From the Deep Woods to Civilization

By Charles Alexander Eastman

Book Overview

"Has a many-sided appeal .... This stimulating book is one of the few that really deserve the over-worked term, a human document." -- Publishers Weekly.
In the first of his memoirs, the popular Indian Boyhood, Charles Alexander Eastman recounted his traditional upbringing among the Santee Sioux. From the Deep Woods to Civilization resumes his story, recounting his abrupt departure from tribal life at age 15 to pursue his education among whites -- a path that led him to certification as a medical doctor, the publication of many successful books, and a lifetime of tireless efforts to benefit his native culture. Through his social work and his writings, Eastman became one of the best-known Indians of the early twentieth century and an important force in interpreting and relating the spiritual depth and greatness of the Native American traditions.
Eastman became a physician in hopes of serving the Native American community; he received a Bachelor of Science degree from Dartmouth in 1887 and a medical degree from Boston University in 1890. He began college just a few months after the Battle of Little Bighorn, and his first job as a physician at Pine Ridge Reservation coincided with the Ghost Dance uprisings that culminated in the U. S. Army's attack at Wounded Knee. The only doctor available to assist the massacre's victims, Eastman writes movingly of the event's appalling inhumanity and injustice. Afterward, he lobbied Capitol Hill on behalf of the Sioux and devoted the rest of his life, both in and out of government service, to helping Indians adapt to the white world while retaining the best of their own culture. His autobiography resonates with the impassioned thoughts and experiences of a profound contributor to the richness of American culture.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 048643088X
• ISBN13: 9780486430881
• Release Date: August 2003
• Publisher: Dover Publications
• Length: 116 Pages
• Weight: 0.64 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.3" x 5.4" x 8.4"

Customer Reviews

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 finds himself realizing the paradox of the two worlds. Upon returning to a more civilized world, he gives a captivating look at how Jesus was an Indian and how different the White world and Native American world was during his life. A perfect self-enlightenment book.