Charles A. Eastman (Ohiyesa) was the most widely known Native American author in the United States and abroad during the first decades of the twentieth century. His eleven books and many articles for national magazines explained Indian customs, beliefs, and history to non-Indian Americans. Reformers held Eastman up as a model for other Indians to emulate; unlike most of these reformers, however, Eastman did not view Indian cultures with disdain but took pride in his Indianness. His writings frequently demonstrated the superiority of Indian ways to the practices of the dominant culture.

The child who would later be known as Charles Alexander Eastman was born near Redwood Falls, Minnesota, on 19 February 1858. His father, Ite Wakanhdi Ota (Many Lightnings), a hunter and warrior, belonged to the Wahpeton band of the Eastern, or Santee, Sioux. His mother, Wakantankanwin (Goddess) or Mary Nancy Eastman, was the granddaughter of Mahpiya Wichasta (Cloud...