Work · Indigenous Philosophies
The Soul of the Indian: An Interpretation
Describes the religion of the Dakota as it was before Christian missions: worship in silence and solitude without dogma or priesthood, a duty of generosity and hospitality, and a moral life lived before the “Great Mystery”.
Introduction
Eastman published the book in 1911 with Houghton Mifflin in Boston, at the height of his reputation as a lecturer. In a short foreword he states that he wants to describe the religious life of the American Indian as it was before contact with missionaries, from his own memories and those of the elders. Worship, he writes, was solitary and silent; the Great Mystery was approached not in creeds or temples but in nature; family life and the ceremonies of birth, marriage and death had religious meaning; generosity, hospitality and courage were religious duties. Eastman treats Christianity with respect but contrasts the teaching of Jesus with the conduct of the nations that preached it. The book has been reprinted many times; scholars discuss how far it presents a Dakota tradition and how far it adapts it to the expectations of a white Christian readership.
More works by Charles Eastman (Ohiyesa)
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