Charles Eastman

Who was Charles Eastman?

Charles Alexander Eastman was a Native American physician, 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."

Eastman was of Santee Dakota, Anglo-American and French ancestry. Active in politics and issues on American Indian rights, he worked to improve the lives of youths, and founded thirty-two Native American chapters of the Young Men's Christian Association. He also helped found the Boy Scouts of America. He is considered the first Native American author to write American history from the Native point of view.