The Indian To-day: The Past and Future of the First American

In Short

Written in 1915 by a Sioux physician raised in traditional tribal life, this volume provides a concise overview of Native American history, the destructive transition to reservation life, and the struggle for full American citizenship. The author recounts early intertribal customs, details the breakdown of native sovereignty under European expansion, and critiques the paternalistic Federal Agency system. By examining education, legal standing, healthcare, and cultural preservation, he argues that native people are fully capable of modern citizenship while retaining their unique spiritual and artistic heritage. It remains a rare, deeply personal contemporary history of indigenous assimilation and resilience.

The Story

The narrative begins by dismantling popular misconceptions regarding traditional Indian life and warfare. The author explains that early intertribal conflicts were bounded by strict codes of honor rather than mindless savagery, with practices like scalping only becoming widespread after colonial governments offered monetary bounties. Plains tribes regularly held peaceful summer reunions to exchange lavish gifts and honor fallen enemies. However, this decentralized social structure collapsed when confronted by organized military forces and firearms. European powers exploited linguistic divisions, subduing small bands piecemeal or drawing them into colonial conflicts as proxy allies.

As settlement expanded, resistance was systematically crushed. The destruction of the buffalo herds starved the Plains Indians into submission, forcing them onto reservations where they became dependent on government rations. The author traces the final military clashes, noting that the 1890 Wounded Knee massacre—where three hundred Lakota were cut down by machine guns after a religious movement caused panic among authorities—marked the definitive end of armed conflict.

From this historical turning point, the book analyzes the heavy-handed Agency system that replaced native independence. The author critiques the politicization of the Indian Bureau, where agency appointments became political spoils and demoralizing ration distributions destroyed self-respect. While early initiatives under President Grant briefly placed native people—including General Ely Parker—in administrative roles, political maneuvering and denominational rivalries soon derailed these reforms. Missionaries, despite sectarian squabbles, did establish early schools, which evolved into a government-run boarding system. Although these institutions suffered from rigid half-day industrial labor schedules and political appointments, native students demonstrated strong academic capabilities.

The narrative pays special attention to changing social structures. Indian women, historically the moral guardians and owners of domestic property, suffered immense hardship when reservation policies disrupted traditional family roles. Yet, many adapted, taking up leadership in church and community work. Legally, native people remained marginalized until the Dawes Severalty Act of 1887 opened a path to citizenship, though land allotment brought new vulnerabilities to fraud and political corruption. The author describes personal interventions in Washington to stop illegal reservation land leases, emphasizing the necessity of native political organization.

Finally, the work addresses contemporary health crises—specifically high rates of tuberculosis and trachoma caused by poor reservation housing and inadequate rations—while noting recent demographic recovery. Pointing to the contributions of native intellectuals, soldiers, and artists, the author concludes that the First American is successfully integrating into modern society without losing his distinct identity.

How It Unfolds

The old ways fall Early native life centers on voluntary tribal associations and honorable codes of warfare, but this loose structure quickly disintegrates when confronted by organized colonial armies and deadly modern weapons.

Surrender and containment With the systematic destruction of the buffalo herds, the Plains tribes lose their primary source of food and are corralled onto reservations to subsist on government-issued rations.

Tragedy at Wounded Knee Mismanaged fears surrounding the peaceful Ghost Dance movement lead to the death of Sitting Bull and the 1890 massacre at Pine Ridge, ending all active armed resistance.

The Agency trap The reservation system subjects tribes to corrupt political agents, demoralizing food distributions, and sectarian squabbles among missionary groups vying for control over native populations.

Education and adjustment Government and contract boarding schools introduce industrial training and Western academic subjects, forcing children to adapt to a foreign language while native mothers work to preserve family integrity.

The fight for rights The passage of the Dawes Act of 1887 introduces land allotment and a path to citizenship, prompting native leaders to organize legally to protect their lands against corrupt politicians and cattle interests.

Preserving the future Despite severe health crises like tuberculosis, demographic trends turn upward as native individuals enter professional careers, revitalize traditional arts, and take their place in modern American life.

The People

• Charles A. Eastman (Ohiyesa): The author and narrator, born in a buffalo-hide teepee, raised in nomadic exile, and later educated as a physician; he seeks to bridge the gap between traditional native philosophy and modern American citizenship.
• Many Lightnings (Tawakanhdeota): The author's father, a Sioux warrior who converted to Christianity and adopted European customs, returning years after his supposed death to bring his young son into modern society.
• Pontiac: The Ottawa military leader who organized a bold, united coalition of scattered tribes against British border forts, driven by a commitment to native rights and promises of French aid.
• Sir William Johnson: A British trader and administrator among the Mohawks whose diplomatic, conciliatory methods helped break native alliances during early colonial conflicts.
• Sitting Bull: The prominent Lakota leader whose attempted arrest by agency police triggered the panicky troop movements that culminated in the Wounded Knee massacre.
• General Ely Parker: A full-blood Iroquois who served as Ulysses S. Grant's chief of staff and became the first Native American to head the Indian Bureau.
• Chief Joseph: The Nez Perce leader cited by the author as an example of a noble figure who died of a broken heart rather than submit to the degradation of the reservation system.
• King Hendrix: A Mohawk chief who provided crucial military strategy to British forces before falling in battle, saving Forts George and Edward.

In Its Own Voice

"That one should do murder for pay is not an Indian idea but one imposed upon the race by white barbarians."

Context: The author corrects historical claims about Indian brutality by explaining that widespread scalping began only after colonial governments offered cash bounties for native remains.

"When you clear your American cities of grafters, and purify your politics, then perhaps you will be in a position to redeem the Indian service, and only then."

Context: A direct critique of the Federal Agency system, pointing out how political patronage and corruption directly hindered native progress.

"My people have a heritage that can be depended upon, and the two races at last in some degree understand one another."

Context: Writing in the final chapter, the author expresses optimism that mutual understanding and legal recognition will ensure the survival and flourishing of native culture.

What It's Really About

At its core, the book is an argument for indigenous agency, capability, and civil rights. It confronts the narrative that Native Americans are a "vanishing race" incapable of surviving in modern civilization. By examining history from an insider's perspective, the author demonstrates that native social decay was not caused by racial inferiority, but by broken treaties, political corruption, forced confinement, and the sudden destruction of traditional economies.

The work exposes how bureaucratic paternalism deprives individuals of self-respect, arguing that real progress requires full legal equality, secure property rights, and access to education. Beneath the political critique lies a philosophical defense of native values—showing that traditional spiritual depth, motherly authority, and artistic expression can enrich broader American society.

Why Read It Today

This work offers an irreplaceable early 20th-century perspective, written by a native intellectual who lived through both the traditional prairie life and the halls of Dartmouth and Boston University. Readers interested in Native American history, civil rights, and federal policy will appreciate its direct, unembellished prose and firsthand authority. It feels remarkably immediate—a clear, composed voice speaking across a century without self-pity or theatrical sentimentality.

The book does reflect the specific historical moment of 1915. Readers will encounter period terminology, such as the frequent use of "red man" or references to "civilized" versus "savage" cultures, concepts the author engages with to challenge his contemporary audience. Furthermore, the discussion of early educational policies and religious mission schools reflects the era's assimilationist framework. Yet these historical markers do not diminish the power of the text. What remains with the reader is the author's quiet confidence in his people's resilience and his uncompromising demand for equal rights under the law.