Product Description
This digital document, covering the life and work of Charles A(lexander) Eastman, is an entry from Contemporary Authors, a reference volume published by Thompson Gale. The length of the entry is 1833 words. The page length listed above is based on a typical 300-word page. Although the exact content of each entry from this volume can vary, typical entries include the following information:

• Place and date of birth and death (if deceased)
• Family members
• Education
• Professional associations and honors
• Employment
• Writings, including books and periodicals
• A description of the author's work
• References to further readings about the author

Customer Reviews (3)

The integrity of Soul
Ohiyesa wrote from his heart about a world for which the western world had no language. Here is a man who was truly caught between two cultures. Raised Lakota, educated as a western physician and fated to be on the Rosebud Reservation during the 1890 Wounded Knee Massacre, his destiny was to leave a record of what the First Peoples truly believed, and why.
His language swings from simple to more formal. It is obvious that he wants to influence the more well educated western culture of his time. Often, he is awkward. But, always, the soul and integrity of what he is saying shines through.
This book is meant for all who have native blood in their veins and for those who need to understand those that do. It echos the humility that is at the core of all our beliefs. It explains the Integrity of Soul that we have been searching for these many years.

Nothing special
I bought this book on a whim and turned out not to be what I expected. It's a nice easy read but it lacks depth. The text is rather large so the 170 pages would be much less if normal. You definately have to be in the right frame of mind and appreciate thesimplicity or you will be disappointed. Overall, a worthwhile read.

Spiritual matters conveyed in simple language
Ohiyesa wrote this book in 1911, and did a masterful job at conveying spiritual truths in simple language that anyone can understand.

Ohiyesa tries to impart that this form of spirituality is more about a state of mind and heart instead of performing ceremonies by rote.

There are many little gems of wisdom in this book, and it would be a great place to start if you wish to explore the American Indian (Sioux) form of spirituality.

Here are a few of those gems I mentioned above.

Page XII "My little book does not pretend to be a scientific treatise. It is as true as I can nake it to my childhood teaching and ancestral ideals"

Page XIII "We know that the God of the lettered and the unlettered, of the Greek and the barbarian is after all the same God;"

Page 4 "Our faith might not be formulated in creeds, nor forced on any who were unwilling to receive it; hence there was no preaching, proselyting, nor persecution"

Page 4 "He (the indian) would deem it sacriledge to build a house for Him (the Great Spirit) who may be met face to face in the mysterious , shadowy aisles of the primeval forest"

Page 13 "The Indian no more worships the Sun than the Christian adores the Cross"

Page 14 "We believed that the spirit pervades all creation and that every creature posesses a soul in some degree, though not necessarily a soul conscious of itself."

Page 15 "He (The indian) paid homage to the spirits in prescribed prayers and offerings)

Page 45 "In the life of the indian there was only one inevitable duty,--the duty of prayer--the daily recognition of the Unseen and Eternal. His daily devotions were more necessary to him than daily food."

Much wisdom for a book more than 90 years old!

I encourage questions and comments about my reviews; Two Bears.

Wah doh Ogedoda (We give thanks Great Spirit) ... Read more

Product Description
Chronicles first 15 years in life of a native Santee Sioux Indian in mid-19th century: childhood memories, training in the hunt, woodlore, religious practices, work of the medicine men, games, initiation rites, etc. 13 illustrations.
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Customer Reviews (3)

What it was like to grow up as a Native American little boy
There is so much myth about "the American Indian," or "The Native American," that for many non-Native Americans there is no way to understand what life was like on this continent before Euro-Americans wiped out those who lived here first.

This book, by Charles Alexander Eastman(Née Ohiyesa), offers a genuine first-hand story about what it was like growing up in the years before the massacre at Wounded Knee, when his tribe had to flee to Canada.

Ohiyesa's father was captured and imprisoned by American soldiers when his son was a very young boy.But by the time he was a teenager, his father was released from jail, and he went to Canada to reclaim his son.The boy went to American jails and ultimately was graduated from Dartmouth College as a physician.He went through a period in his life in which he wrote a series of books about the Lakota way of life, in which he explains values, belief systems, and the lifestyle he experienced as a child.Today, unfortunately, due to government imposed boarding schools during the first part of the 20th Century, this became a lost way of life and thought.

Ohiyesa's books are treasures for the soul. They are simple, spare, Spartan even, and beautiful.Above all, they are honest.And in their direct, one-to-one description of how humans lived so simply with nature, they are inspiring and spiritual.

Ohiyesa's books should be required reading for students of literature, sociology, American history, philosophy, and psychology.They are not written to lament the plight of a people.But dignifying the elegant ways of a tribe -- simply by recording it as it was -- creates and understanding.And once you understand, you cannot help but mourn for the natural and simple ways that were.

