Charles Alexander Eastman (1858 - 1939)

Born 19 Feb 1858 in Redwood Falls, Redwood, Minnesota, United States [uncertain]

Ancestors

Husband of Elaine (Goodale) Eastman — married 18 Jun 1891 (to about 1921) in New York City, New York, United States [uncertain]

Descendants

Died 8 Jan 1939 at age 80 in Detroit, Wayne, Michigan, United States

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This profile is part of the Eastman Name Study.

Biography

Charles Alexander Eastman is Notable.

Charles Alexander was a physician.

Charles Alexander was Dakota.

Charles Alexander Eastman is Notable.

Dr. Charles Alexander Eastman, a physician, was born a son of Ite Many Lightnings and Mary Nancy Eastman. He was born on February 19, 1858, in Redwood Falls, Minnesota. His mother Mary Nancy Eastman, died shortly after his birth. Because of the death of his mother while he was just an infant, Charles was given the name Hakadah which means- "the Pitiful One".

Charles Alexander Eastman was U.S.-American-Indian - Santee Dakhota of the Flandreau Santee Dakhota "Sioux" of South Dakota. Charles Alexander Eastman, described himself and his people as Wahpetonwan which means "Dwellers Among the Leaves". These Dakota people were originally of Minnesota, but traveled into Canada, for centuries, before the US and Canada drew lines of "Country" land ownerships. Before there were forced removals by US and Canadian Governments, the people of Lakota, Dakota and Nakoda traversed the waterways and the lands following and hunting the Bison.

The war of 1862 was the catalyst to the Mankato 38 hangings. The largest mass execution at one time in US History. It was during this time, that it was believed that Charles A. Eastmans' father and 3 brothers and a sister had died. Charles' family believed his father had been one of the 300+ convicted and originally set to be hung. President Lincoln formally sent a request for all inquisition records, and determinations for each "Indian" conviction. President Lincoln determined 38 of the 300+, were guilty of the crimes they were accused of, and these crimes did fit the sentencing of execution. All of the others who were also sentenced to be hung, would not be. During this time period President Lincoln was involved with the Emancipation Proclamation... he signed the end to slavery, at the same time he signed the order to hang 38 Sioux at Mankato.

It was during this time period that Charles had been separated from his father and siblings. His mothers' family including his maternal grandmother, "Stands Sacred" took Charles with them to live with their family back in Manitoba Canada.^[1][2]

Charles Alexander Eastmans' father- Many Lightnings - Tawakanhdeota. and brothers did not die that day. His father was convicted, and served time in prison.^[3] Upon release, any released were also ordered out of the state, with punishment of death, should they have been caught remaining within Minnesota. Charles' father left like others had, and decided to try to grab up a homestead in South Dakota, just as the "white settlers" were doing. He surmised if his people could not fight them any longer, rather than death, the alternative was to gain "free settlement land. His father and any other "Sioux" wishing to do this, were also required to relinquish their "native identity" and become full US Citizens. At this point Charles' father became known by his wife's name of Eastman, and took the first name of Jacob. Jacob traveled to Manitoba, and found his son-Charles in the care of his maternal grandmother. He convinced Charles at the age of 15 to return to the Flandreau Settlement with him.^[4]

Flandreau Santee Dakota Sioux

Charles is listed in the 1885 Flandreau Santee Sioux Agency at the age of 28 years^[5]

Charles Alexander Eastman married Miss Elaine Goodale.^[6] Their marriage took place on June 18th of 1891 at the Church of Ascension, located on Fifth Avenue and Tenth Street. By New York standards these two were looked upon as "a power couple". ^[7]

Wedding of Charles A.Eastman and Elaine Goodale

Education

• Attended Kimball Union Academy -New Hampshire- 1882-83
• Attended Beloit College- Wisconsin
• Attended Knox College-

Charles Alexander Eastman Image 7

• Attended 2 addtn'l Colleges
• Attended Dartmouth College-Graduated 1887^[8]

Charles Alexander Eastman, Dartmouth University

• Attended Boston University- Graduated- 1890-Medical Degree- Class-Orator-

Charles Alexander Eastman, Boston University

• Total years -all Schooling- 17 years.

