Jonestown, this is certainly true, especially the latter half of the quote. This concept of truth and bias is present throughout historical accounts of People’s Temple as well as being indirectly present in the transcriptions, as you cannot always decipher truth from fabrication.

These transcriptions allow for a unique lens into life at Jonestown. From them I discovered the organization that existed within Jonestown, which was not something we discussed in class. Additionally, and perhaps the most common aspect of my letters was the acceptance that infiltrated every aspect of the group, coming up in many of my letters as well as many of the readings of first-hand accounts we read for class. Pauline Groot, described as an outspoken fiery individual who enjoyed being a member, described the group as being “more loving than other places” (Groot. EE-I-G-59). It was also apparent that the group thrived on self-betterment andevaluation, sometimes through self-deprecation. There were many letters I read of individuals critiquing themselves, as this was incredibly present in the letters I read.

Overall, the transcriptions served to humanize the members of People’s Temple and make individuals a group that has been previously homogenized. The letters reinforced the concept that these people were not brainwashed and had theirown opinions on Jim Jones and People’s Temple itself. I believe the letters allowed for a continual challenging of thenarratives that have been so heavily forced on New Religious Movements, including People’s Temple.

Overall, I found the transcriptions have been an incredibly important aspect of the course and my learning regarding Peoples Temple and Jonestown.

Work Cited