In 1881, young Corabelle Fellows, well-educated and gently bred,
overcame her parents' objections and left her upper-class home in
Washington D.C. to become a church-sponsored teacher among the Indian
people of Dakota Territory. For the next several years, she taught
English, art, and domestic science on Rosebud, Pine Ridge, and Cheyenne
River reservations. In return for her friendship, the students
affectionately gave her the name Blue Star. A keen observer, especially
of Indian Women's and Children's lives, she learned much about their
family traditions. Her teaching career ended in 1888 when she married
Samuel Campbell, A Dakota mixed-blood.
Fifty years later, Corabelle recalled her experiences in Dakota land for
Kunigunde Duncan, who turned them into this book, first published in
1938. Her story, with its personal perspective on the Indians struggles
to keep their religion, lands, language, and way of life, will both
intrigue and enthrall readers
A new Introduction by Bruce D. Forbes, professor of religious studies at
Morningside College, Sioux City, Iowa, highlights the inevitable
dichotomy between the openness Corabelle Fellowes expressed toward the
Indians and her failure to understand the negative impact of the federal
government's assimilation policy.