Charles Alexander Eastman

Charles Alexander Eastman stands apart among Native American authors, bridging the worlds of traditional storytelling and formal scholarship. Raised in the traditional ways of the Woodland Sioux by his grandmother, he gained an intimate, first-hand understanding of his people's lifeways, language, and oral history. He later pursued a formal education, becoming a physician who served the victims of the Wounded Knee massacre. This unique dual perspective allowed him to document his cultural heritage with authenticity, unmediated by translators or external observers.