Welcome to our 7th #womanoftheweek! This week, we are learning about Zitkala-Sa, a Native American writer and activist. Enjoy!
Major Acomplishemtns:
- Activist for women and Native American rights
- Fought for the preservation of Native American heritage
Zitkala-sa (born as Gertrude Simmonds) was a writer and activist. She was born in South Dakota on the Yankton Indian Reservation. Zitkala-sa was also eight when she joined a Quaker missionary school in Indiana, and continued her education at White's Indiana Manual Labor Institute and Earlham College.
During her time at the missionary school she attended, she wrote “The School Days of an Indian Girl” which mentioned how it was mandatory for her to cut her traditional long hair, and felt like she was losing her heritage. When she got her first job teaching music at the Carlise Indian Industrial School, she constantly spoke about the harsh treatment towards Native American students. The unfair treatment motivated her to write articles like “An Indian Teacher among Indians” which was published in Atlantic Monthly and Harper’s Monthly. Throughout her writing career, she focused on writing about politics, and continued to write about women and Native American’s rights. She also wrote about her culture, personal beliefs and heritage. Zitkala-sa published “Why I am a Pagan” in 1902 which described how Native Americans had to embrace Christianity to fit into society.
Zitkala-sa was one of the most inspiring Native Americans of her time. She made significant changes to the education system, and the preservation of Indian heritage. She also worked to find better health care options for Native Americans until her death in 1938. Her campaign for both women and Native American rights continues to be deeply appreciated, as the University of Nebraska reissued countless articles written by her about Native American culture.
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