Employment

• 1st Position Held- BIA- Indian Health Services -Government Hired Physician @ Pine Ridge Reservation, South Dakota

• 1890-91 He was present on Pine Ridge Reservation before, during and after The Ghost Dance and the US military attack of Wounded Knee. The Ghost Dance Gathering Native Perspective & Historical events, Clip from 'Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee"- Wacova & Ghost Dance speaking to Dakota People
• Charles A. Eastman was the only Physician who tended to the wounded Sioux during, and in the aftermath of the Wounded Knee Massacre. [18], (See Documentaries & movies - "Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee"-movie/HBO), Commemorative Video Song Wounded Knee

• 1911 April 3 - Formation of the American Indian Association called "Society of American Indians"- Ohio State University, Dr. Charles A. Eastman, with others, founded the organization.^[10][11]

• 1899- 1902 - US Government Physician -Sioux @ Crow Creek Agency, South Dakota.
• 1890 Nov. 01- Pine Ridge, S.D. Reservation -"Agency" Physician
• 1899 Nov. 09 - Carlisle Indian Industrial School- "Outing Agent"
• 1899- Involved in the Recruitment of student to attend 1st Indian Boarding School- Carlisle Indian Industrial School in Pennsylvania.^[12]

• 1903 BIA- employment for 6 years was to give English Permanent names to families of "Sioux" & create family lineage records.

During this time it was believed he met with and knew just about every living member of the "Sioux" Nation.

Significant Event Involvements

• 27 Nov 1896 - Santee Sioux signed a 10 year contract with Charles A. Eastman and their Indian Agent- Charles Hill. This Contract was for these two, to represent the Santee to the United States Court of Claims. The contract included a 10% payment to these two men upon the claims being paid by the Government. ^[13][14]

Author

• Books by Charles Alexander Eastman

1. 1902- Indian Boyhood- this book included his childhood and living in the native ways in the prairie wilds of Canada. This 1st book was considered very successful.^[15]
2. 1904 - Red Hunters and the Animal People
3. 1906 - Old Indian Days
4. 1909 - Wigwam Evenings
5. 1910 - Smoky Day’s Wigwam Evenings: Indian Stories Retold
6. 1911 - The Soul of the Indian-

The Soul of the Indian

1. 1913 - Indian Child Life
2. 1914 - Indian Scouts Talk -"Indian scout talks; a guide for Boy Scouts and Campfire Girls, Published/Created, Boston, Little, Brown, and company, 1914."^[16]
3. 1915 - The Indian Today: The Past and Future of the First American
4. 1916 - From the Deep Woods to Civilization-

Charles Alexander Eastman, From the Deep Woods to Civilization

1. 1918 - Indian Heroes and Great Chieftains

Charles Alexander Eastman Image 9

Portraits, Paintings, Photographs of Charles Alexander Eastman

• Charles Alexander Eastman "Ohiyesa" (1858-1939), Class of 1887- ^[21]

Documentaries, Movies about &/Or involving Charles Alexander Eastman

• Ohiyesa the soul of an indian documentary- His family speaks [19], [20]

Charles Alexander Eastman, Soul of an Indian

• "Ohiyesa" - Trailer- short in-depth trailer, Granddaughter (Kate Beane) of Ohiyesa speaks [21], [22]
• Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee" - HBO Movie based on the Massacre at Wounded Knee, Youtube-movie clips of events involving Ohiyesa/Charles A. Eastman- [23], [24],
• 'Wounded Knee' 1890- Documentary-Chief Big Foot, The Ghost Dance & Wounded Knee Massacre, [25]
• "Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee" - HBO Movie- [26]

Awards & Acknowledgments

• 2008 - Posthumously Received by his Family) Boston University Humanitarian Award- for recognition -providing medical care to the underprivileged and under-served, recipient has devoted a significant portion of their medical career to this kind of medical care.^[22]

• 2008 Shakopee Pow-wow- Humanitarian Award -its delivery to the Flandreau Tribe. ^[23]

• 1933 -The Chicago Worlds Fair- 1st person to receive the "Indian Achievement Award of the Indian Council Fire.