Indian Boyhood
This is a most excellent book because it is "AUTHENTIC" and not one that speaks of prejudice and the horrors of the Native American experience; instead, it allows you to catch a glimpse of what is now lost, a world of beauty and wonder.I highly recommend it to anyone: young or old; red, white, brown, or yellow -- a book that should be preserved and revered.

From a Boy to A Man
This book is a great compilation of the story of a young Indianboy who grows up to learn the traditions of his family. It was veryinformative and a great read. It would also be beneficial for people intereted in Native American history or just those wanting to read a good novel. ... Read more

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Customer Reviews (2)

Autobiography of Ohiyesa
If you have read the writings of Ohiyesa (Charles Alexander Eastman); I HIGHLY recommend this book to you.

It helped me understand the forces that shaped this man.

My favorite areas are

The assorted photos of his father "Many Lightnings", his wife, his son Ohiyesa at the age of 5.

Events that occured while he was attending school in the East, and the bigotry he encountered from "SOME" white people.

Events where he served as a medical doctor on the Pine Ridge reservation, and caring for the survivors of the Wounded Knee masacre in 1890.

Events where he traveled among various indian nations to get items used by indians for museums.

Events where he worked with the Boy Scouts and Campfire Girls.

And much more.

If this book is your introduction to the writings of Ohiyesa; I would recommend that your next purchase would be "The Soul Of The Indian".

Wah doh Ogedoda (We give thanks Great Spirit)

From the deep woods to civilization
There are certainly not enough autobiographies of Native Americans, and few that can compare with Eastman's story and journey to find civilization. As Eastman follows Christianity and the White Man's Civilization, he findshimself realizing the paradox of the two worlds. Upon returning to a morecivilized world, he gives a captivating look at how Jesus was an Indian andhow different the White world and Native American world was during hislife. A perfect self-enlightenment book. ... Read more

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Follows the life of the Native American physician, writer, and worker for his people's rights. ... Read more

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Presents a biography of Charles Eastman, the Native American physician, writer, and naturalist, focusing on his study of animals and their behavior. Provides tips on how to observe neighborhood wildlife. ... Read more

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Charles Eastman, or 'Ohiyesa' in Santee, came of age during a period of increasing tension and violence between Native and 'new' Americans. Raised to become a hunter-warrior, he was nevertheless persuaded by his Christianized father to enter the alien world of white society. A remarkably bright student, Eastman graduated from Dartmouth College and the Boston University School of Medicine. Later on he served as government physician at the Pine Ridge Agency (and tended casualties at Wounded Knee), as Indian Inspector for the Bureau of Indian Affairs, and as Indian secretary for the YMCA, and helped found the Boy Scouts of America. Concurrently, however, he also worked on special congressional legislation to settle Sioux claims and was a charter member and later president of the Society of American Indians. It was his writing, though, which most clearly established Eastman's determination to hold on to his roots. In works such as "Indian Boyhood", "The Soul of the Indian", and "Indian Heroes and Chieftains" he reconfirmed his native heritage and tried to make white society aware of the Indians' contribution to American civilization. ... Read more

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A portrait of noted physician and Teton Sioux Charles Eastman describes his North American youth, the intelligence that drew the attention of white educators, and his achievements as the principal doctor at the Battle of Wounded Knee. ... Read more

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Raised in a sheltered, puritanical household in New England, Elaine Goodale Eastman (1863-1953) followed her conscience and calling in 1885 when she traveled west and opened a school on the Great Sioux Reservation in South Dakota. Over the next six years she witnessed many of the monumental events that affected the Lakotas, including the Ghost Dance religion and the fallout from the Wounded Knee massacre in December 1890. She also fell in love with and married Charles Eastman, a Dakota doctor with whom she had six children, and went on to help edit his many popular books on Sioux life and culture.

This biography draws on a newly discovered cache of more than one hundred letters from Elaine that were collected by one of her sisters, Rose Goodale Dayton, as well as newly discovered family correspondence and photographs. Previous biographies of Elaine-including her own autobiography-emphasize her work on the Sioux reservation and association with her famous husband. Access to her personal papers, however, enabled Theodore D. Sargent to shed new light on the dynamics of her thirty-year marriage to Charles and its ultimate demise, the importance of her own literary contributions during this period, and the challenges and successes of her life following their separation. The result is a long overdue multidimensional portrait of the relationships and aspirations that impelled and troubled this fascinating woman and her extraordinary life. Theodore D. Sargent is professor emeritus of biology at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. ... Read more