Charles A. Eastman

Born in 1858 near Redwood Falls, Minnesota, Charles A. Eastman was also known as Ohíyesa. He was Dakota and spent part of his childhood living a traditional life before later attending mission schools, Dartmouth College, and Boston University’s medical school.

Eastman became one of the first Native American physicians trained in Western medicine and served at Pine Ridge Reservation. He is especially remembered for caring for survivors after the Wounded Knee massacre, an experience that shaped his public voice and later writing.

Over the years, he became a prolific author and speaker, writing about Dakota life, Native traditions, childhood, spirituality, and the pressures faced by Indigenous people in the United States. His books helped many non-Native readers encounter Native perspectives directly, and they remain an important part of American and Native literary history.