In 1865, La Flesche Picotte was born to Chief Iron Eyes (Joseph La Flesche) and his wife, One Woman (Mary) in northeastern Nebraska, in a tipi. Her father was Chief of Omaha Nation, but he felt that the Omaha people would only survive by assimilating to white culture. She attended school on the reservation until she was fourteen years old and was then sent to the Elizabeth Institute for Young Ladies in New Jersey to help her assimilate. La Flesche Picotte was called a “cultural broker” because she grew up in a mostly Western way, but still held on to the traditions of the Omaha people.