Autorentext

Dr. Charles A. Eastman, or Ohiyesa (pronounced oh-hee-yay-suh), was a writer, speaker, medical doctor, and member of the Eastern Dakota. Born in 1858 in Minnesota, he survived the US-Dakota War and the persecution that followed. His father, Many Lightnings, was presumed killed in the war, but years later Ohiyesa was reunited with him. Many Lightnings had adopted Christianity and the name “Jacob Eastman.” 
 Encouraged to pursue a Western education, Charles earned a medical degree—becoming one of the first Indigenous Western-trained doctors. He served on reservations, including Pine Ridge, where he treated victims of the 1890 Wounded Knee Massacre. 
 Charles wrote more than a dozen books, starting with Indian Boyhood (1902), blending vivid nature writing with reflections on Indigenous life. As is clear from his works, he effectively lived in two worlds. His writing is a look back to a time when the memory of the US-Dakota War was raw and its aftermath obvious, yet his text is also remarkably modern and bracingly honest.

Klappentext

Slow down, breathe deep, and walk with Dr. Charles A. Eastman (Ohiyesa) as he guides you into meditations on reflection, reverence, and the timeless wisdom of Native American spirituality. 
 Some truths are not taught but remembered—in stillness, in solitude, in the sacred hush of the natural world. In Meditations of Ohiyesa, Dr. Charles A. Eastman (Ohiyesa) guides us back to the truths that live beneath words. Raised in traditional Dakota ways during the late 1800s and later educated in the formal institutions of a very different world, Charles moved between cultures with grace, offering rare insight into Indigenous thought and reverence. His reflections on nature and spirit embodied the rhythms of a life lived in harmony with the land. 
 Meditations of Ohiyesa collects 60 of Eastman’s most resonant writings on nature, community, prayer, and Indigenous philosophy. Each passage opens a doorway: to silence, to humility, to the deep understanding that nature is not separate from us but part of us. These writings offer inspiration, as well as practical guidance for anyone seeking a more mindful, rooted way of living. Read it slowly. Return to it often. Carry it with you into the woods—or into a quiet moment of your day. 
 Inside you’ll find: 


• Reflections on the sacredness of nature and our place within it

• Core Dakota values of generosity, humility, and spiritual connection

• Powerful critique of modern materialism and disconnection


• Authentic Indigenous teachings, shared with clarity, grace, and emotional depth
 Royalties from this edition are donated to the Flandreau Santee Sioux Tribal Health Center, supporting community well-being.

  Inhalt

  Editor’s Note 
 The American Indian in His True Character 
 Every Act Is a Religious Act 
 Beauty Is Always Fresh and Living 
 All Sincere Worship 
 Silent, Solitary, Free from All Self-Seeking 
 The Immortal Nature of the Spirit 
 A Singular Humility 
 The Duty of Prayer 
 The Law of Life 
 To Prepare the Body 
 Spirit Pervades All Creation 
 No Temples Save Those of Nature 
 The Philosophy of the Original American 
 In Harmony with Nature 
 It Is Necessary to Live with Nature 
 Brothers of the Animal Kingdom 
 The Silent People 
 The Friendship of Animals 
 The Story of the Beaver Woman 
 Any Pretty Pebble 
 Sharing in the Immortal Perfection of Nature 
 Magnetic Force of Solitude 
 Flowers Are for Our Souls to Enjoy 
 The Vital Benefits of Pure Air and Sunlight 
 The Beauty of Generosity 
 Medicine Men Received No Payment 
 Not “to Have” but “to Be” 
 No Price Upon the Labor of Love 
 Great Men Divided Their Last Kettle of Food with a Neighbor 
 Broken Oaths 
 The Great Song of Creation 
 The Family Life of Birds 
 Every Evening, a Myth 
 Harmonizing with Nature 
 Life-and-Death Friend 
 The First Step in the Wilderness Life 
 A Life of Travel and Exploration 
 Faith in the Natural Wins in the End 
 Traveling at Night 
 Never Give Up 
 Entering the Forest 
 The Study of Footprints 
 The Wood-Dweller’s Autograph 
 A Close Student of Topography 
 A Natural Being in Touch with Nature 
 Trained in the Natural Way 
 The Senses 
 Stoicism and Patience Are Acquired Traits 
 New and Strange Things in the Woods 
 Seeking Inspiration in the Wilderness 
 The Freest Life in the World 
 Defying the Weather 
 Luxury of Nature 
 Nature at Her Best 
 Looking with Delight Upon Mountains and Valleys 
 Vistas of Extraordinary Charm 
 The Old Wild Life as I Knew It 
 A Pleasant Stir in Camp 
 Death Has No Terrors 
 A Spirit Bundle 
 Works Cited, all by Charles A. Eastman (Ohiyesa)