This historical overview is a compilation of information from multiple archival sources; it provides a perspective of the course of events contributing to the present nursing shortage among American Indians. The review begins in the late 1800s by identifying educational assimilation efforts, the role offield nurses and field matrons in introducing Western healthcare to American Indians,followed by examples of American Indian nursing programs and early American Indian nurses and their contributions, and concludes with information about current American Indian nursing programs and recruitment efforts particularly the Recruitment and Retention of American Indians into Nursing (RAIN) program, introduced in the 1990s.