Charles Eastman
1858 - 1939
5
Quotes
Biography
Charles Eastman, also known as Ohiyesa, was a Santee Dakota physician who became one of the first Native American authors. He was born in 1858 on a reservation in Minnesota and grew up immersed in both Dakota and European-American cultures. Eastman was the first Native American to graduate from medical school and worked as a physician on reservations. He wrote prolifically, sharing Native American history, culture, and spirituality with a broader audience through his books and lectures.
Famous Quotes (5)
1
The Indian, according to our old ways, is always trying to live in harmony with nature; while we, on the other hand, are always trying to straighten out the earth, combing the grass, erecting the forests and scraping the mountains flat.
2
The traditional Indian respects the soil; he treats it as we treat those who love us. By the soil is meant the highly integrated, organized and sacred community, the source and provider of life.
3
The true Indian sets no price upon either his property or his labor. His generosity is limited only by his strength and ability. He regards it as an honor to be selected for difficult or dangerous service and would think it great cowardice to ask for pay for such a duty.
4
It is a strange fact that the Indian will fight to preserve his place in the open against all comers, big and little, unless some stronger inducement turns him from his purpose; while the white man, laying claim to the country on the ground of 'discovery,' demands all, giving nothing.
5
Is it unreasonable, then, to believe that the Indian would not sooner turn Christian if the white man did not cut down the forests and dammed the streams?