Among the Sioux: A Story of the Twin Cities and the Two DakotasCreswell, R. J. (Robert J.)
History
Among the Sioux: A Story of the Twin Cities and the Two Dakotas
Creswell, R. J. (Robert J.)
Dakota Indians -- Missions; Missionaries -- Great Plains -- Biography
The second period (third) of his life was spent in school and college,
where after a short apprenticeship in a mission school, he stood
shoulder to shoulder, with our own youth, at Beloit, Knox, Dartmouth
and the Boston university. He is an alumnus of Dartmouth of '87 and of
Boston University, department of medicine, of '90.
During the last fifteen years, he has been a man of varied interests
and occupations, a physician, missionary, writer and speaker of wide
experience and, for the greater part of the time, has held an
appointment under the government.
At his birth he was called "Hakadah" or "The Pitiful Last," as his
mother died shortly after his birth. He bore this sad name till years
afterwards he was called Ohiyesa, "The Winner," to commemorate a great
victory of La Crosse, the Indian's favorite game, won by his band, "The
Leaf Dwellers," over their foes, the Ojibways. When he received this
new name, the leading medicine man thus exhorted him: "Be brave, be
patient and thou shalt always win. Thy name is "Ohiyesa the Winner.""
The spirit of his benediction seems to follow and rest upon him in his
life-service.
His grandmother was "Stands-Like-a-Spirit," the second daughter of the
old chief Cloudman. His full-blooded Sioux father was a remarkable man
in many ways and his mother, a half-blood woman, was the daughter of a
well-known army officer. She was the most beautiful woman of the "Leaf
Dwellers" band. By reason of her great beauty, she was called
"Demi-Goddess of the Sioux." Save for her luxuriant, black hair, and
her deep black eyes, she had every characteristic of Caucasian descent.
The motherless lad was reared by his grandmother and an uncle in the
wilds of Manitoba, where he learned thoroughly, the best of the ancient
folk lore, religion and woodcraft of his people. Thirty years of
civilization have not dimmed his joy in the life of the wilderness nor
caused him to forget his love and sympathy for the primitive people and
the animal friends, who were the intimates of his boyhood.
[Illustration: DR. CHARLES A. EASTMAN,
Famous Sioux Author, Orator and Physician.]
He is very popular as a writer for the leading magazines. "His
Recollections of Wild Life" in St. Nicholas, and his stories of "Wild
Animals" in Harper, have entertained thousands of juvenile as well as
adult readers. His first book, "Indian boyhood," which appeared in
1902, has passed through several editions, and met with hearty
appreciation. "Red Hunters and the Animal People," published in 1904,
bids fair to be, at least, equally popular.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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