Elaine Goodale Eastman was an American poet, educator, and writer who began her literary career in childhood alongside her sister, Dora Read Goodale. Born in Massachusetts, the sisters achieved early recognition for their poetry, eventually earning inclusion in Edmund Clarence Stedman's prestigious An American Anthology (1900). However, Eastman's life and career took a significant turn as she dedicated herself to education and advocacy for Native Americans.
In the late 1880s, Eastman taught at the Hampton Institute's Indian Department, established a day school on a Dakota reservation, and was appointed Superintendent of Indian Education for the Two Dakotas by 1890. Her personal and professional lives merged when she married Dr. Charles Eastman (Ohiye S'a), a Santee Sioux physician. Together, they collaborated on nine popular books detailing his childhood and Sioux culture, which helped establish him as a prominent public speaker.
Alongside her collaborative efforts, Eastman maintained an active independent writing career. She worked extensively as a journalist, contributing to numerous contemporary newspapers and magazines, and authored several books spanning novels, biography, and memoir. Her final lifetime work was published in 1930, and her posthumous memoir, edited by Kay Graber, was released in 1978, preserving her legacy as a vital voice on the American frontier and Native American affairs.