Charles Alexander Eastman Image 13

Charles Alexander Eastman Image 14

• Received their 1st given award to recognize his many "distinguished achievements".^[24]

• Brooking's Register- "Ohiyesa: A true Native American hero"^[25]

• 2010 Short Story Fiction -Silver award (tie w/additional author book)- The Raccoon and the Bee Tree, by Charles A. Eastman and Elaine Goodale Eastman; illustrated by Susan Turnbull (South Dakota State Historical Society Press):^[26]

• 7 May 2007 - BU Today Article (Boston University)[27]

Death

Charles Alexander Eastman died of a heart-attack on the 8th day of January in 1939.^[27][28][29] His life was expansive, and multi-faceted. He walked in "both worlds" the "Euro-white and Dakhota". But his Spirit, the man who he truly was, was always Dakhota.... "Ohiyesa".

Charles Alexander Eastmans' Life and Death is best summed up in a Quote by Colin G. Calloway, his final words Chapter 7- (Charles Eastman), pg 129- "The Indian History of an American Institution - Native Americans and Dartmouth"^[30]

• Quote- “It was here that I had most of my savage gentleness and native refinement knocked out of me.” —Charles Eastman, Sioux,
• Class of 1887 Dartmouth College

Original Biography

This profile was retrieved from Wikitree by X Fetterly.

Charles Alexander Eastman (born Hakadah and later named Ohíye S'a; February 19, 1858 – January 8, 1939) was a Santee Dakota physician educated at Boston University, writer, national lecturer, and reformer. In the early 20th century, he was "one of the most prolific authors and speakers on Sioux ethnohistory and American Indian affairs."[1]

Charles Eastman was of Santee Dakota, English and French ancestry. After working as a physician on reservations in South Dakota, he became increasingly active in politics and issues on Native American rights, he worked to improve the lives of youths, and founded thirty-two Native American chapters of the Young Men's Christian Association (YMCA). He also helped found the Boy Scouts of America. He is considered the first Native American author to write American history from the Native American point of view. Charles Eastman passed away in 1939.

Children:

