For fifty-four years in the 19th century, Benjamin Armstrong spent his life with Native American tribes, learning their customs and languages, and becoming the adopted son of a Chippewa chief. Armstrong sat before Presidents Filmore and Lincoln on separate occasions as interpreter and advocate for Native American visitors to Washington. In this remarkable book, Armstrong relates his many years in the west with a depth and sympathy for his Native American friends that found few parallels among his contemporaries. He discusses their religion, marriage customs, camp life, and many anecdotes of individuals with whom he formed close bonds.