Charles Eastman made great strides in bridging the gap between Native Americans and the white man. Born a Santee Sioux, Eastman excelled in his assimilated life, thus earning the white man's respect, which he used to assist the Native Americans. He was able to give voice to the culture and its people, who were quickly being silenced by a Eurocentric government. Eastman exemplified Native American capabilities through his accomplishments as an author, speaker, physician, and activist. His ability to live between two different cultures aided his unprecedented endeavors. Charles Alexander Eastman was born Ohiyesa, a Santee Sioux. He is believed to have been born near Redwood Falls, Minnesota, on February 19, 1858. His paternal grandmother, Uncheedah, was responsible for his upbringing after his mother died due to complications during childbirth. Uncheedah introduced him to the teachings of the Sioux tradition. After the Great Sioux Revolt of 1862, Ohiyesa and other Santee Sioux were exiled to Manitoba. In Indian Boyhood, Eastman fondly recalls these times of free and peaceful life, saying, "What boy wouldn't be an Indian for a while when he thinks of the freest life in the world?" Ohiyesa's father, Jacob "Many Lightnings" Eastman was instrumental in her assimilation into the white man's culture, starting with her upbringing. Unlike many other Native American children in boarding schools, Charles learned to read and write in his native language. This progressive learning program was often criticized due to the fear felt among American settlers after the Great Sioux Revolt. Settlers, as well as government agencies, sought only the acculturation of the Indians in the middle of the paper ...dian Quarterly 25, no. 4 (2001): 609-613.Eastman, Charles A, From the Deep Woods to Civilization, (Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press 1977 [1916]) 195.Eastman, Charles A. Indian Boyhood (New York: Dover Publications, ( 1971 [1902]), 3.Lopenzia, Drew. "'Good Indian': Charles Eastman and the Warrior as Public Official," American Indian Quarterly 27, no. ¾, special issue (2003): 729, 739.Murphy, Nora “Starting Children on the Path to the Past: American Indians in Children's Historical Fiction,” Minnesota History 57, no. 6 (2001): 284,286 the use of Native American culture as a means of reform,” American Indian Quarterly 26, no. 1 (2002): 54-55. Stensland, Anna Lee “Charles A. Eastman's Indian Boyhood” The English Journal 66, no. 3 (1977): 59.