Francis La Flesche
Biography
Francis La Flesche (1857–1932) was an Omaha ethnologist, anthropologist, and writer who became one of the first Native American professional anthropologists. The son of an Omaha chief, La Flesche worked at the Smithsonian Institution and the Bureau of American Ethnology, documenting Omaha and Osage culture, language, and ceremonial practices. His memoir The Middle Five (1900) recounts his childhood experiences at a Presbyterian mission school on the Omaha reservation, providing one of the earliest and most authentic accounts of Native American boarding school experience from an Indigenous perspective.
Common themes in Francis La Flesche's work
Native American Literature
A recurring theme throughout Francis La Flesche's writing.
Omaha People
A recurring theme throughout Francis La Flesche's writing.
Boarding School Memoir
A recurring theme throughout Francis La Flesche's writing.
Indigenous Anthropology
A recurring theme throughout Francis La Flesche's writing.
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Why Francis La Flesche is still read today
La Flesche was a pioneer of Indigenous anthropology whose memoir provides an irreplaceable firsthand account of Native American boarding school experience.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who was Francis La Flesche?
La Flesche was an Omaha ethnologist and one of the first Native American professional anthropologists, who documented Omaha and Osage culture.
What is The Middle Five about?
La Flesche's memoir of his childhood at a mission school on the Omaha reservation—an early Indigenous boarding school narrative. Read it free on TextStack.
Why is La Flesche important?
He was a pioneering Indigenous anthropologist who preserved Omaha and Osage cultural knowledge from the inside.
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