Irene Eastman Explained

Irene Eastman
Birth Date:	February 24, 1894
Birth Place:	St. Paul, Minnesota
Death Date:	October 23, 1918
Death Place:	Keene, New Hampshire
Other Names:	Taluta
Occupation:	Singer
Parents:	Charles Eastman, Elaine Goodale Eastman

Irene Taluta Eastman (February 24, 1894 – October 23, 1918) was an American singer.

Early life and education

Irene Eastman was born in Saint Paul, Minnesota, one of the six children of Charles Eastman and Elaine Goodale Eastman.^{[1] [2]} Her father was a noted physician and a Santee Sioux born in Minnesota;^[3] her mother was a white writer and educator from Massachusetts.^[4] Her parents met at Wounded Knee.^[5]

Career

Eastman, a soprano, sang, danced, and told stories in various venues,^[6] including the Buffalo Society of Natural Sciences^[7] Hampton Institute,^[8] historical societies, community groups, and opera houses.^[9] She dressed in a leather beaded costume for her performances.^{[10] [11] [12]}

The music Eastman performed was not from any one specific Native tradition, but a pastiche that evoked an idea of Native cultures for non-Native audiences. "The stories were put to classical notes, and especially harmoniously arranged with all admirable Indian atmosphere saved", explained a 1915 report. Hamlin Garland wrote to Eastman's mother that her "charming presence and sweet and sympathetic voice gave even the dullest of her hearers a realizing sense of the wild beauty which had its place in a world that is almost gone."

Personal life

Eastman died in 1918 from influenza, during the worldwide flu pandemic, at the age of 24. Her parents separated soon after her death.^[13] There is an oil portrait of Eastman by Wallace Bryant, in the collection of the Hood Museum of Art at Dartmouth College.^[14]

Notes and References

1. October–December 1917 . Men and Women Whose Lives Count for the Red Man's Cause . The American Indian Magazine . 5 . 4 . 263.
2. News: 1914-03-25 . Daughter of Poet Sings Tribal Songs . 13 . The Pittsburgh Press . 2023-08-21 . Newspapers.com.
3. Book: Eastman, Charles A. . The Essential Charles Eastman (Ohiyesa): Light on the Indian World . 2007 . World Wisdom, Inc . 978-1-933316-33-8 . en.
4. Book: Sargent, Theodore D. . The Life of Elaine Goodale Eastman . 2005-01-01 . U of Nebraska Press . 978-0-8032-4317-0 . en.
5. Book: Eick, Gretchen Cassel . They Met at Wounded Knee: The Eastmans' Story . 2020-10-14 . University of Nevada Press . 978-1-948908-73-3 . en.
6. Book: Vigil, Kiara M. . Indigenous Intellectuals: Sovereignty, Citizenship, and the American Imagination, 1880–1930 . 2015-07-15 . Cambridge University Press . 978-1-316-35217-5 . 57 . en.
7. News: 1916-02-08 . Natural Science Society . 9 . The Buffalo Commercial . 2023-08-21 . Newspapers.com.
8. Ludlow . Helen W. . January 1919 . Irene Eastman . The Southern Workman . 48 . 1 . 3–4.
9. News: 1918-01-12 . Taluta Coming . 7 . The Buffalo Times . 2023-08-21 . Newspapers.com.
10. News: 1915-05-22 . Camp Fire Girls Entertain; Indian Song Recital by Miss Irene Eastman (Taluta) . 1 . The Chatham Press . 2023-08-21 . Newspapers.com.
11. News: 1918-10-26 . Girl Well Known Here Dies in New Hampshire . 15 . The Tribune . 2023-08-21 . Newspapers.com.
12. News: 1918-05-01 . Miss Irene Easton Addresses Rotarians . 18 . Wilkes-Barre Times Leader . 2023-08-21 . Newspapers.com.
13. Dobrow . Julie . Wilson . Raymond . March 2022 . 'Good Night, Irene': The 1918 Influenza Pandemic and Irene Taluta Eastman . South Dakota History . 52 . 1.
14. Web site: Irene Taluta Eastman (1894-1918) . 2023-08-21 . Hood Museum . en.