Dr. Susan La Flesche Picotte: Leader in Tribal Health
- Chipco Preserve
- 23 hours ago
- 5 min read
Updated: 17 hours ago
Maeve Kiley
Early Life
Dr. Susan La Flesche Picotte was born Susan La Flesche on June 17, 1865, on the Omaha Reservation in Nebraska. She was the youngest child of E-sta-mah-za “Iron Eyes” (Joseph) La Flesche, the last formal chief of the Omaha Tribe, and his wife, Hin-nu-ags-nun “The One Woman” (Mary) Gale La Flesche. Chief Iron Eyes was the son of a French fur-trader father and an Omaha-Ponca mother. He was adopted by the Omaha chief, Big Elf, and succeeded him upon his death.
Chief Iron Eyes deeply loved his tribe and community, which he shared with his children. LaFlesche learned traditional dance, rituals, songs, and spoke her native language. However, her parents encouraged her to speak English with her sisters so she could be fluent in both languages.
As a child, Dr. Picotte witnessed a sick, elderly native woman die when the local doctor, a White man, refused to treat her. This was a defining moment in her life, and she cites it as her motivation for becoming a doctor. She vowed to treat all people, regardless of their heritage.
Education
After visiting Washington, D.C. in the 1830s, her father saw the world was changing. He reportedly told his people, “There is a coming flood which will soon reach us, and I advise you to prepare for it.” He sent his children to a Presbyterian Mission School so they could learn the “American Ways.” By the end of her studies, Dr. Picotte was fluent in English, French, and her own Omaha language.
At the age of 14, Dr. Picotte boarded a train with her sister and headed to the Elizabeth School for Young Ladies in New Jersey. After two years, she attended Hampton School in Virginia, where former slaves and Native students attended school together.
At this point in history, formal medical training for women was rare and heavily discouraged. It was even harder for Dr. Picotte due to her native heritage. She fought against the odds and attended the Women’s Medical College of Pennsylvania.
Work In Medicine
Dr. Picotte earned her medical degree from the Women’s Medical College of Pennsylvania in 1889, where she graduated at the top of her class. Tragically, Chief Iron Eyes would not see her become a doctor as he passed a year before her graduation.
Many of her classmates advised her to stay on the East Coast and live a comfortable life, but Dr. Picotte had other plans. She returned home to the Omaha reservation at age 24 where she was the only doctor to over 1,200 people on 400 square miles of land.
She raised awareness about food sanitation and hygiene. She treated tuberculosis (a widespread, dangerous disease), banned communal drinking cups to prevent its spread, and insisted on window screens for good ventilation and to keep out disease-carrying insects. Many of the families she treated experienced food insecurity and poverty due to the oppressive laws imposed upon them by the United States government. Dr. Picotte combated this by providing food, cooking meals for struggling families, and staying overnight in homes of sick patients.
Social Advocacy and Activism
Dr. Picotte married Henry Picotte, a half-French and half-Yankton Sioux man whom he met when she treated Henry's sick brother, Charles Picotte. They married in 1894, and, contrary to social norms of the time, Henry Picotte cared for their home and children while his wife traveled to care for her patients. Together, they had two sons named Caryl and Pierre Picotte.
Dr. Picotte tirelessly advocated for her people. Alongside her efforts to improve the health and quality of life in her tribe, she also participated in social causes. Before his passing, Chief Iron Eyes heavily lobbied for the prohibition of alcohol on the reservation. Alcohol was a tool of exploitation by United States government officials, and they actively contributed to the damage it inflicted upon native communities. Following in her father’s footsteps, Dr. Picotte fought the alcohol trade and successfully petitioned the Office of Indian Affairs to ban the sale of alcohol and liquor on the reservation.
Tragically, her husband passed away in 1905 from pneumonia, leaving her a widow and single mother. However, she never stopped treating people and rode miles in a horse and buggy through the snow and cold. She risked her health and finances to raise funds for a new dream: a hospital.
Dr. Susan LaFlesche Picotte Memorial Hospital
As the primary medical provider for her reservation, Dr. Picotte saw the desperate need for a hospital as it became increasingly difficult to treat patients only through house calls. She raised an estimated $8,000 USD in funds herself, and it opened its doors in 1913 in Wathill, Nebraska. The hospital contained 5 private wards, a maternity ward, and an operating room. It was the first privately funded, Native American-run hospital on a reservation and served people of all races and ethnicities.
After years of traveling miles and tirelessly working, her health deteriorated, and she could no longer work at the hospital. She spent the final months of her life witnessing the positive impact her work had on her community before passing away on September 18, 1915, at the age of 49.
Legacy
Dr. Susan LaFlesche Picotte is forever remembered and honored for her compassion, determination, and tireless efforts to provide safe and fair medical treatment to her people. She bravely defied the social limitations placed upon her due to her heritage and gender. A brave and incredible medical worker, her compassion serves as a constant reminder of the importance of health equity and fair access to medical care and tribal health.
The Dr. Susan La Flesche Picotte Memorial Hospital served as a medical facility and hospital until the 1940s, and later operated as an elder care facility until 1964. In 1993, it was recognized as a historical landmark and underwent renovations. Its restoration was completed in 2016, and the main floor serves as a museum honoring Dr. Susan La Flesche Picotte’s work and as a community resource.
Her two sons, Caryl and Pierre, inherited her legacy of service. Caryl attended the Nebraska Military Academy, graduated from Bellevue College, and served in the Army in both World Wars. Pierre also attended the Nebraska Military Academy and served as a Wagoner during World War I.
Today, her many descendants continue to preserve her legacy through the hospital, public health campaigns, and advocating for equal medical care for all people.
References:
Dr. Susan La Flesche picotte: Family & Friends · Wigton Heritage center · McGoogan Health Sciences Library Online exhibits. (n.d.-a). https://exhibits.unmc.edu/whc/PicotteFamily
Dr. Susan La Flesche picotte: Her life, legacy & impact. Dr. Susan La Flesche Picotte Center. (n.d.). https://picottecenter.org/dr-susan
McIntire, T. (2022, February 22). Dr. Susan La Flesche picotte: The first Indian doctor. National Museum of Civil War
Medicine. https://www.civilwarmed.org/la-flesche/
McIntire, T. (2022a, February 22). Dr. Susan La Flesche picotte: The first Indian doctor. National Museum of Civil War Medicine. https://www.civilwarmed.org/la-flesche/
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