Who is Zitkala-Ša?

Zitkala-Ša (1876–1938), also known by her missionary name Gertrude Simmons Bonnin, was a prominent Yankton Dakota writer, editor, translator, musician, and political activist.

She is widely recognized for her efforts to advocate for Native American rights and preserve Indigenous culture. Some key aspects of her life include:

• Writing and Literature: She was one of the most influential Native American writers of the 20th century. Her autobiographical essays, published in the Atlantic Monthly in 1900, challenged the era's assimilationist policies, and she authored Old Indian Legends (1901), which helped bring Dakota stories to a broader audience.
• Activism: She was a fierce proponent of Native American citizenship and sovereignty. She served as the secretary for the Society of American Indians and later co-founded the National Council of American Indians in 1926 to lobby for federal recognition and the protection of Indigenous rights.
• Music: She was an accomplished violinist and collaborated on The Sun Dance Opera (1913), one of the first operas composed by a Native American, which drew on Sioux themes and musical traditions.
• Education Reform: Having experienced the trauma of the boarding school system firsthand, she became a vocal critic of the harsh assimilationist practices used in those schools, advocating instead for education that respected and integrated Native culture.

She remained a dedicated civil rights leader until her death, and she is buried in Arlington National Cemetery.