Editing Chief Bender (section)

==Early life==
Bender was born in [[Crow Wing County, Minnesota]], as a member of the [[White Earth Band]] of the [[Minnesota Chippewa Tribe]].<ref>{{cite news |last1=Brown |first1=Curt |title=White Earth to World Series: Charles Bender's bittersweet baseball story |url=https://www.startribune.com/white-earth-to-world-series-charles-bender-s-bittersweet-baseball-story/572053732/ |access-date=6 July 2024 |work=Star Tribute |date=August 8, 2020}}</ref> His father was German and his mother was part Chippewa. As a child, he was named ''Mandowescence'', which might be translated into English as "Little Spirit Animal". His family had {{Convert|160|acres||abbr=}} on the [[White Earth Indian Reservation]] near [[Detroit Lakes, Minnesota]]. His father taught him to farm on the reservation.<ref>Kashatus, pp. 5-6</ref> He graduated from [[Carlisle Indian Industrial School]] and attended [[Dickinson College]].