Eastman, Charles Alexander, 1858-1939. The Soul of the Indian (Ohiyesa), Wahpetonwan Dakota.

Solitary Worship. The Savage Philosopher. The Dual Mind. Spiritual Gifts versus Material Progress. The Paradox of "Christian Civilization." THE original attitude of the American Indian toward the Eternal, the "Great Mystery" that surrounds and embraces us, was as simple as it was exalted. To him it was the supreme conception, bringing with it the fullest measure of joy and satisfaction possible in this life.

The worship of the "Great Mystery" was silent, solitary, free from all self-seeking. It was silent, because all speech is of necessity feeble and imperfect; therefore the souls of my ancestors ascended to God in wordless adoration. It was solitary, because they believed that He is nearer to us in solitude, and there were no priests authorized to come between a man and his Maker. None might exhort or confess or in any way meddle with the religious experience of another. Among us all men were created sons of God and stood erect, as conscious of their divinity. Our faith might not be formulated in creeds, nor forced upon any who were unwilling to receive it; hence there was no preaching, proselyting, nor persecution, neither were there any scoffers or atheists.

There were no temples or shrines among us save those of nature. Being a natural man, the Indian was intensely poetical. He would deem it sacrilege to build a house for Him who may be met face to face in the mysterious, shadowy aisles of the primeval forest, or on the sunlit bosom of virgin prairies, upon dizzy spires and pinnacles of naked rock, and yonder in the jeweled vault of the night sky! He who enrobes Himself in filmy veils of cloud, there on the rim of the visible world where our Great-Grandfather Sun kindles his evening camp-fire, He who rides upon the rigorous wind of the north, or breathes forth His spirit upon aromatic southern airs, whose war-canoe is launched upon majestic rivers and inland seas -- He needs no lesser cathedral!

That solitary communion with the Unseen which was the highest expression of our religious life is partly described in the word bambeday, literally "mysterious feeling," which has been variously translated "fasting" and "dreaming." It may better be interpreted as "consciousness of the divine."

Maybe this poem will explain me best:

I am Gnaskinyan Wamduskasapa of the Isanti Sioux
or Black Snake or Crazy Snake to the world's view
Born Native American, I am not, But adopted into
The inner family to be taught of Turtle Island's Coup
By their custom, by their ritual and by council revue

I have been accepted by edict through and through
Born Native American, I am not, that is so very true
But of the old ways that can be practiced, this I DO
There are some who prefer the known path of ballyhoo
But the search and quest of knowledge I do not eschew

I am The Traveler, The Wanderer, The Seeker of the Vision
The Search, The Quest, The Longing that now must begin
For haunted by Great Mystery, Wanting, needing and desiring
To find the hidden knowledge, forced to endure the chagrin
The Wish, The Need, The Craving that exists within

To search, to seek, to wander the worlds, I am now driven
to find the missing pieces, the half of me that was shriven
my mind, my heart incomplete, for asunder they were riven
and now the Medicine Wheel I am enjoined to travel within
no peace, no solitude for never, can I ever, be alone again.

I had sought the greatest gifts, that came thru service to my Creator
Through study and dedication I opened my mind to hidden Treasure
Until suddenly into me poured unlimited knowledge of great wonder
Gates burst open and to my wondrous eyes I was given the Plunder
That what I had sought for so long, I was rewarded without measure.

The greatest gift given was a kinship to assuage any possible hunger
The Nations of the Animal, Element and Plant are now my Sister and Brother
Rewarded and Blessed I am, But Devout and Celibate I must be Forever
My mind, body, heart, and soul ripped, fragmented, torn asunder
For I am Not Ever alone, but without a human companion I now wander

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