The Soul of the Indian: An Interpretation [Unabridged] [Paperback]

Charles A. Eastman (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0803267010 | ISBN-13: 978-0803267015 | Publication Date: April 1, 1980 | Edition: 1st

Charles Alexander Eastman (1858-1939) was a mixed-blood Sioux. His maternal grandmother, daughter of Chief Cloudman of the Mdewankton Sioux, was married to a well-known western artist, Captain Seth Eastman, and in 1847 their daughter Mary Nancy Eastman became the wife of Chief Many Lightnings, a Wahpeton Sioux. Their fifth child, Charles Alexander Eastman, as a four-year old was given the name Ohiyesa (the Winner). During the Sioux Uprising of 1862 Ohiyesa became separated from his father—his mother had died soon after his birth-and fled from the reservation in Minnesota to Canada under the protection of his grandmother and uncle. There he was schooled in the Indian ways until the age of fifteen, when he was reunited with his father, who took him back to his homestead in present South Dakota.

Eastman went on to become one of the best-known Indians of his time, receiving a Bachelor of Science degree from Dartmouth in 1887 and a medical degree from Boston University three years later. From his first appointment as a physician at Pine Ridge Agency, where he witnessed the events that culminated in the Wounded Knee massacre, he sought to bring understanding between Native and non-Native Americans. In addition to two autobiographical works, Indian Boyhood (1902) and From the Deep Woods to Civilization (1916), Charles Eastman wrote nine other books, some in collaboration with his wife, Elaine Goodale Eastman (who has told her story in Sister to the Sioux, also a Bison Book).

In The Soul of the Indian, first published in 1911, the author's aim has been "to paint the religious life of the typical American Indian as it was before he knew the white man."

Product Details

• Paperback: 170 pages
• Publisher: Bison Books; 1st edition (April 1, 1980)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0803267010
• ISBN-13: 978-0803267015
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 5.3 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.7 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #149,043 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

27 of 28 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Spiritual matters conveyed in simple language, January 24, 2002

By 

W. Lambdin "Two Bears" (Ellensburg, WA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

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This review is from: The Soul of the Indian: An Interpretation (Paperback)

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)

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The integrity of Soul, November 23, 2004

By 

Port Wynn "Yankee" (PNW, USA) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: The Soul of the Indian: An Interpretation (Paperback)

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.

5 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Nothing special, October 21, 2004

By 

Matt "MattMatt" (Atlanta, GA) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: The Soul of the Indian: An Interpretation (Paperback)

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 the simplicity or you will be disappointed. Overall, a worthwhile read.