Indian Heroes and Great Chieftains

By Charles Alexander Eastman

Book Overview

Charles A. Eastman, a Santee Sioux, was four years old at the time of the 1862 Sioux Uprising in Minnesota. Separated from his father in the aftermath of the rebellion, he spent eleven years with relatives in Canada before being reunited with him and taken to Dakota Territory. Deeply influenced by his father who had been converted to Christianity, he likewise followed "the white man's trail," attending Dartmouth and, in 1890, becoming a government physician at the Pine Ridge Agency. His fame today rests on the eleven books he wrote, in which he attempted to correct misapprehensions whites had about Indians and to bring the two races closer together. First published in 1918, Indian Heroes and Great Chieftains contains biographical vignettes of fifteen great Indian leaders, most of them Sioux and some of them, like Red Cloud and Rain-in-the-Face, friends and acquaintances of Eastman. He pays tribute to Little Wolf, the Cheyenne chief whom he knew well, and describes the noble career of Chief Joseph of the Nez Perces, who received his assistance in drawing up a document of grievances presented to the government in 1897. In finely honed prose Eastman cuts to the essence of his subjects, including Crazy Horse, Sitting Bull, Spotted Tail, Little Crow, Gall, Two Strike, American Horse, Dull Knife, Roman Nose. Hole-in-the-Day, and Tamahay (who counseled against the Sioux Uprising in Minnesota).

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0803267207
• ISBN13: 9780803267206
• Release Date: February 1991
• Publisher: Bison Books
• Length: 254 Pages
• Weight: 0.65 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.6" x 5.3" x 8.0"

Customer Reviews

Indian Heroes and Great Chieftains (Dover Books on the American Indian)

If you are interested in the history of the American Indian this is a book you should read.

Wonderful Perspective

Who better to chronicle the great deeds, sorrows, bravery and honor of some of America's greatest chiefs than a Santee Sioux? Physician Charles A. Eastman seeks to correct many misunderstandings about Native Americans and portrays leaders in the Sioux, Cheyenne and Nez Perce nations in a realistic light. Here are the stories of some of the famous chiefs, Sitting Bull, Crazy Horse and Red Cloud, as well as tales of those whose names may not be as familiar to us, such as Two Strike, Dull Knife, Hole-in-the-Day, Tamahay or Gall. Highlighted by beautiful black and white portraits, this book is a real eye opener. Anyone who loves the history of the American West will enjoy reading this interesting perspective, told with honor by a true American.

Indian Heroes and Great Chieftains (Dover Books on the American Indian)

Everything stated about this company is true. If this level of satisfaction and quality of merchandise hold, then I will buy again from them.