George E. Hyde
Encyclopedia
George E. Hyde was the "Dean of American Indian
Historians." He wrote many books about Indian tribes, especially the Sioux
and Pawnee plus a life of the Cheyenne
warrior and historian, George Bent
.
and lived there all his life. He was educated only to the eighth grade. His interest in American Indians was excited by a visit to an Indian encampment at the Trans-Mississippi Exposition
in Omaha in 1898. At eighteen he became totally deaf and nearly blind as a result of rheumatic fever
. This did not deter him from his Indian studies although he also owned a bookstore to help support himself. He was a reclusive man of modest means. In his later years, he had to read using a powerful magnifying glass. Hyde communicated with the world almost entirely through his letters and books.
Hyde began a correspondence with George Bent in 1904 and, at Bent’s recommendation, became a salaried researcher for George Bird Grinnell
about 1908. Hyde, with extensive contributions from Bent, claimed to be the ghost writer for Grinnell’s classic book The Fighting Cheyennes. Grinnell and Hyde are both distinguished for emphasizing the importance of Indians in the history of the Western frontier.
Indigenous peoples of the Americas
The indigenous peoples of the Americas are the pre-Columbian inhabitants of North and South America, their descendants and other ethnic groups who are identified with those peoples. Indigenous peoples are known in Canada as Aboriginal peoples, and in the United States as Native Americans...
Historians." He wrote many books about Indian tribes, especially the Sioux
Sioux
The Sioux are Native American and First Nations people in North America. The term can refer to any ethnic group within the Great Sioux Nation or any of the nation's many language dialects...
and Pawnee plus a life of the Cheyenne
Cheyenne
Cheyenne are a Native American people of the Great Plains, who are of the Algonquian language family. The Cheyenne Nation is composed of two united tribes, the Só'taeo'o and the Tsétsêhéstâhese .The Cheyenne are thought to have branched off other tribes of Algonquian stock inhabiting lands...
warrior and historian, George Bent
George Bent
George Bent was the mixed-race son of the fur trader William Bent, the founder of the trading post named Bent's Fort; and Owl Woman, a Cheyenne. Born near present-day La Junta, Colorado, Bent served as a Confederate soldier during the American Civil War and a Cheyenne warrior...
.
Life
Hyde was born in Omaha, NebraskaOmaha, Nebraska
Omaha is the largest city in the state of Nebraska, United States, and is the county seat of Douglas County. It is located in the Midwestern United States on the Missouri River, about 20 miles north of the mouth of the Platte River...
and lived there all his life. He was educated only to the eighth grade. His interest in American Indians was excited by a visit to an Indian encampment at the Trans-Mississippi Exposition
Trans-Mississippi Exposition
The Trans-Mississippi and International Exposition was a world's fair held in Omaha, Nebraska from June 1 to November 1 of 1898. Its goal was to showcase the development of the entire West, stretching from the Mississippi River to the Pacific Coast. The Indian Congress was held concurrently...
in Omaha in 1898. At eighteen he became totally deaf and nearly blind as a result of rheumatic fever
Rheumatic fever
Rheumatic fever is an inflammatory disease that occurs following a Streptococcus pyogenes infection, such as strep throat or scarlet fever. Believed to be caused by antibody cross-reactivity that can involve the heart, joints, skin, and brain, the illness typically develops two to three weeks after...
. This did not deter him from his Indian studies although he also owned a bookstore to help support himself. He was a reclusive man of modest means. In his later years, he had to read using a powerful magnifying glass. Hyde communicated with the world almost entirely through his letters and books.
Hyde began a correspondence with George Bent in 1904 and, at Bent’s recommendation, became a salaried researcher for George Bird Grinnell
George Bird Grinnell
George Bird Grinnell was an American anthropologist, historian, naturalist, and writer. Grinnell was born in Brooklyn, New York, and graduated from Yale University with a B.A. in 1870 and a Ph.D. in 1880. Originally specializing in zoology, he became a prominent early conservationist and student...
about 1908. Hyde, with extensive contributions from Bent, claimed to be the ghost writer for Grinnell’s classic book The Fighting Cheyennes. Grinnell and Hyde are both distinguished for emphasizing the importance of Indians in the history of the Western frontier.
Works
Hyde was an opinionated and sardonic writer and his books are highly readable. As an outsider in the anthropological fraternity he had difficulty getting his works published. This was especially true of his Life of George Bent based on the 340 letters he received from Bent between 1904 and 1918. Life of George Bent had to wait for 50 years before being published, but it is invaluable as the only eye-witness account we have from the Indian point of view about the Cheyenne wars with the United States in the 1860s. Collaborators Hyde and Bent never met in person.- Red Cloud’s Folk: A History of the Oglala Sioux Indians (1937, revised 1957)
- The Pawnee Indians (1951)
- A Sioux Chronicle (1956)
- Indians of the High Plains: From the Prehistoric Period to the Coming of the Europeans (1959)
- Spotted Tail’s Folk: A History of the Brule Sioux Indians (1961)
- Indians of the Woodlands: From Prehistoric Times to 1725 (1962)
- Life of George Bent: Written from his Letters (1967)