Light on the Indian World: The Essential Writings of Charles Eastman (Library of Perennial Philosophy) [Paperback]

Charles Eastman (Ohiyesa) (Author), Michael Oren Fitzgerald (Editor), Janine Pease (Introduction)

Book Description

Series: Library of Perennial Philosophy | Publication Date: September 6, 2003

By the first Native American author to live simultaneously in both the traditional world of the Sioux and modern white civilization.

Editorial Reviews

Review

A powerful and eye-opening look at the Native American life ... This is a fascinating book. -- Foreword Reviews

It is a small miracle that these important spiritual teachings have been preserved for us. -- James Trosper, Shoshone Medicine Man and Sun Dance Chief

Michael Fitzgerald has captured the essence of Charles Eastman’s writings, focusing on selections from his four best books. -- Raymond Wilson, professor at Fort Hayes State University

Received 5 STARS! "A Powerful and Eye-Opening Look at Native American Life...a fascinating book." "Eastman...speaks with authority." -- ForeWordReviews.com

This work is a gift of major proportion, to a world in need of gifts, especially those spiritual. -- Janine Pease-Pretty On Top, founding president of the Little Big Horn College, and past president of the American Indian Higher Education Consortium

[This] is a fascinating, engaging, informative and memorable addition to personal, academic, and community library Native American Studies. -- Midwest Book Review

About the Author

Ohiyesa, also known as Charles Alexander Eastman, was the first great American Indian author, publishing eleven books from 1902 until 1918. In his later adult life he was the foremost Indian spokesman of his day and his contribution to our understanding of the American Indian philosophy and religion are so significant that at the 1933 Chicago World's Fair, he was presented a special medal honoring the most distinguished achievements by an American Indian.

A Santee Sioux, Ohiyesa was born in 1858 and lived the traditional nomadic life--including complete training to be a hunter-warrior--in Canada and Minnesota until the age of 15. When his father, who Ohiyesa thought had been killed by whites, suddenly reappeared, the young boy was immersed in the dominant civilization of the white race. He eventually received his undergraduate degree from Dartmouth and his medical degree from Boston College before returning to the Pine Ridge reservation in S. Dakota.

Mr. Fitzgerald has been an adopted member of the Thomas Yellowtail family and the Crow tribe since 1972. His most important book is Yellowtail: Crow Medicine Man and Sun Dance Chief, which he recorded and edited, and first published in 1991 (U. Oklahoma Press). For over 30 years, Fitzgerald has spent extensive amounts of time each summer visiting various American Indian tribes throughout the Plains and the Southwest and has attended sacred rites of the Crow, Sioux, Cheyenne, Shoshone, and Apache tribes. He has written numerous publications on Native American spirituality and is currently finishing two additional books.

Product Details

• Paperback: 240 pages
• Publisher: World Wisdom (September 6, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0941532305
• ISBN-13: 978-0941532303
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 6.3 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,245,989 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars From traditionally raised prereservation Native to physician, February 8, 2004

By A Customer

This review is from: Light on the Indian World: The Essential Writings of Charles Eastman (Library of Perennial Philosophy) (Paperback)

I have read quite a few books on traditional native practices from all over the world (not all of those which claim to teach or describe such practices are accurate, quite a few are misguided or outright frauds). I had come across the name Charles Eastman in bibliographies and indices of those works that featured Native North American practices, and thought he was an anthropologist (white) who had done some of the earlier studies, given that many of the works had a publication date in the early 1900s. "Light on the Indian World" corrected that misperception. Charles Eastman was a member of the Santee Sioux, born and raised to the age of 15 in the traditional tribal manner, in a tribe that had not yet been forced onto a reservation.

At the request of his father, he joined his father on a reservation, attended school and learned English, then was able to attend college and university, eventually becoming a medical doctor, probably the first Native American to become one. He then returned to his people and worked as a reservation physician, and later lobbyist for native issues in Congress.

What a wonderful gift he has given us! A double digit number of books by his own hand, plus others such as "Light on the Indian World" which are excellent compilations or commentaries of his works. He allows us to see inside the world of the pre-reservation Native Americans, and truly appreciate their world view, such as their relationship with what we might call `the unseen world'. A heart-felt appreciation of the Earth and Nature is exactly what contemporary industrialized nations need, to slow-down the rampant abuse of the Earth's natural resources, which are currently being used up at a rate far exceeding the capacity of the Earth to replace them. Such abuse can only lead to the destruction of those societies founded on the consumption of such resources, and requiring their continued consumption in order to survive. All of the works of Charles Eastman help us see the world around us in a new light, and hopefully change our actions enough to prevent the coming environmental devastation.

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Brings out key insights in Charles Eastman's work, June 8, 2002

By 

Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Light on the Indian World: The Essential Writings of Charles Eastman (Library of Perennial Philosophy) (Paperback)

Light On The Indian World: The Essential Writings Of Charles Eastman (Ohiyesa) is a collection of the writings of Charles Eastman, who was born in 1858 and raised in the traditional nomadic life of the Sioux Native Americans prior to the era of reservations. Critical selections from "The Soul of the Indian," "The Indian Today," "Indian Boyhood," and "From the Deep Woods to Civilization" bring out key insights in Charles Eastman's work that transcend time and generations. Light On The Indian World is a fascinating, engaging, informative and memorable addition to personal, academic, and community library Native American Studies supplemental reading lists and academic reference collections.