Dora Winona Eastman

1892–1964

Irene Taluta Eastman

1894–1918

Virginia Eastman Whitbeck

1896–1991

Charles Alexander Eastman

1898–1940

Eleanor Eastman Mensel

1901–1999

Florence Bascom Eastman Prentiss

1905–1930

Maya Martindale Fortier

1919–1997

Sources

1. ↑ Wikipedia, original source-Carol Lea Clark, "Charles A. Eastman (Ohiseya) and Elaine Goodale Eastman: A Cross-Cultural Collaboration", Tulsa Studies in Women's Literature, 1994, JSTOR 464110, accessed 3 February 2011, [1]
2. ↑ History.net, Abraham Lincoln: Deciding the Fate of 300 Indians convicted of War Crimes in Mennesota's Great Sioux Uprising, [2]
3. ↑ Akta Lakota Museum Cultural Center, An outreach of St. Josephs Indian School, Dr. Charles A. Eastman, News Article, http://aktalakota.stjo.org/site/News2?page=NewsArticle&id=8884
4. ↑ Flandreau Santee Dakota Sioux, Reservation, Official Website, South Dakota
5. ↑ 1885, Nebraska, Santee Sioux-Index, Line # 854, Indv.#654, USgenweb project-transcribed and proofread by Vicky Valenta, Originals-Nebraska State Historical Society, Lincoln, NE, 2006 [3]
6. ↑ Wedding-"Two Notable Weddings -1. Elaine Goodale's Indian Bridegroom", Book- The Illustrated American, July 4, 1891, bkpg 318, electrn.pg 325 of 657, (in public domain- Google Books Periodical, Vol. 7, dwnld), [4], [5]
7. ↑ Ramsey County History/Pub. of Ramsey County Historical Society, Spring 2018, Vol.53, Num.1, "Charles and Elaine Eastman-Their Years in St. Paul, 1893-1898., pg.3, by-Teresa Swanson,Sydney BEane, William Beane
8. ↑ Dartmouth College, Photos, Class 1887 & article about Charles Alexander Eastman, [6]
9. ↑ NIH US National Library of Medicine, "Charles Alexander Eastman (1858-1939), Native American M.D., Author" [7]
10. ↑ National Historical Publications and Records Commission (NHPRC)[8]
11. ↑ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Society_of_American_Indians
12. ↑ http://carlisleindian.dickinson.edu/sites/all/files/docs-documents/NARA_RG75_91_b1725_56658.pdf= Charles Alexander Eastman New Employee- Outing Agent, pg.3 of 3
13. ↑ "Forty Years to Judgement" by Raymond Wilson, MNHistory Magazine
14. ↑ "The Santee Sioux Claims Case", pg 285/286,[ http://collections.mnhs.org/MNHistoryMagazine/articles/47/v47i07p284-291.pdf]
15. ↑ Google Books, Download, Indian Boyhood, by Charles A. Eastman/Ohiyesa[9]
16. ↑ "Indian Scouts Talk" Library of Congress, HathiTrust
17. ↑ The Blackhills Visitor, Black Hills Visitor
18. ↑ The Gutenburg Files, Gutenberg Files_1,Gutenberg Files_2
19. ↑ Akta Lakota Museum & Cultural Center
20. ↑ MN Pedia Online, MNPedia
21. ↑ Hood Museum of Art, Dartmouth College: Gift of artist, P.935.11-Carpenter Hall, presented to Dartmouth College by the artist, June 26, 1935., painted before 1915-1918; Oil on canvas, [10]
22. ↑ BU School of Medicine/Awards/ Past Recipients of the Humanitarian Award/2008- Charles Eastman 1918 (Posthumously),[11]
23. ↑ article by -Daniel G. Eastman. / Canku Ota (Many Paths) Online Newsletter /Native America/ Oct.1, 2008, Vol.6, Num.1, [12]
24. ↑ Original Newspaper clipping with images of medal and Charles A.Eastman -Medal Recipient document image" Certified stamped as original copies of original news docs, Historic Images Website dot com, Online [13]
25. ↑ Brooking's Register Online, 8 Aug. 2007, by Dr. Rick Holm, "The Prairie Doc" - "Ohivesa (Ohiyesa-MD), A true Native American hero" , [14]
26. ↑ Independent Publishers/ Online Website Awards- 2010 Short Story Fiction/Silver, [15]
27. ↑ Deceased American physicians, 1864-1970, "United States Deceased Physician File (AMA), 1864-1968," database with images, FamilySearch Physician/AMA_Death
28. ↑ image 2175 of 2838; American Medical Association, Chicago.
29. ↑ Wikipedia [16]
30. ↑ Quote- "Charles Eastman, class of 1887, .....Ohiyesa", "The Indian History of an American Institution - Native Americans and Dartmouth", by Colin G. Calloway, BK Pg-129, Chapter 7. pgs 112-129, Pub.-University Press of New England,electronic image pg-154 of 282, Collections, Dartmouth University, [17]

• Eastman, Charles John. That Man Eastman. Hollywood, CA: self-published, 1952, quoting from Who's Who in America.

• South Dakota State Historical Society, Vol.-06, No.1 The Writings of Ohiyesa- Charles Alexander Eastman, Santee Souix, pdf - https://www.sdhspress.com/journal/south-dakota-history-6-1/the-writings-of-ohiyesaacharles-alexander-eastman-m-d-santee-sioux/vol-06-no-1-the-writings-of-ohiyesa-charles-alexander-eastman-m-d-santee-sioux.pdf

• Wikipedia.org, Dakota People (Image of Charles Eastman), https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dakota_people.[]

• Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Eastman.

• History of Medicine: https://www.nlm.nih.gov/exhibition/if_you_knew/ifyouknew_11.html.

Acknowledgment

Thanks to X Fetterly for creating the profile of Charles Alexander Eastman (1858-1939) in 2019.