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From THE SOUL OF AN INDIAN
by Ohiyesa (Santee Sioux) 1911
[Ohiyesa's name in the white world was
Charles Alexander Eastman, a man who attained
postgraduate degrees and went on to advise US presidents,
always working for cross-cultural understanding and
mutual respect between Indians and whites.]
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A sense of honor pervades all aspects of Indian life.
Orphans and the aged are invariably cared for, not only
by their next of kin, but by the whole clan. The man who is
a skillful hunter, and whose wife is alive to her opportunities,
makes many feasts, to which he is careful to invite the older men
of his clan. He recognizes that they have outlived their period
of greatest activity, and now love nothing so well as to
eat in good company and live over their past.
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He sets no price upon either his property or his labor.
His generosity is limited only by his strength. He regards it
as an honor to be selected for a difficult or dangerous service,
and would think it a shame to ask for any other reward,
saying rather: "Let those I serve express their thanks according
to their own upbringing and sense of honor."
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He is always ready to undertake the impossible,
or to impoverish himself for the sake of a friend.
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Where the other person is regarded more than the self,
duty is sweeter and more inspiring, patriotism more sacred,
and friendship is a pure and eternal bond.
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