The Middle Five
What is The Middle Five about?
The Middle Five (1900) is Francis La Flesche's memoir of his childhood at a Presbyterian mission school on the Omaha reservation in Nebraska. The title refers to the five boys who formed La Flesche's close circle of friends at the school. He describes their games, friendships, rivalries, and encounters with both the white teachers' culture and their own Omaha traditions with warmth, humor, and occasional sadness. The memoir provides one of the earliest and most authentic accounts of Native American boarding school experience from an Indigenous perspective, written with literary skill and anthropological insight.
Main themes in The Middle Five
Boarding School Memoir
Boarding School Memoir emerges as a defining element in The Middle Five, shaping character development.
Omaha Reservation
Omaha Reservation emerges as a defining element in The Middle Five, shaping character development.
Indigenous Childhood
The theme of indigenous childhood weaves through The Middle Five, adding depth to its narrative.
Cultural Encounter
Cultural Encounter emerges as a defining element in The Middle Five, shaping character development.
Why The Middle Five is still relevant today
The Middle Five is an essential early Indigenous memoir that provides a firsthand account of the boarding school experience, written with warmth and literary skill by a future anthropologist.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is The Middle Five about?
A memoir of childhood at a mission school on the Omaha reservation, describing friendships, games, and the encounter between Indigenous and white cultures.
Is this a critical account of boarding schools?
It is nuanced—La Flesche describes both positive friendships and the cultural tensions of the boarding school experience.
Where can I read The Middle Five online?
You can read it free on TextStack.