Indian Boyhood by Charles A. Eastman - Book Report/Review Example

Charles A. Eastman became a prominent figure in the American society in the early 20th century. He was not only a physician but a lecturer on a national level, reformer and a Native American rights activist. His ancestry included Sioux, Santee and Anglo-American; his ethnically diverse background shows diversity in his nature that enabled him to accomplish great feats to improve the lives of Native Americans and protect their rights; he contributed substantially to the Young Americans Christian Association (YMCA) and founded 32 Native American chapters in the organization.

He became the first person to record the history of United States from a Native American point of view. The book is a great way to gain an insight into the culture, tradition and lifestyle of a nomadic tribe and especially from the point of view of a child. The book narrates how children were brought up and required to act in a native American household and the family values that were instilled in them. The Dakota culture is highly known for the rich culture of the Native Americans that inhabited the area.

The book is written entirely in a first person tone but some parts of the memoir are also in third person. The language adopted by the author is highly simplistic with a consistent tone. The contents of the book are first-hand recollections of Eastman’s or Ohiyesa’s childhood on the Indian plains; the latter being in Native American name. It gives a brief historical account of the Native Indian settlements in the Dakota and described their nomadic ways. The Sioux tribes had instilled in Eastman a stoical and reticent nature like all the Native American boys of his age.

He talks about his grandmothers, who took care of him after his mother died and the way she sang lullabies for him; which were thought to make the young males of their tribes strong and brave men. Like the Author, all the young boys were trained in the art of hunting at a very young age and discipline being the main aspect of all their activities. However, the author further continues that despite the training regime that occupied a huge portion of their lives but he still had some time for play and he also discussed the lighter of the nomadic tribe.

The author acts like an interpreter to the white audience that this memoir is targeting. The author’s sentiments were not only to reminisce about the past but also to open up the white audience to familiarize them with the Native American way of living. As there were a lot of hostility going on at that time between the Native Americans and the new settlers, it became necessary for Eastman to write this story in order to educate the settlers about the Native American cultures. He sought to remove the savage image of the Indians from the minds of the white populaton.

With regard to the conflicts and the hostile feelings that Native Americans and the white segment if the population had for each other, the only way to soften their harsh feelings against each other was to make the white audience sympathize with and see the Native Americans in a different light than only as savage warriors. The documents lays down all the facts and the daily routine of a Native American youth in his or her tribe, he tells them of the immense amount of bravery that every man was endowed with in a typical Native American household.

The main beauty of his story was that they were simplistic and could be enjoyed by anyone. The