Born: 1876 (Yankton Indian Reservation, South Dakota)
Died: 1938
Biography:
Zitkala-a (Lakota: Zitkála-á, meaning Red Bird; February 22, 1876 – January 26, 1938) was a Yankton Dakota writer, editor, translator, musician, educator, and political activist. She was also known by her Anglicized and married name, Gertrude Simmons Bonnin. Zitkala-a wrote several works chronicling her struggles with cultural identity and the tug-of-war between the majority culture in which she was educated and the Dakota culture into which she was born and raised. Her later books were among the first to bring traditional Native American stories to a widespread white English-speaking readership. She co-founded the National Council of American Indians in 1926, an organization focused on advocating for Native Americans’ rights to United States citizenship and other civil rights from which they had long been excluded. Zitkala-a served as the council’s president until her death in 1938. She is remembered as one of the most influential Native American activists of the 20th century.
Zitkala-a was born on February 22, 1876, on the Yankton Indian Reservation in South Dakota. Raised by her mother, Ellen Simmons, who went by the Dakota name Thaté Iyóhiwi (Every Wind or Reaches for the Wind), Zitkala-a’s father was a Frenchman named Felker, who left the family when she was very young. During her first eight years, Zitkala-a enjoyed a childhood filled with freedom and happiness amongst her mother’s tribe on the reservation.
In 1884, missionaries arrived at the reservation and recruited several Yankton children, including Zitkala-a, to be educated at the White’s Indiana Manual Labor Institute, a Quaker missionary boarding school in Wabash, Indiana. The school, founded by Josiah White, aimed to provide education and advancement opportunities to poor children, white, colored, and Indian. Zitkala-a spent three years at the institute, during which she experienced both joy and anguish. She relished the opportunity to learn how to read, write, and play the violin but also suffered deep misery when her heritage was stripped away. Forced to pray as a Quaker and cut her traditionally long hair, Zitkala-a grappled with the conflicting emotions brought on by the assimilation practices of the boarding school.
In 1887, Zitkala-a returned to the Yankton Reservation to live with her mother. However, she soon realized that her longing for the native Yankton traditions clashed with the cultural erosion she experienced at the boarding school. Determined to resist cultural assimilation and preserve her heritage, Zitkala-a took it upon herself to reject the practices imposed upon her and nurture her connection to her Dakota roots.
Inspired by her experiences, Zitkala-a began writing, speaking out, and advocating for Native American rights and cultural preservation. In 1900, she became a teacher at Carlisle Indian Industrial School in Pennsylvania, where she continued to write about her experiences in influential publications such as The Atlantic Monthly and Harper’s Monthly. Her articles shed light on the harsh realities faced by Native American children in boarding schools and called for reform in the education system.
In 1913, Zitkala-a collaborated with American musician William F. Hanson to write The Sun Dance Opera, the first American Indian opera. Produced in a romantic musical style and inspired by Sioux and Ute cultural themes, the opera represented a significant milestone in the promotion of Native American art and culture.
Zitkala-a’s activism extended beyond creative endeavors. In 1926, she helped establish the National Council of American Indians, an organization that pushed for Native American rights and citizenship. As the council’s president, she tirelessly fought for justice and equality for Indigenous people until her passing in 1938.
Zitkala-a’s remarkable life and contributions have secured her place as one of the most influential Native American activists of the 20th century. Through her writing, music, and political advocacy, she challenged societal norms, raised awareness about the struggles faced by Native Americans, and played a significant role in shaping the history of Indigenous rights and women’s empowerment.