The Middle Five (Cleft Rock Classics): Indian School Boys of the Omaha Tribe

“I wish you would sing an Indian song for me,” continued the man. “I never heard one.”There was some hesitancy, but suddenly a loud clear voice close to me broke into a Victory song; before a bar was sung another voice took up the song from the beginning, as is the custom among the Indians, then the whole school fell in, and we made the room ring. We understood the song, and knew the emotion of which it was the expression. We felt, as we sang, the patriotic thrill of a victorious people who had vanquished their enemies; but the men shook their heads, and one of them said,“That’s savage, that’s savage! They must be taught music.”A stirring autobiographical account of the assimilation of Indigenous Omaha children, The Middle Five follows five boys who forged bonds of friendship and held onto the spirit of their heritage—even as their customs and names were taken from them. Their story is a powerful reminder of the dangers of close-minded paternalism and the strength of a child’s faith. Read more